“Love is the Higher Law” opens on Sept. 11, 2001 in New York City and chronicles the experiences of three teens – Claire, Jasper and Peter – During and After (and some Before) the horrific events of that day. Their lives, once loosely related, become tangled and intertwined as they develop unique relationships with each other that are a direct result of their personal reactions to 9/11.
It may surprise some readers who know to expect a certain level of drama in each YA romance-type story, but because of what they’ve been through, any possible drama is completely left out of the equation. Drama, like so much else in the days following 9/11, is a pointless waste of time.
What surprises me is that this is the first fiction I’ve heard of that covers New Yorkers on 9/11. Maybe it’s still too raw to tackle for fear of exploit, but David Levithan does it with beauty and sensitivity, making the book a shared experience rather than one of an audience eavesdropping on something personal and private.
This is an amazing book, full of important, compelling words relating to love, life and loss. I wasn’t in NYC and have only been there a handful of times, but it’s amazing that so much of the characters’ experiences reflect my own as a long-distance witness.
I’m coming to expect Levithan’s words to be ones I want to remember, so I’m only going to read his books in the future with a notebook handy to copy down quotes. I’m not one to defile books, but I’d even consider highlighting lines in my own copies.
Everyone should read this and remember the Before, During and After that changed the American psyche. From where I sit, it seems the current-eight-years After has blended with the directly Before to make a new today. We’re somewhat jaded and numb to the changes, so it’s important to call a time out from the new normal and remember. Not only is it important to remember for the countless victims of 9/11, the raw emotion after that tragedy was good for those of us who survived.
“I have been so good about getting back to normal, about moving on, about forgetting enough so the the pain doesn’t keep me awake, but remembering enough so that I am a different, better person.” – “Love is the Higher Law,” by David Levithan
Up next: “The Wild Things,” by Dave Eggers
Omigod!
Here’s another big, HUGE thank you to Megan McCafferty. My signed copy of “Perfect Fifths” came in the mail today, and I was excited to see a bonus signed bookmark as well. I was really bummed that I didn’t get to see Megan on her latest book tour to witness Barry-oke and get my books signed, but this (practically) makes up for it.
#lassodicking!
You may have noticed my tweets are chock full of references to lasso-dicking. You may be wondering what in fresh hell I’m talking about.
Wonder no more, blog fans. Here’s the scoop.
Lasso-dicking comes from “Perfect Fifths,” the final book in a five-book series by Megan McCafferty. I read the series earlier this year, before I started recording my book reviews here. In short, the series follows Jessica (notso) Darling as she transitions from high school to the real world. Much of the content is written in journal form, which puts an interesting spin on the omniscient first person.
My favorite of Jessica’s love interests is the ever-evolving Marcus Flutie, who undergoes his own transformations as he grows older.
2009 has been the year of book boyfriends, and Marcus hovers near the top of my list. What? Doesn’t everyone have book boyfriends competing for the top spot?
I’d share with you my reactions from when I first read the books, but they’re rather spoilerific (not to mention completely nuts, as I was high on the Jessica/Marcus craze). My fellow nerds and I are planning to re-read the series after the new year, and I promise to have some quality thoughts on them then.
Back to the lasso-dicking.
Megan McCafferty is one of my favorite authors, not only for her wonderful books but also for the interest she shows in her fans. Megan has been doing some awesome giveaways lately, sending autographed copies to fans through various contests. Yesterday, she asked JD fans on Twitter to tweet back their favorite book from the series.
Of course, I complied. So did some of my most excellent hot, nerdy friends.
Per the usual with us when we start talking (or tweeting) about Marcus Flutie, things got really funny really fast, and we felt inspired to write a Christmas carol honoring Jessica and Marcus, all thanks to Marcus and his lasso-dicking tendencies.
And thus, an epic song was born (I’ll save you the pain of all 12 verses written out in their repetitive glory):
On the twelfth day of Christmas
my true love gave to me
twelve stolen journals
eleven skanky exes
ten sexy senryus
nine iron-on letters
eight yoga poses
seven cryptic postcards
six donkeys humping
fiiiiiive weekdayyyyy t-shirrrrrts
four Fanilows
three years of silence
two tongue-kissing cousins
and a lasso-dicking Marcus Flutie
Smack dab in the middle of these shenanigans, Megan McCafferty declared us the LDP (that’s Lasso-Dicking Posse, yo), and generously announced that she was sending us each signed copies of “Perfect Fifths.”
Omigod!
As if it couldn’t get any cooler, Megan gave her blessing to our rad song by posting links to it on her own Twitter and Facebook accounts.
I’m more starstruck than that one time I hung out with that famous blogger and that famous movie star and those famous kids on that famous TV show.
Seriously.
#lassodicking. Go tell your friends.
