Matthew McElroy > Recent Status Updates

It gets better as the Yankees get worse. The Yankees, despite all their greatness, were a fairly milquetoast team. Jeter bemoans the fact that after 2000, the structure of the team changes and everyone stops wanting to win. Or everyone wants to do different things. Or not win the way he wants. But that's not how stories are supposed to happen. Verducci must know this. He spends only half the book on the good years.

I hate the Yankees. Not in a nasty way, but in a healthy, sports-release way. The way you hated your high school rival. I go to a few games a year with my family, and always enjoy rooting against them.

This book is a clumsy combo of memoir and history. Torre has Verducci tell the story of his time with the Yankees and Verducci is writing about a specific Era in baseball, that was defined by a dynasty and a rivalry.

The origin stories of Cyclops and Iceman are probably the best parts of this collection. The fear and anger directed at them make it clear they were created to represent marginalized groups. But Marvel was a relatively open minded company when the X-Men were created. Multiple writers were Jewish and they had created the Black Panther. So why have an all-WASP, predominantly male team, with one attractive woman?

Everyone seems to have an established role on the team, except Jean Grey. She seems to be alternately the weakest member of the team, the most underestimated member of the team, the sexy girl and the sweetheart homemaker.
There is something to be said for her being the only character with more than one dimension, but heroes and villains insist on calling her "female". And she just made the whole team new costumes.

Comic 37 was the first where the art didn't look like a moderately talented high school student drew it. For 13 issues, everyone has been a different villain, with no Magneto appearances.
There is a lot of discussion about how villains should hold a mirror up to the heroes. None of these villains have done that so far. They are kind of stock "I want to rule the world" types. I wonder if that's why X-Men was canceled.

One thing that comes across in these early issues is just how young the X-Men are supposed to be. They really do come across as high school students. That being said, why does Professor X keep putting them in situations where they can be killed? I get the whole "learn by doing" and "heroes sacrifice" and so on. But, these are teenagers at school. No responsible, moral teacher puts children in danger.

We are rounding into the final pages and I'm still trying to figure out what Jones is going for. The story is interesting. The characters are compelling. The scenes are descriptive, without being flowery.

But why write a book about enslaved people, that largely takes place on a plantation started by a Black man? Is it about the ability of people to be terrible to others? Why do many remain loyal to Caldonia?

The most notable aspect of this compilation is how much Claremont changes the X-Men when he diversifies the group. It would make sense for mutants to be distributed across the globe, unless something was causing the mutations.
Plenty of the early writing makes absolutely no sense. Mimic is a mutant. Then he isn't a mutant. Professor X can create tentacles that keep him from falling, but not a motorized wheelchair.

The old newspaper print trade paperbacks are lame. They make you realize how much color changes stories that are supposed to be as active as superhero comics.
I enjoy the X-Men, though I'm not entirely sure what attracted me to them. I know they are a stand-in for the civil rights movement of the 1960s, so maybe their otherness was relatable. But Spider-Man was always an outcast and I never liked him as much.

There must be something to the names: Moses, Delphie and Cassandra- all three are involved with prophecy of the ancient world. I can't recall any of them making prescient statements so far. However, Moses has just lived up to his name, for the most selfish reason possible.

What makes Moses so loyal to Henry's memory? Sure, it keeps him close to Caldonia, but he continues to layer on stories of Henry's generosity, hard work and intelligence. Henry betrayed Moses in the worst way possible. Is Moses really interested in this end game? Or is he building up to his own betrayal?

The story is really coming around. It feels as if Jones works hard to make sure that every word he chooses is the right one. He combines the best of Vonnegut's stark writing and McBride's willingness to describe a physical scene as thoroughly as possible, while also including its emotional impact on the character.

Twain has focused on the 'deposed' King Edward in the last several chapters. We don't really know what happened to Tom the 'faux' king. I suppose it is easier for a pauper to get information about a king, rather than a king to get information about a pauper.
Edward has more room to grow as a human. He isn't evil, but he's wildly out of touch with the citizenry. Even his time out of Westminster hasn't humbled Edward.

I was going to say Stamford was the worst, because he is kinda weird and kinda icky. But talk about a full 180.
Travis though? Travis is the actual worst. In a novel about antebellum slavery, it takes a lousy human to be the worst.

Still weighing how I feel about Jones creating these characters. Some of his character building feels dangerously close to stereotyping.

Started a few days ago. It is an impressive read. Jones is an immensely talented writer. At the beginning, I was dubious about a story of a Black slave owner in antebellum Virginia. Jones couldn't have known 20 years ago, but we have finally reached a point in the revising of history where people are arguing that slavery was good.
Even a detailed, nuanced story of a Black slave owner can be problematic today.

Of all the disparities in the United States, I wonder if access to effective legal representation has the greatest effect. Rich people knowingly break the law, and send lawyers in to drag out cases, costing the government and working class opposition money, until they drop the case.

Meanwhile five boys get one public defender who only had five minutes to prepare their defense. They all received a record.

For those of you not in education, one of the catchphrases is an acronym, ACEs: Adverse Childhood Experiences. They capture a wide variety of events, from getting yelled at by a parent to losing a sibling.
Pharoah, Lafayette and the rest of the children in Henry Horner deal with the fear of death every day. I am not sure that is an overstatement. It feels as if Pharoah and Lafayette consistently bring it up.

"LaJoe was so proud of her children's accomplishments that she pinned all eight [ribbons] to her white sweatshirt. She paraded around the neighborhood all day with a rainbow of green, purple, white and red ribbons hanging from her chest; she looked like a decorated war hero."

In many regards, LaJoe has done something more remarkable than most generals. And that doesn't include hackneyed cliches about urban war zones

It's weird. I reject the notion of 'canon' for comic characters. It's silly. After decades of aliens, gods and mutants, people lose their minds if women fall in love, or a Black character is introduced.

But, it is comforting to recognize the characters you grew up with. Cyclops is an overbearing jerk (good), but Rogue and Nightcrawler have switched bodies. How does that improve the story? What was the impetus?

1) the talent show- its not only grown ups who recognize the importance of education. Arguably, the children are more attuned to its importance than middle class children, because they don't take it for granted, and it is understood to be a way to a better life.
2) I am becoming convinced health care is a universal necessity. Private hospitals kick out pregnant women to the public hospital across the street.

LaJoe is giving her children the most normal upbringing she can, in spite of a system that is, potentially, intentionally, stacked against her success. Most people in Horner encourage every young person they can to get their diplomas, for future success. The stories passed down by pop culture are unfair and self-serving. "People fail because they won't work". Pharoah and Lafayette work to earn money at every chance.

For a guy who once worked at the Wall Street Journal and whose reporting wound up seeing a family lose their benefits, his writing is remarkably straightforward and compassionate. But the focus shouldn't be on the author.
LaJoe is a mother working to do her best in raising a large family, and support others. She allows homeless people to stay in her house when it is cold out. She is honest to a fault.

Kotlowitz is so deep into this story that I wonder how he has access to all this detail. I can't imagine how much time he spent with the family in order to write the book. On the other side, how did the family deal with a man staring over their shoulder as they faced all the problems? Kotlowitz was writing for the Wall Street Journal at the time. Apparently one of his articles was the reason the family lost benefits.

The story is excellent and insightful. It contains all of Twain's traditional insight into society, politics and human nature.

It's a shame that he wrote it in the vernacular of 16th century England, rather than a more modern prose.

It is interesting to see an 1800s perspective on the 1500s perspective on mental health. Both boys' are assumed by their respective families to have a significant mental health issue. The wealthy family comes up with a plan to help him. The poor family is unable to provide home with appropriate support.
(Neither boy is mentally ill, but their behavior could make people think that.)

I've been reading this book for a while. It is curious to be reading it concurrently with "The Prince and The Pauper", Twain's novel that satirizies the ways in which circumstances beyond our control often impacts so much of our outcomes.

Kotlowitz comes to his thesis with immense compassion and understanding. The two main subjects are two boys, Lafayette and Pharaoh who are being raised in Chicago's projects.

Twain might be the first great American writer. Before him, it feels like everyone is writing formally. I cannot deal with Cooper or Hawthorne. But Twain feels like he captures the spirit of the expanding United States- the freedom, the hypocrisy, the curiosity and desire to explore.

That being said, A story set in 16th century England, with the characters speaking in language of the time is not his forte.

No. Not this way.

Except we know, that in the history of the United States, this is the only way that makes sense.

The first time Nokes arrives on time is the right time.

McBride gives his characters real depth- Stamps v. Bishop has been almost as tense as Italians v. Germans.