Book Review: "The One True Me and You" by Remi K. England

The One True Me and You was absolutely adorable and it left me smiling!

Kaylee is excited about attending her first Con and meeting friends she’s known online for years. And as a popular fanfic author, she’s looking forward to meeting some of the people who inspired her to start writing. But more than that, she wants to do three things: try using they/them pronouns, wear cosplay that’s more masculine, and kiss a girl for the first time.

Teagan is competing as Miss Virginia in the Miss Cosmic Teen USA pageant. She has a real shot to win it all this year, and the $25,000 scholarship will really make a difference in her future. She loves competing but doesn’t like having to hide who she really is—a gay, fanfic-loving, fan art-drawing geek. She just has to keep it all to herself for one more week.

But the Con and the pageant are in the same Orlando hotel. And when Kay and Teagan meet, they both feel an instant connection, but Kay hasn’t ever felt this way before and Teagan has to outsmart the pageant chaperones. Of course, both have the same nemesis—Miss North Carolina—who, if she discovers all that is going on, will make life hell for Kay back at home and will stop at nothing to ruin Teagan’s chances for victory at the pageant.

Cosplay and pageants in the same book? How did Remi England know me so well? I thought The One True Me and You was just a great story, one about finding your authentic self and finding the courage to show it to the world. While there certainly was angst in this book, ultimately I found it really joyful, and I read it in one sitting.

Definitely a fun, sweet, positive YA romance!

Book Review: "Some Girls Do" by Jennifer Dugan

Jennifer Dugan's latest YA romance, Some Girls Do (following Hot Dog Girl and Verona Comics), is sweet, heartfelt, and thought-provoking.

Morgan wasn’t planning to make a fresh start so late into her senior year. When her Catholic school disciplines her for being gay, she transfers to another nearby school and hopes she’ll be able to regain the college track scholarships she was offered before the problems with her school arose.

Ruby has been doing pageants since she can remember to fulfill her mother’s interrupted dreams. She’d rather be fixing cars than parading in gowns, but if people in her town talk about her already, what would they—and her mother—do if she revealed who she really is and what she really wants?

Morgan and Ruby’s first meetings are somewhat adversarial but the friction between them turns to friendship. Both definitely feel the pull for more than that, but while Morgan is out and proud of it, Ruby doesn’t feel she can live like that and doesn’t want it. She wants to be with Morgan more than anything, but how can she risk what people will say, what her mother will do?

What I loved about Some Girls Do is its exploration of how coming out is different for every person. Not everyone is willing or ready to bust down the closet doors in a public fashion and for some, the risks are too great. But everyone deserves support and understanding through their journey, however long it may take.

This is a sweet, emotional story, about how sometimes our family is there to support us and sometimes it’s our chosen family we need to turn to. There’s a lot to think about here and it’s a very well-written book.

The Best Books I Read in 2020...

There's certainly no denying that 2020 was a year unlike any other. So much has been said already and now that it's passed us by (good riddance), I don't want to dwell on it for much longer. I will say, however, that the craziness of the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc with my sleep patterns so I spent a lot of extra time reading over the last 10 months.

I've done so much reading that in 2020 I read an unbelievable 306 books. Yes, that's insane. Yes, I read quickly. But I also don't watch television much and don't have kids so in a time period when we're pretty much tethered to the house, reading has been my prinary source of relaxation, decompression, and entertainment—and at times it also helped transport me away from a time of fear, political upheaval, grief, and anger.

Each year I choose the best books I've read. It's always difficult to narrow things down, but to whittle down a list of 306 books was even more challenging. Being the indecisive person I am I narrowed my list to 40 books. I've identified a top 11 (two books from one series) and then a top 27 (again, in two cases there were books from two series), and then an additional 13 books which are definitely worthy of mention. The title of each book is linked to my original review.

The Top 11

1. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune: A gorgeous book about our tendency to fear what we don’t understand, the magic love can do, and the different meanings of family.

2. The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab: Such a beautiful story—emotional, fantastical, gorgeous, and thought-provoking. What does a life consist of? Does a successful life mean being remembered? What is the price for happiness?

3. The Prettiest Star by Carter Sickels: A beautifully written, emotional book, perfectly capturing the struggles so many people with AIDS had to deal with, especially in the 80s.

4. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig: Sometimes the only way to leaarn is to live. Moving and thought-provoking.

5. The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emeze: A gorgeously written story of identity, sexuality, love, grief, friendship, and the need to live the life you want, even in a country where doing so might be deadly.

6. The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré: This was brutal and emotional and utterly beautiful, but the main character’s spirit is a shining light. She is honestly one of the most memorable characters I’ve ever read about.

7. Here the Whole Time by Vitor Martins, translated by Larissa Helena: From its dedication, which read, “For anyone who has ever gotten into a pool with their shirt on,” I knew this book was for me. I haven't found a book that spoke to me so directly in a while.

8-9. Wild at Heart and Forever Wild by K.A. Tucker: The second and third books in a fantastic series about a Canadian girl who falls in love with a gruff Alaskan pilot and moves there to be with him. (The first book, The Simple Wild, was one of my favorite books of 2019.) These books are steamy, romantic, and so much fun.

10. Foul is Fair by Hannah Capin: Dark, violent, and utterly crazy. If the characters from Mean Girls and Heathers teamed up for a retelling of Macbeth set at a modern-day Catholic school for rich troublemakers, you'd have this book.

11. Beach Read by Emily Henry: This isn't just another rom-com. It’s fun and sweet and sexy and romantic, populated by fascinating supporting characters, and it’s also surprisingly poignant and thought-provoking.

Book Review: "Here She Is: The Complicated Reign of the Beauty Pageant in America" by Hilary Levey Friedman

What do you think of when you hear the words "beauty pageant"? Do you think programs like Miss America, Miss USA, Miss Universe are relics of an earlier time and out of step with our current world, or do you think they're empowering and relevant to the women who participate? (Spoiler alert: While at times they may be a little of the former, there's still a lot of the latter to be found.)

In her new book, Here She Is: The Complicated Reign of the Beauty Pageant in America, Hilary Levey Friedman traces the origins of the beauty pageant, from the days of P.T. Barnum and his American Gallery of Female Beauty in the 1850s and early baby shows and bathing beauty revues, to the programs pageant fans know and love—Miss America, Miss USA, Miss Universe, and Distinguished Young Women (formerly America's Junior Miss). She looks at pageants that are racially or culturally based, as well as those focused on those with different abilities, different body types, even pageants for married women and senior citizens. It's a fascinating look at the mindset and the condition of the world when these pageants were created, and juxtaposing their initial purpose with where many stand today.

Friedman didn't just pick this topic at random. Her mother was Miss America 1970, she taught a course at Brown University called "Beauty Pageants in American Society," she served as a mentor to Miss America 2018, and she's judged some pageants here and there. This book is impeccably and thoroughly researched—she literally pored through national and state program books spanning a number of years for several different pageant systems, so she can understand the "typical" contestant in these pageants and see how far the reality strays from the public perception.

She spends a great deal of time looking at Miss America and the changes that program has made through the years, including those made in the wake of the #MeToo movement over the last several years, changes that have both been celebrated and criticized by long-time fans and former contestants. But she also looks at the genesis of the contestants and how they have changed, in terms of educational and career goals as well as demographics. This isn't a view through rose-colored glasses; she looks at the positives and negatives of the pageant and its effects on contestants.

There's also been no shortage of scandal in the pageant world, and she touches on those as well, from Donald Trump's former ownership of the Miss Universe Organization and the criticism of child and "glitz" pageants, to the recent controversies around Miss America. All the while, she examines the evolving nature of pageants and their relationship with Third Wave Feminism, and what they may need to do to remain relevant.

I've been a fan of the Miss America Pageant since I first watched in 1982 and as many of you know, I was a volunteer in the Miss America Organization for just short of 15 years. I'm also a fan of Miss USA, Miss Universe, and Miss Teen USA, and certainly understand the differences and similarities between the two systems. Because of that, I loved this book. While I knew some of the history and scandal, there were things that surprised me and things I learned for the first time. But more than that, I've never really stopped to think of the pageants and their relationship to feminism (I'm such a guy sometimes), so that was an eye-opening experience.

Pageant fans should love this, but I think those who might have seen a pageant once or twice or just like to read about different aspects of American culture will enjoy this as well. As Miss America celebrates its 100th anniversary next year, Here She Is is a great look at that American tradition.

The author provided me a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!

Here She Is publishes August 25.

Book Review: "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

Beauty pageants are often frequent targets of satire, even if most of the aspects that are lampooned are pretty exaggerated. We love to pull out the "world peace" trope, and revisit the idea that beauty pageant contestants are dumb, even if in reality they're quite often tremendously accomplished. (And I say this as both a fan and a nearly 12-year volunteer with the Miss America Organization.)

The young women in Libba Bray's satire, Beauty Queens, a cross between Miss Congeniality and Drop Dead Gorgeous, with a little bit of the media-related commentary of Max Headroom are in a class by themselves. They're flying to the beach to compete in the Miss Teenage Dream pageant, and their every move is being captured by film crews, with the culminating event being the televised pageant itself. And then the unthinkable happens—their plane crash-lands on a deserted island, killing the majority of the contestants and all of the adults involved, and leaving a select few to fend for themselves.

From the get-go, Miss Texas, Taylor Rene Krystal Hawkins, wants the survivors to keep practicing their musical numbers, keeping up their beauty rituals (despite losing most of their cosmetics, not to mention food and water and hygiene products), because Miss Teenage Dream is always prepared. But Miss New Hampshire, Adina Greenberg, who never really cared much about competing anyway, thinks it's crazy the girls don't concentrate on surviving the elements and try to get rescued. They can't have a pageant if all the contestants have starved to death or get eaten by wild animals, can they?

But what the contestants don't realize is that the island isn't deserted—it's actually the site of a top secret compound run by "The Corporation," the conglomerate that produces the pageant as well as nearly every popular television show (like Patriot Daughters," featuring a sexy Betsy Ross, and Captains Bodacious, which features a group of telegenic young men masquerading as pirates), movie, book, and record, not to mention pharmaceuticals, fashions, and beauty products. And The Corporation is about to take part in a very shady business deal with a very shady foreign dictator.

Beauty Queens lampoons so many elements of pageants, from the pushy mothers who strong-arm their daughters into competing, to the vapid contestants who know a lot about makeup and smiling but little about the world around them. And then there's the most famous Miss Teenage Dream ever, Ladybird Hope, now an aspiring presidential candidate. Her take on why the pageant is important:

"Our country needs something to believe in, Barry. They need us to be that shining beacon on the hill, and that shining beacon will not have all these complications and tough questions about who we are, 'cause that's hard, and nobody wants to think about that when you already have to decide whether you want Original Recipe or Extra Crispy and that little box is squawkin' at ya. And let me tell you something, Barry, that shining beacon will have a talent portion and pretty girls, because if we don't come out and twirl those batons and model our evening gowns and answer questions about geography, then the terrorists have won."

Parts of this book were quite funny, and the contestants' adventures were interspersed with "commercials" from The Corporation. But after a while, as the plot got more and more outlandish, it started to lose steam, and it just wasn't as funny anymore. There were only so many times the contestants could joke about the slutty one, the lesbian, and the token minorities, or the plot entailed the contestants defending themselves with everyday beauty tools and products before the book just lost its appeal. I think if this book were shorter, it definitely would have been funnier, but instead it appears Bray tried to cram as much as she could into the plot.

If you enjoy satire and social commentary about just how silly the media is and how much control it has over us, you may enjoy Beauty Queens. It's definitely amusing, even laugh-out-loud, stupid funny in places. I just wish it didn't lose steam before it ended.

Book Review: "Pretty Ugly" by Kirker Butler

Full disclosure: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Kirker Butler's Pretty Ugly leaves no stereotype untouched—pageant moms, philandering husbands, slutty teenage girls, even devoutly religious old women get torn apart in this satire.

When she was a young girl, Miranda Ford won a local beauty pageant. (Well, she didn't quite win, but she eventually got the title.) It changed her life, and when she got married and gave birth to a little girl of her own, Bailey, she was determined to make her a true pageant star in the southeastern U.S. After eight-and-a-half years and more than 300 pageant titles, Miranda is just getting started, but Bailey is tired of sacrificing her life to pageants, tired of parading around in gowns and swimsuits, tired of being judged. Knowing there's no stopping her mother, Bailey starts binge eating in an effort to fatten herself out of contention, but even that doesn't stop Miranda, who is pregnant with another baby girl she has already named Brixton Destiny Miller. (Don't ask.)

Miranda's husband, Ray, has always tolerated her obsession with pageants, despite the financial and emotional toll it has taken on their family. Working two jobs as a nurse and a hospice worker to keep them afloat, Ray pops every random pill he gets his hands on, with often-interesting results. But a growing dependency on nearly every prescription drug imaginable isn't the worst of Ray's problems—his girlfriend, Courtney, the 17-year-old girlfriend of one of his hospice patients, has just found out that she's pregnant.

And then there's Joan, Miranda's devoutly religious mother, who home schools the couple's two sons because Miranda doesn't know what to do with them since she won't enter them in pageants. (Because they'd turn out gay, wouldn't you know?) Joan has frequent conversations with Jesus, and listens to everything He tells her—even when it comes to planning a murder.

Things go from bad—a pregnant Miranda gets into a knock-down, drag-out fistfight with the trashy mother of another pageant contestant while a reality show films it all—to worse—Courtney moves in with Ray and Miranda's family and befriends Miranda, although she plans to destroy everything by forcing Ray to marry her. (She doesn't realize, of course, that Joan—and Jesus—are watching.)

Pretty Ugly is a campy book, part Toddlers and Tiaras, part Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, with a healthy dose of soap opera thrown in for good measure. It's funny in places, ridiculous in others, and I thought the story was drawn out a bit too long, but Butler, a writer and producer whose credits include Family Guy, clearly knows what he's doing.

If you've ever wondered what the people involved in kiddie pageants are like but can't bring yourself to watch a reality show, this is the next best thing. More ridiculous than sublime, it's sure to make you chuckle—and/or offend you.

Book Review: "Being Miss America: Behind the Rhinestone Curtain" by Kate Shindle

When Kate Shindle was crowned Miss America 1998 in September 1997, she became one of the most polarizing Miss Americas in some time. Some thought she was the clear winner the moment she stepped onstage; some said she only won because the pageant was fixed. Some loved her talent; some hated it. Some thought her swimsuit was fun and unique; others HATED it. But most of her detractors couldn't deny the intelligence and passion with which she spoke about her platform issue or cause, awareness and prevention of HIV and AIDS.

"I have been called courageous, a trailblazer, the first socially relevant Miss America ever, fat, thin, beautiful, handsome, ugly, talented, untalented, inspiring, infuriating, deserving, undeserving."

I've always been a fan of Shindle's, as I feel she is never afraid to tell it like it is. In Being Miss America she speaks candidly both about what it's like to be Miss America—the good and the bad—and the triumphs and challenges the Miss America Organization has dealt with historically, and those it is facing currently.

"Most of the young women who strive to become Miss America see it as the public sees it: as a dream, a wish fulfillment that guarantees one will be respected, praised, and lifted up as an example of all that is right about young American women. Little do they know what they're actually getting into if they win. Decades of stereotypes, expectations, scandal, myths, media scrutiny, public skepticism, and questionable leadership choices have made actually being Miss America nearly impossible."

Those of you that know me are probably aware that I've been a volunteer with the Miss America Organization for more than 10 years. I've been tremendously fortunate to watch some dynamic young women compete in this system, and watch the amazing things they've done with their lives and for their communities, partially as a result of the skills they've burnished through competition, and partially thanks to the scholarships they receive. I've also had the tremendous opportunity to meet a number of immensely dedicated volunteers, who are the lifeblood of this organization. Their love for the system, despite its flaws, and the incredible amount of work and sweat and tears and money they put in (most of the time for no personal gain) is both inspiring and humbling.

That's why as much as I enjoyed this book, it saddened me to get a more in-depth understanding of the problems the organization has, and get Shindle's perspectives on both the causes and the potential solutions. Being a volunteer, even in my own small way, I'm aware of some of these issues, and I also understand them as a person who has worked in the nonprofit association management field for nearly my entire career. Sure, some would say these are only Shindle's perspectives, and she has an axe to grind, and maybe not everything she says is entirely accurate, but I hope this book serves as somewhat of a wake-up call to those with the power to make change happen. Think what you must about the Miss America system, it has made a tremendous difference in millions of women's lives, and still can.

Shindle writes as I'd imagine she speaks, and I found this book really compelling. I read it in just a little more than a day. My only criticism is that the book could have used some more judicious fact-checking: in a few instances, former Miss Americas are referenced by incorrect years, and one recent Miss America's last name is spelled quite wrong throughout the book. But that's the savant in me—many people might not even notice that.

If you have an interest in the Miss America Organization or what it's like to be Miss America, you'll find this book tremendously interesting. If you love the system and/or have given any time to being a part of it, you may feel as I do. But if all you've ever thought about Miss America is she's nothing more than a crown-wearing bimbo who doesn't do anything, I'd encourage you to read this. You may not change your mind, but you should.

The perfect date...

It is, after all, April 25! Love, love, love Miss Congeniality.

Here's my favorite "Call Me Maybe" spoof...

I will admit I cannot get Carly Rae Jepsen's hit song Call Me Maybe out of my head...maybe because I can't stop playing it on my iPod?

I've seen a lot of spoofs/versions of this song, President Obama's, the Miss USA contestants (pre-cheating scandal), even the Abercrombie & Fitch boys took on the song.

But I'll admit, my favorite version is this one, by "Corgi Rae Jepsen." What's yours?

The Dream of a Million Girls...

Saturday night in Las Vegas the Miss America Organization celebrated its 90th anniversary in grand style by crowning a new Miss America, 17-year-old Teresa Scanlan, Miss Nebraska. Teresa, who played White Water Chopsticks on the piano, won a talent preliminary competition on Thursday evening.

I've written previously about my experience with, and interest in, the Miss America Pageant. In fact, when I judged a local pageant in Omaha last October, I had the opportunity to meet Teresa and spend 1-1/2 days getting to know her a bit. I remember that my fellow judges and I were absolutely wowed by her intellect and poise, especially at 17 years old!

I am proud of the contestants I know—Lindsay Staniszewski, Miss Maryland; Caitlin Uze, Miss Virginia; Kayla Martell, Miss Delaware and Lauren Werhan, Miss Kansas. Caitlin and Kayla both made the top 10 during Saturday night's pageant, but all four did themselves and their supporters proud with how well they did during the preliminary competitions. It's a pleasure to know them!

So, congratulations, Teresa, and best wishes for an absolutely amazing year ahead. And for those of you who wonder how a 17-year-old might get crowned Miss America, here's her post-crowning press conference. She starts answering questions around the 18-minute mark, and you'll see what I meant about being wowed!