Michigan In Books reviews The Sideroad kids

The SideRoad Kids: Tales from Chippewa County by Sharon M. Kennedy

Review by Tom Powers, Michigan In Books

This fine collection of short stories focuses on a group of 6th grade friends in the 1950s living near Brimley, in the U.P. I was a kid in Flint in the 1950s, and if I had read stories like these when a 5th- or 6th-grader I would have been taken aback by the differences in these U.P. kids’ lives and mine. Most of the stories are evocative slice-of-life pieces, some are humorous, and quite a few serious and thought provoking. The stories are honest, believable, sometimes painful, and all capture time, place, and culture with near perfection.  A clutch of well-defined, likeable and interesting 6th-grade characters reappear throughout the stories and bind the book together as a whole.

In one of the stories that moved me the most a 6th grade boy faces life with crossed eyes, an alcoholic mother, and a father who deserted his family. Yet the kid is optimistic and considers himself good looking. In another story I may never forget a girl who wrote a story for English class in which she imagines God as Jackie Gleason who with his fist closed and fury in his face threatens to send Alice to the moon. When Daisy asks if she can read it in class the teacher, without looking at it, throws the story in the waste basket.  It was a stunning realization that one of the most popular comedy shows on TV in the Fifties repeatedly made a joke out of the threat of physical spousal abuse. I can’t stop wondering how women who were being physically abused thought of those scenes and the audience laughter that followed.

If I don’t know how upper elementary children will react to the book, I do know adults will find it find it enjoyable and a fascinating depiction of children facing life in the Fifties.

Beyond the Clouds

978-1-61599-672-8
$24.95
An Autoethnographic Research Exploring Good Practice in Crisis Settings
In stock
1
Product Details
UPC: 978-1-61599-672-8
Brand: Loving Healing Press
Binding: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Author: Claudio Mochi
Illustrator: Isabella Cassina
Pages: 136
Publication Date: 07/01/2022

Beyond the Clouds explores the constituent elements of good practice in crisis work, providing theoretical foundations and practical tools in the context of a metaphorical journey through the clouds. Byinvestigating and sharing his own worldwide experience in crisis contexts developed over more than 20 years, the authorstimulates-through metaphors, anecdotes, and personal reflections--the reader's internal exploration.
Beyond the Clouds focuses on the conceptualization of crisis intervention as a co-constructed process, presents the innovative concept of MAP (My Awareness Process),contextualizes the role of the therapeutic power of play and play therapy in crisis settings, and underlines the relevance of symbols,writing, and metaphors in processing experiences and expanding self-knowledge and awareness. Readers will:

  • Explore the dimensions of good practice in crisis work, providing theoretical foundations and practical resources.
  • Appreciate the expressive power of symbols, writing, and metaphors in processing experiences and expanding self-knowledge and awareness.
  • Engage in conceptualizing crisis intervention as a process of co-construction specifying the role of professionals in the field.
  • Start developing the reader's own MAP as a personal guide in crisis work by undertaking a path of introspection.
  • Recognize and uphold the use of the therapeutic power of play and play therapy in crisis settings.
Beyond the Clouds is key reading for students and experienced professionals in the field of humanitarian work and international cooperation who wish to grasp the potential of play and play therapy in crisis contexts, as well as students and professionals from the world of play therapy and creative therapies who are interested in crisis work. Learn more at www.crisisplaytherapy.com (English) or www.play-therapy.ch (Italian)


"Beautifully blending science and theory, Mochi is a master storyteller who, with his vast experience, takes us on his personal journey working in crises intervention. In this highly accessible volume, enhanced by his use of metaphor and stories, Mochi outlines core dimensions of best practices in crisis intervention. A must read-I could not put it down!"
-- Sue C. Bratton, PhD, LPC-S, RPT-S, Professor Emerita and Director Emerita, Center for Play Therapy, University of North Texas

"Beyond the Clouds is a beautiful gift, an inspiration, and a call to action. The premise of pausing long enough to process the reciprocity between those of us 0who want to be of service and those who are recipients is profound. Claudio is purposeful in his work, and he shares what he has learned 0with great generosity and humility. It transported me; I highly recommend it!"
-- Eliana Gil, Ph.D., Gil Institute for Trauma Recovery & Education, Fairfax, Virginia

From Loving Healing Press www.LHPress.com

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