Phyllis Zimbler Miller's Blog: Phyllis Zimbler Miller Author, page 12

Passover — The Jewish Holiday of Freedom — and PTSD

Passover seder table

The Jewish spring festival of Passover (Pesach) celebrates the exodus of the Jews from slavery in Egypt thousands of years ago. At the Passover seder table — the home ritual that begins the week-long holiday — Jews read in the Haggaddah how G-d led the Israelites out of bondage.

During synagogue services on the second day of Passover I heard a rabbi give a sermon that urged all of us who live in freedom to work for the freedom of others, whether we choose a global project or a local project.

Thus on the third day of Passover I emailed my dear friend and award-winning military fiction author about this sermon. I said the sermon had encouraged me to work harder to move forward my proposed PTSD project HEALING OUR HEROES. And she replied:

Did you see the article about the judge, an Iraqi War vet, who sentenced a war vet to spend 24 hours in jail. It wasn’t the vet’s first run-in with the law. He suffered from PTSD.

When he got to his jail cell, the judge showed up to spend the 24 hours with him! The judge was afraid being in a small cell alone would trigger a PTSD episode!

Of course I immediately did a search on the internet to find a news story about this. And I found the April 22, 2016, AP story carried by The Washington Times: “Judge sentences defendant then spends night in jail with him”

What I discovered in the news story is that the court in which this sentencing took place is one of the special veterans courts that exist in a few places in the U.S. I have written about my own experience visiting the LA County Veterans Court in both blog posts and in my fiction story SOLOMON’S JUSTICE.

The compassion of this North Carolina veterans court judge — Judge Lou Olivera, a Gulf War veteran — is a compelling example of how important veterans courts are for veterans suffering from PTSD. (Judge Olivera is quoted in the AP article as saying, “They have worn the uniform and we know they can be contributing members of society. We just want to get them back there.”)

Encouraging other places in the U.S. to set up their own veterans courts where such compassion can be exhibited is a major goal of my proposed reality TV series HEALING OUR HEROES. This encouragement is also the goal of the proposed TV drama series SOLOMON’S JUSTICE (inspired by the LA County Veterans Court).

In conclusion, in the spirit of the Jewish holiday of freedom — Passover, I encourage all of us who benefit from the U.S. military service of men and women to help free the demons of the mind from veterans as well as active duty military personnel suffering from PTSD.

Click here to read about HEALING OUR HEROES. And you can reach me at pzmiller@gmail.com about this subject.

P.S. Click here to read the amazing story of how soap saved a Navy combat medic veteran with PSTD.

© 2016 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller) has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks. Phyllis is available by skype for book group discussions and may be reached at pzmiller@gmail.com

Her Kindle fiction ebooks may be read for free with a Kindle Unlimited monthly subscription — see www.amazon.com/author/phylliszimblermiller — and her Kindle nonfiction ebooks may also be read for free with a Kindle Unlimited monthly subscription — see www.amazon.com/author/phylliszmiller

Does Amazon Have a Role in Near Future Sci Fi Fiction?

I frequently blog about genetic and other discoveries that could influence the near future worlds of my 2029 sci fi story THE UPHEAVAL and my 2049 sci fi story THE MOTHER SIEGE. Today I realized that Amazon activities probably need to be included in my near future conjectures.

Case in point:

I read in today’s April 18, 2016, print Wall Street Journal the article by Greg Bensinger titled “Amazon Ups the Ante on Streaming Video, Challenging Netflix“ that begins:

Amazon.com Inc. is firing a shot across the bow of Netflix Inc. by attempting to become a primary destination for streaming video.

The Seattle online retailer said Sunday it will begin offering its video-streaming service as a stand-alone option for the first time. A monthly subscription will cost $8.99, a dollar less than the most popular plan from Netflix.

In addition, “Prime membership also will be offered monthly for the first time to all U.S. customers for $10.99.” (Until now Amazon Prime membership was only available via a $99 annual fee.)

I have been saying for years (only partly as a joke) that Amazon is going to take over the world. I already spot small Amazon vans delivering all over Beverly Hills. And let’s not forget the delivery drones Amazon hopes to employ sooner than later.

As a digital marketer besides fiction writer I found this part of the Journal article very intriguing (my boldface):

The Prime service has become a crucial component in Amazon’s growing retail dominance. In addition to providing a reliable revenue stream of membership fees, Prime customers spend as much as double what non-Prime customers do in a year, by some estimates. Amazon has bulked the service up with add-ons like exclusive discounts and streaming music.

Then, just after I read this article, I demonstrated the action that Amazon is betting on:

My husband planned to delay walking to his law office in order to drive to a vacuum repair store where he wanted to see about getting our inexpensive carpet sweeper fixed. I told him to hang on while I went online to Amazon and did a search for a similar product.

Instead I bought a new carpet sweeper of the brand he wanted (Bissell) for $19.08 and got free shipping with our Amazon Prime membership. This was so much easier than his proposed in-store visit, perhaps only to find that the carpet sweeper could not be fixed!

And this purchase followed the lamp we just bought via Amazon to replace a lamp that had already been repaired once and wasn’t worth fixing again. (No shipping fee even on this heavy object with our Amazon Prime membership.)

Just to be clear, I am not advocating that everyone should get Amazon Prime or any other paid Amazon service. What I am advocating is that businesses today, whether local or global, need to keep a sharp eye on Amazon and adjust their own business models accordingly.

And, in a near future sci fi story, perhaps Amazon will replace my imaginary Provisional Government as the draconian governmental entity.

Click here to read THE MOTHER SIEGE on Wattpad.

© 2016 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller) has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks. Phyllis is available by skype for book group discussions and may be reached at pzmiller@gmail.com

Her Kindle fiction ebooks may be read for free with a Kindle Unlimited monthly subscription — see www.amazon.com/author/phylliszimblermiller — and her Kindle nonfiction ebooks may also be read for free with a Kindle Unlimited monthly subscription — see www.amazon.com/author/phylliszmiller

Disneyland Visit Prompts Future Views on Obesity and Childhood Vaccinations

My visit to Disneyland offered the fun of the happiest place on earth. Yet many of the people I saw made me think about additional public health issues to be considered for my novella THE MOTHER SIEGE that takes place in 2049 and the prequel story THE UPHEAVAL that takes place 20 years earlier in 2029.

Much of the harsh decrees in both stories are brought about by the Provisional Government trying to reduce healthcare costs. While I already covered many such issues, I have not yet covered the question of obesity.

Full disclosure: Yes, I could stand to lose about 10 pounds and I do work on this. What I’m talking about here is massively overweight people — people who probably need two seats on an airplane. And I saw a huge (pun intended) number of these people at Disneyland, many with young children.

As I waited in line for such rides as Pirates of the Caribbean I considered how a near future draconian government might deal with truly obese individuals:

In vitro genetic manipulation that would limit lifelong appetite?

Interning obese people in weight-reduction camps until they lose enough weight to return to society?

Fining people of a certain weight until they reduce to a specific amount?

Limiting the freedom of choice of obese people, including requiring them to buy two seats on a plane?

I AM NOT ADVOCATING THE ABOVE DRACONIAN MEASURES. I am only raising these in the context of my cautionary near future stories of THE UPHEAVAL and THE MOTHER SIEGE. And yet food for thought (another intended pun), some of these draconian measures may not be as unbelievable in the future as we may think.

Newborn vaccination protection:

Because there are parents choosing not to vaccinate their children, many of the diseases that children never need to get can now infect newborns and some of these diseases can be deadly in newborns. I have been told that, because of this situation, parents of newborns are advised by their doctors not to take the newborns to public places until the babies are old enough to first have their vaccinations.

Thus it was with concern that I saw several tiny newborns at Disneyland. I know these babies are at risk of being infected with diseases that can be deadly to newborns and I wondered if their parents knew this.

When I was very young polio vaccine had not yet been invented. My parents would not allow us to go to the Chicago amusement park Riverview in August nor could we swim in the public swimming pool in our town of Elgin, Illinois, in August for fear of contracting polio. (Apparently there were months when new cases of polio would spike and as I recall August was one of those months.)

While I understand how easy it is to put a newborn into a body carrier and take that child to Disneyland, I do hope that parents will hold off doing this until the baby has had its vaccinations. (Below is a link to a government chart of the recommended immunization schedule.)

In my sci fi stories THE UPHEAVAL and THE MOTHER SIEGE perhaps I will decide that these diseases have been completely eradicated. Or I will decide that the Provisional Government requires following strict protocols of where newborns can be taken and how the vaccinations are administered. (In these dystopian stories any such measures will be for the purpose of saving economic expenditures on healthcare rather than concern for the individuals.)

In the meantime, before such future societies arrive, we all need to take healthcare concerns seriously for our own benefit if not for the government’s.

Click here for CDC government recommended immunization schedule for birth through six years old.

© 2016 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller) has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks. Phyllis is available by skype for book group discussions and may be reached at pzmiller@gmail.com

Her Kindle fiction ebooks may be read for free with a Kindle Unlimited monthly subscription — see www.amazon.com/author/phylliszimblermiller — and her Kindle nonfiction ebooks may also be read for free with a Kindle Unlimited monthly subscription — see www.amazon.com/author/phylliszmiller

Advice for Finding Your Own Path

The April 2, 2016, print edition of The Wall Street Journal published an essay adapted by Michael Puett and Christine Gross-Loh from their new book THE PATH: WHAT CHINESE PHILOSOPHERS CAN TEACH US ABOUT THE GOOD LIFE, which is to be published by Simon & Schuster. As the Journal article indicated, Dr. Puett is a professor of Chinese history at Harvard University and Dr. Gross-Loh is the author of PARENTING WITHOUT BORDERS.

The Journal article says:

[W]hy is it that so many students feel such anxiety? On campus, we hear the same complaint again and again: “I’ve done lots of extracurriculars. I’ve taken a variety of courses. Why can’t I figure out who I am and what I want to do?”

Our answer: Read Confucius, Mencius, Zhuangzi and other Chinese thinkers who lived more than 2,000 years ago. Recognize that the contemporary Western emphasis on self-discovery and self-acceptance has led you astray.

The article spoke to me because in my opinion this advice constitutes a good companion to Carol Dweck’s book MINDSET:THE NEW PSYCHOLOGY OF SUCCESS — the fabulous book that demonstrates the importance of having an open mind to learning new skills, particularly skills at which we do not immediately excel.

The article also says:

So if you want not only to be successful but also to live a good life, consider these subversive lessons of Chinese philosophy: Don’t try to discover your authentic self; don’t be confined by what you are good at or what you love. And do a lot of pretending.

Soon after I read this Journal article I spoke to a friend whose daughter left a very good position in order to attend a full-time MBA program — a decision for which she apparently received a lot of dissenting opinions. The friend wondered whether this program will help her daughter decide what she wants to do next.

With the Chinese philosophy article in mind I replied with the concept of trying out new things, especially doing internships during an MBA program to check out possible career options. And, yes, I recommended the third book in my HOW TO SUCCEED series of books for teens and young adults — HOW TO SUCCEED BEYOND COLLEGE.

In today’s interconnected world there is so much information available via your smartphone or tablet. Answers to questions such as where to find veterinarians in your city (to seek an internship) are immediately available.

Tip: One great place for younger or older adults to get information in person is via meetup.com; on this website you enter your city and your interests to find in-person meeting groups on all kinds of topics. These meetups (usually free) are great places to network with people in different career fields who are often happy to share information.

In conclusion, you can read for FREE all three of my HOW TO SUCCEED ebooks for teens and young adults via a Kindle Unlimited monthly subscription on Amazon. Check out www.howtosucceedebooks.com to learn more.

And do think of these three books as graduation gifts for eighth graders, high school seniors, and college seniors!

© 2016 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller) has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks. Phyllis is available by skype for book group discussions and may be reached at pzmiller@gmail.com

Her Kindle fiction ebooks may be read for free with a Kindle Unlimited monthly subscription — see www.amazon.com/author/phylliszimblermiller — and her Kindle nonfiction ebooks may also be read for free with a Kindle Unlimited monthly subscription — see www.amazon.com/author/phylliszmiller

The Bechdel Test for Women in Movies

I just saw a reference to the Bechdel test for women characters in movies and I googled this to find out what it meant. My Google search led to this video from youtube.com/user/feministfrequency, which begins with the narrator saying:

The Bechdel test, or the Mo Movie Measure, is a type of litmus test to assess the presence of women in movies. It originated from Alison Bechdel’s comic, “Dykes To Watch Out For,” in 1985. Here’s how it works; a movie just has to pass these three simple questions.

The three questions are:

Are there two or more women in the movie WHO HAVE NAMES?
Do they talk to each other?
Do they talk to each other about something other than a man?

And then the short video goes on to show the movie posters of so many movies that do not meet this test.

I’m a long-standing feminist who writes fiction stories and screenplays with strong female characters because that is what interests me and because I think fictional portrayal has such a strong impact on perceived real-life views. But even though I know about the lack of strong female fictional characters in many movies, I was still surprised as I watched this video.

Why? Because the Bechdel test bar is so low!

The Bechdel test is not even talking about women being lead characters or taking control of their own actions or having large roles in a film. The test is simply talking about women having a presence and whose characters have names.

If you are a fiction story or screenplay writer, ask yourself if your work meets the three simple questions of the Bechdel test. And if not, rectify this lack asap because fictional portrayal so strongly influences people’s real-life opinions!

P.S. And while you will find many posts on this blog that concern the portrayal of women in fiction, click here for a post on a broader subject — “Fiction Portrayals Impact More Than Gender and Diversity Issues” — another important consideration for fiction story and screenplay writers.

And you can read most of my screenplays and TV drama and comedy pilots, all of which I hope pass the Bechdel test, on Amazon Studios. Click here now.

© 2016 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller) has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks. Phyllis is available by skype for book group discussions and may be reached at pzmiller@gmail.com

Her Kindle fiction ebooks may be read for free with a Kindle Unlimited monthly subscription — see www.amazon.com/author/phylliszimblermiller — and her Kindle nonfiction ebooks may also be read for free with a Kindle Unlimited monthly subscription — see www.amazon.com/author/phylliszmiller

Fiction Can Encourage Small Acts of Kindness

The March 22, 2016, episode “Reasonable Doubts” of CBS’s hit TV drama series NCIS had a rather mundane main plot and a very compelling subplot featuring “Senior, ” the father of character Anthony DiNozzo. Senior’s act of kindness toward a homeless woman — an ill Army vet — seemed particularly moving in a world reeling from terror attacks in Brussels and elsewhere.

After watching this episode I started to think about situational awareness and the small acts that we can do to make this world seem not quite as terrible.

Here is one small example that many of us can do almost every day:

When we open a door and walk through it, are we aware of a person right behind us who is also about to go through the same door? If so, do we take the extra second to hold the door open for that person or do we let the door in effect slam in that person’s face?

I know the above may seem trivial, yet it is an important expression of recognizing the existence of and importance of other people.

Teaching ourselves to have situational awareness for good deeds can also be good training for observing things out of place — things that might indicate an imminent terror attack. This is how all of us can help assume responsibility for the safety of ourselves and others.

Recently I saw an apparently abandoned backpack on the floor of a neighborhood Starbucks and had this backpack brought to the attention of a barista. Fortunately the barista knew which frequent patron (who had left the store) went with the backpack.

I admit I hesitated before calling attention to the abandoned backpack. But then I considered that the risk of not doing so outweighed any possible embarrassment on my part.

And if fiction encourages us to do good deeds for others, here is an example of what we can do:

Fay Wolf’s newly released book “New Order: A Decluttering Handbook for Creative Folks (and Everyone Else)” has a marvelous section on places to donate various category items. For example, I had always wondered if bras could be donated. Lo and behold, Wolf includes freethegirls.org in her book.

According to the Free The Girls website, it is a “501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides job opportunities for survivors of sex trafficking in developing countries.” This mission is very appropriate for the March 21, 2016, episode “Rules in Defiance” of new NBC TV drama series BLINDSPOT, which dealt with sex trafficking.

As ordinary citizens we may not be able to take down a sex trafficking ring as in BLINDSPOT or get needed medical help for a homeless Army vet as in NCIS, yet we can be alert to opportunities all around us in daily life for small acts of kindness.

So when, for example, you see a person in a wheelchair or a person pushing a stroller approaching a closed door, take a moment to open the door for that person.

And if you are a fiction writer, remember that depicting small acts of kindness in your fiction can impact the real-world actions of your readers.

© 2016 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller) has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks. Phyllis is available by skype for book group discussions and may be reached at pzmiller@gmail.com

Her Kindle fiction ebooks may be read for free with a Kindle Unlimited monthly subscription — see www.amazon.com/author/phylliszimblermiller — and her Kindle nonfiction ebooks may also be read for free with a Kindle Unlimited monthly subscription — see www.amazon.com/author/phylliszmiller

Respect for Others: Real Life and Fiction

I read the March 13, 2016, Wall Street Journal article “Lawsuit Sparks Soul-Searching on Madison Avenue Over Diversity: Recent missteps and allegations paint unflattering portrait of the ad industry” by Suzanne Vranica and Nathalie Tadena with a sinking heart.

The article begins:

Madison Avenue has long tried to move beyond the 1960s image of the advertising world depicted in the popular TV series “Mad Men,” with its sexist jokes, office affairs and nearly all-white workforce.

But a series of recent incidents and allegations paints an unflattering portrait of the industry, highlighting the lack of gender and racial diversity that still exists in the advertising and marketing business.

The article includes a mention of a newly filed lawsuit:

Last week, the male chief executive of ad agency J. Walter Thompson, whose clients include Kimberly-Clark Corp. and Macy’s Inc., was sued for alleged discrimination by a female subordinate who accused him of an “unending stream of racist and sexist comments, as well as unwanted touching.”

As a long-time feminist I have been fighting against this male locker-room behavior and sexual harassment for a long time. In fact, I recently found in my files an unpublished fiction short story I wrote in 1992 entitled “Equal Opportunity.” I wrote this story after reading the May 16, 1991, article “‘Work Environment’ Bias Claim on Trial” in The Wall Street Journal by Amy Dockser Marcus and Milo Geyelin that started:

A trial that began this week in Duluth, Minn. tests a claim by women mine workers that their work environment subjects all of them to illegal sexual harassment.

Clearly 25 years later in 2016 we haven’t come very far.

Now about fictional portrayals:

This weekend I saw the new limited-release film HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS starring Sally Fields, which is getting very good reviews and is a cute film.

While some of the press coverage praises the fact that this is a film about a woman in her 60s played by an actor in her 60s, I am uneasy at some aspects of that portrayal. The character Doris does not even know how to use Facebook! And the reason this portrayal concerns me is that so many people assume that seniors do not get tech, which is very unfair to a large percentage of seniors. (See my proposed project www.SeniorsGetTech.com)

One of the movies whose trailer screened before the showing of DORIS was Black Label Media’s DEMOLITION. I was upset to view in the trailer a scene of a lead character sliding down an outside banister. As I have written before, my first cousin slid down a banister in college, fell off the banister, and never walked again. This is very risky behavior to encourage.

(For more about such dangerous portrayals see my posts “Sensitivity to Others: In Fiction and Real Life” and “Fictional Portrayals Impact More Than Gender and Diversity Issues”)

And putting that scene in the trailer for DEMOLITION is even worse than just having it in the movie — many more people will presumably be exposed to the trailer than to the actual movie.

FYI — I plan to tweet the link to this blog post to Black Label Media’s Twitter account in the hope that the production company will at a minimum remove the sliding-down-the-banister clip from the trailer. (Oh, no, I just saw that the banister clip is being used in social media by Fox Searchlight to promote the film.)

In conclusion, in real life or fiction, it is important to treat people respectfully!

© 2016 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller) has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks. Phyllis is available by skype for book group discussions and may be reached at pzmiller@gmail.com

Her Kindle fiction ebooks may be read for free with a Kindle Unlimited monthly subscription — see www.amazon.com/author/phylliszimblermiller — and her Kindle nonfiction ebooks may also be read for free with a Kindle Unlimited monthly subscription — see www.amazon.com/author/phylliszmiller

Fiction Portrayals Impact More Than Gender and Diversity Issues

Those of you who often read my posts here know that I am always concerned with the portrayal of females and diverse characters in positive and strong roles. Yet this awareness of how fiction impacts real-world views of people also extends to risky behavior portrayal in fictional media.

My biggest failure in the public arena took place many years ago when I tried to get Hollywood organizations to promote safer sex portrayal in films and TV shows. This effort was to encourage teens to practice safer sex initiatives that they saw their favorite movie stars enacting in fictional stories.

While at that time I had some success in getting media exposure (in the days before social media), I ultimately failed at achieving a significant change in risky behaviors portrayed on screen.

Now in 2016 I still watch films and TV series to check whether appropriate safety behavior is portrayed.



For example:

I recently had a moment’s unrest during the British TV series DOC MARTIN on which I had been binging on Netflix. I thought the doc’s just-born baby was going to be driven home from the hospital without a child’s car safety seat. At the last moment the local police chief rushes up to the car holding a child’s safety seat and tells the mother that, if she doesn’t use the seat, she would be breaking the law and the doctor would also be breaking the law. The newborn rode home in the child’s car safety seat.

In the March 7, 2016, Wall Street Journal online version of the “Health & Wellness” section’s research report, the item — Reality Check — in the article by Ann Lukits states:

Characters in some children’s movies may be setting a bad example for young viewers, says a study published online in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics. The study analyzed risky transportation-related behaviors depicted in top-grossing children’s movies over a five-year period.

Just over 20% showed characters without seat belts, almost a third depicted motorcycle riders without helmets, ​67% showed boat operators without life jackets and almost all scenes with horses had riders without helmets.

The majority of movie characters were male, but both sexes participated in unsafe activities on screen, the analysis showed.

The Journal article also states:

Studies have shown that children may not have the cognitive skills to distinguish between fantasy and reality, researchers said. As they mature, children may imitate the behaviors they’ve grown up watching in movies, they said. [Thus my campaign about safer sex portrayal in films and TV shows.]

Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death in U.S. children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The research was done on 30 children’s G or PG movies, five each for years 2008 through 2013: “Researchers identified 192 scenes in 24 movies that involved one or more modes of transportation. Speeding vehicles were incorporated into 21% of the plots.”

Here are some of the reported unsafe portrayals:

Pedestrian characters were frequently shown in unsafe situations: 90% didn’t wait for signal lights to change, 70% ignored crosswalks and 60% crossed roads running instead of walking. Two cyclists, both girls, appeared in scenes without helmets. One was shown crossing lanes of traffic and crashing.

The sole skateboarder, a male animal, didn’t wear a helmet, wrist guards, knee and elbow pads or closed-toe shoes. This character also crashed. Cellphone use and other forms of distracted driving were rare, the researchers said.

If you are a fiction writer, I hope you will keep these unsafe portrayals in mind when you write. Then take the responsible actions of changing these portrayals to safe behaviors without hurting the plots of your stories. And if you viewers see such unsafe portrayals in film and TV series, I hope you would mention this on social media. In that way we may initiative a grassroots movement to portray safer behaviors for teens and young adults.

On a personal note — I am very upset when, in my Beverly Hills neighborhood, I see parents without helmets riding bicycles with their children who do have on helmets:

What kind of behavior modeling is going on for when the children are older?
What happens to a parent’s skull if he or she falls on his or her head when not wearing a helmet?

As bike helmets have saved members of my family, I strongly believe in these helmets for all ages! (Remember, also, that the helmet strap must be connected and the helmet worn far enough forward to protect the forehead.)

© 2016 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller) has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks. Phyllis is available by skype for book group discussions and may be reached at pzmiller@gmail.com

Her Kindle fiction ebooks may be read for free with a Kindle Unlimited monthly subscription — see www.amazon.com/author/phylliszimblermiller — and her Kindle nonfiction ebooks may also be read for free with a Kindle Unlimited monthly subscription — see www.amazon.com/author/phylliszmiller

Why Is Diversity in Fiction So Important?

As this is Oscar weekend around the globe (and especially relevant here in Los Angeles) I continue to read about the proposed boycott of the Oscars because no African-American actor (female or male) has been nominated for the top four Academy acting awards.

While I will not weigh in on whether this boycott is a good idea, I will weigh in on why I think diversity in fiction is so very important.

First, a little personal background that may shed some light on why I feel so strongly about diversity portrayal.

I grew up as the only Jewish student in all my elementary school, junior high school and high school classes. Almost all students in these schools were white. Only English was heard being spoken in public places. I couldn’t wait to leave what I considered my insular home town.

Now I live in Los Angeles and each day I am thrilled to hear numerous languages as I walk around my neighborhood and see people from all parts of the globe. I value this diversity and hopefully learn from it.

Not all people have the opportunity to live in such a diverse location. Or, if they do, they may not have the opportunity to interact with people other than those similar to themselves.

This is why fiction in books, movies, TV shows and on the Internet is so important. Fiction can introduce us to those diverse people we don’t have the opportunity to meet in everyday life.

(To be clear — Actors of color can and should portray fictional characters who are not necessarily of color. The award-winning musical HAMILTON features many actors of color portraying historical white people such as many of the Founding Fathers.)

It is important to see female fictional characters portrayed in powerful roles (cheers for the current TV shows SUPERGIRL and AGENT CARTER although non-comic strong female fictional characters such as in the new TV shows BLINDSPOT and QUANTICO are even more satisfactory). And it is equally important to see non-white people in fictional stories because fiction stories influence our view of non-white people in the real world.

The February 26, 2016, Wall Street Journal article “Hollywood Wrestles With Diversity” by Ben Fritz states:

Comcast Corp.’s Universal Pictures, for example, is widely recognized as a leader in on-screen racial diversity with recent movies such as “Straight Outta Compton” and the “Fast and Furious” series. But its team of executives who oversee development and production are the least racially diverse of any major studio in Hollywood.

And Fritz goes on to say, “Diversifying the Oscar nominees will be difficult, most in Hollywood agree, unless the movie business itself becomes more diverse at all levels.”

(On another issue, the tiny number of women ever nominated for Best Director for the Oscars is beyond reprehensible. Of course, this is partly because of the uphill battle that women directors face in getting the director slots on major studio films. And when women do manage to wrestle a director slot on a major film, their efforts are often ignored.)

The most interesting info in Fritz’s article may be:

Director and producer J.J. Abrams recently instituted a new rule at his production company, Bad Robot: When agents submit the names of clients to be considered for acting, directing or writing jobs, the lists must include women and minorities who are, at minimum, roughly representative of their percentages of the U.S. population.

Perhaps other top directors and producers will follow suit. Or perhaps Hollywood will continue as before — ignoring that people want to see fictional characters (and the directors of those actors in the fictional stories) who reflect the diversity of the human experience.

© 2016 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller) has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks. Phyllis is available by skype for book group discussions and may be reached at pzmiller@gmail.com

Her Kindle fiction ebooks may be read for free with a Kindle Unlimited monthly subscription — see www.amazon.com/author/phylliszimblermiller — and her Kindle nonfiction ebooks may also be read for free with a Kindle Unlimited monthly subscription — see www.amazon.com/author/phylliszmiller

The WWII Resistance Fighter: A Short Story

A fictional story inspired by the exploits of the real-life young women in the French Resistance during WWII. See the historical sources cited at the end of the short story.

The old woman smiled to herself as she savored her mouthful of champagne.

Then she peered across her champagne glass at her granddaughter Bethany as they sat enjoying the famous omelet of Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy. Earlier they had climbed the island’s one main street, strolled through the abbey’s gardens, and observed the ebb and flow of the tides encircling the Norman architecture.

“A very satisfactory day, if I do say so myself,” the old woman said to her granddaughter. Expending her limited energy on the activities of this day seemed worth the effort.

“I am so glad you agreed to go on this trip,” she continued. “You need to see more of the world than the shopping malls of Los Angeles.”

Bethany nodded. Her light brown hair hugging her head reminded her grandmother of a style reminiscent of bathing caps in the days when women wore such things. Nowadays everyone jumped into those horrid chlorine-filled waters with no concern for the potential damage to their hair.

“Grandmother, tell me more about when you lived here in Normandy. Before you met Grandfather and he brought you back to America with him after the war.”

The old woman stared into her champagne glass, then looked up.

“A story that I have never told anyone else?”

“You have a secret?”

The old woman laughed, pleased at the ability to still surprise her granddaughter. “Many secrets. And now I will tell you one.”

The old woman began:

“It was the spring of 1972. I had come back to Normandy to see my mother. She was not well and I feared she would not live long. Your father was already in college and your grandfather was too busy with business to accompany me.

“The train from Paris sped through the countryside. At Caen a driver was to meet me and take me to my mother’s farmhouse.”

For a moment the old woman looked away from her granddaughter, her mind on a time before the war, before the Nazi occupation.

“The car was waiting and we drove north towards the beaches of Normandy. As I neared the town of Bayeux, I had an impulse. Why not stop in Bayeux and see the Bayeux Tapestry, which I had never seen?”

The old woman nodded at Bethany. “You know, of course, what the Bayeux Tapestry is?”

Bethany shook her head. Her helmet hair didn’t move. The old woman hoped her granddaughter didn’t use those hair sprays with their dreadful chemicals.

“Oh, dear, do you learn nothing today of culture and history?”

Bethany gave her one of those knowing smiles. “Grandmother, I learn all kinds of things. What is the Bayeux Tapestry?”

“It is actually not a woven tapestry but an embroidery 20 inches wide, 230 feet long. Made after William the Conqueror’s invasion of England in 1066 to record the triumphant conquest of this duke of Normandy.”

“What does it have to do with your story?”

“Patience, my dear.” These young people had little appreciation for enjoying one’s meal — letting the taste of the champagne linger in the mouth.

“When I reached the museum that houses the tapestry, a movie production company from Germany was shooting in the room with the tapestry. The museum guard informed me that I could not enter the room as it was occupied. By Germans! Who won the war I ask you?”

The old woman glanced around at the other patrons. Perhaps she should lower her voice.

“I glared at the man. I was not to be stopped by a mere film company of Germans. I could be more German than the Germans. I demanded entrance.”

The old woman could see from Bethany’s expression that her granddaughter found it hard to imagine her grandmother asserting her rights.

“And the guard acquiesced,” the old woman continued, pleased to see Bethany’s reaction to this statement.

“He shooed all the Germans out of the gallery, then ushered me in. I walked the circumference of the room. There was nothing in the room except the tapestry. As I had always imagined, the stitchery and the scenes depicted were magnificent. It was well worth my display of imperiousness.”

“Then what happened?”

“Afterwards I walked towards the waiting car, ignoring the mutterings of the Germans complaining of the 10-minute delay in their shooting schedule. As I reached the car I expected the driver to jump out and open the door for me. Yet he did not. I leaned down to peer in the car window and was grabbed from behind. How dare the Germans!

“Instead of a German voice an unpleasant male voice told me in French to come with him now. And he stayed behind me and marched me down the street.”

The waiter suddenly hovered over their table, checking that they had no need of additional refreshments. The old woman smiled at the waiter and motioned him away.

“I could not turn around to see the man’s face. I had told no one in Normandy except my mother that I was coming. I had used my married name to book the driver. Who could this be?”

“Did the man hurt you, Grandmother?”

The old woman shook her head, motioning to her granddaughter not to interrupt.

“In front of a small house we stopped. The man reached around me, pushed open the door, and shoved me inside.

“It was then he released me. I turned around, and the air exploded from my lungs. It was Jean-Paul!”

“Who’s Jean-Paul?”

“Must I remind you again to have patience. I am telling the story to you.”

The helmeted head of hair nodded.

“Jean-Paul said to me that after all this time he would have his revenge. I sank into a chair, asking shouldn’t the revenge be the other way around?

“His face was splotchy red as he accused me of costing his brother’s life, for which I had to pay.”

Bethany gasped. “Grandmother, what had you done?”

“Really, my dear, it was quite simple. During the war my younger sister and I worked for the French Resistance.”

“You did? You were only teenagers then.”

“Oh, yes, that was one of the advantages. Who would suspect such innocent-looking girls who worked on their family farm?”

“What did you do?”

“We would pedal around the countryside on our bicycles, delivering messages and supplies. At the time of the Allies’ invasion of Normandy we were given our most important mission — sabotaging the train cars on which the Germans moved their tanks. In this way the Germans could not bring tank reinforcements to the Normandy beaches.”

Bethany stared at the old woman. “Did your parents know what you were doing?”

“Oh, no, my dear. They would have thought it much too dangerous. My sister and I climbed out of our bedroom window each night. Our parents never suspected.”

Bethany laughed. Perhaps it was amusing to imagine one’s grandmother young and climbing out of windows.

“What happened with Jean-Paul’s brother?”

“My sister and I were to siphon off the axle oil and substitute an abrasive grease. The Germans disguised the train cars and did not guard them with soldiers in order to be less conspicuous.”

The old woman waved away the waiter who again advanced on their table. There would be no interruptions now.

“When we got to the first siding, Jean-Paul was there guarding the train cars. We were not surprised. We knew he was Milice.”

“What’s that?”

The old woman shook her head. Of course Bethany would not know this. “A paramilitary force created during the war by the Vichy regime to help fight against the French Resistance.”

“A Nazi collaborator?”

The old woman nodded.

“My sister went towards him wheeling her bicycle. She began flirting, saying she was out late, in spite of the curfew, because she had a rendezvous with a lover. Of course, the implication was that, if she was so easy, perhaps Jean-Paul too could have the same.

“While she was talking, I made my way behind the train cars and began siphoning off the axle oil. My hands trembled so that I could barely work.”

The old woman’s hand trembled on her champagne glass as if the memory brought back the fear. She sighed before going on.

“When I finally completed my task I signaled my sister with an owl’s hoot. She made some excuse, slipped from Jean Paul’s arms, and regained her bicycle. As she met me a few yards beyond the cars, I slid on the gravel and my bicycle tires screeched. Jean-Paul called to us to halt; we bicycled faster.

“He fired his gun, and still we pedaled away. A moment later a scream exploded behind us. Even for that we did not stop.”

“Did you get caught?”

The old woman shook her head. “The next day we learned what had happened. Jean-Paul had shot and killed his younger brother. The poor boy had been sent by their mama with cheese and a baguette and had gotten in the line of fire.”

Bethany’s face paled; she said nothing.

“Now, almost 30 years later, he stood across from me, accusing me of the murder of his brother. But even as he was accusing me he had the bad manners to use the familiar form of address in French.”

Clearly this comment did not impress Bethany because she said, “Grandmother, really, what did you do?”

“I laughed at him.”

“Laughed?”

“I need not bother with the likes of him. He was always a boorish, ignorant farmer.”

Bethany’s expression was one of concern. The old woman thought it pleasant that one’s offspring should actually appear to care.

“Didn’t your laughter make him angrier?” Bethany said. “Didn’t he try to hurt you?”

“He collapsed into a chair and cried, asking me how I could be so cruel. Tears streamed down his face.

“And I asked in turn how he could have been a collaborator. Were the extra rations or whatever he got worth being a traitor to his country?

“He slipped from the chair onto his knees in front of me, asking for my forgiveness. He said,‘I made a terrible mistake — and my brother paid for it.’”

“Did you forgive him?”

The old woman nodded. “I placed my hand on his shoulder and told him it was not for me to forgive him but for God.

“Then I walked out of the house and retraced my steps. I found my driver tied up behind a bush near the car and we continued our trip.”

“Oh, Grandmother!” Bethany clapped her hands. Either the child was indulging in too much champagne or she appreciated the story.

The old woman smiled. “I arrived at my mother’s farmhouse in time to spend two days with her before she died. I did not tell her the story of Jean-Paul. Why tell her a story she’d lived so many years without knowing?”

Bethany nodded as if this was the most reasonable decision. The old woman wondered what important events in Bethany’s own life she had decided not to tell her own mother.

“After my mother died, I took a bottle of champagne with me to the Normandy beaches where the Allies had landed. I stood at the top of Pointe du Hoc — such a steep cliff. The Americans who landed there climbed directly into the German guns, suffering monstrous casualties! I toasted those young men who spilled their blood to free France.”

The old woman smiled at her granddaughter. “And I toasted the French Resistance fighters who also sacrificed their lives for freedom.”

Note: The fictional World War II exploit of the old woman in this story was inspired by the information from: Weitz, Margaret Collins, “Sisters in the Resistance: How Women Fought to Free France 1940-1945” (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.,1995); Foot, M.R.D., “SOE: The Special Operations Executive 1940-46” (University Publication of America, 1986); and Ambrose, Stephen E., “D-Day, June 6, 1944; The Climactic Battle of World War II” (Simon and Schuster, 1994).



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Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller) has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks. Phyllis is available by skype for book group discussions and may be reached at pzmiller@gmail.com

Her Kindle fiction ebooks may be read for free with a Kindle Unlimited monthly subscription — see www.amazon.com/author/phylliszimblermiller — and her Kindle nonfiction ebooks may also be read for free with a Kindle Unlimited monthly subscription — see www.amazon.com/author/phylliszmiller