You've Had a Big Night Out Go Awry

Worry about the Troubled Teen Industry or have money riding on the NCAA tournament

Hi friends,

I had a whirlwind weekend that took me to Philly for Morris Animal Refuge’s annual Fur Ball fundraiser (always a great time!) and to New York, where I saw “John Proctor is the Villain,” an excellent play that I will be thinking about for the next six months at a minimum.

And, now, what to read if …

You’ve Ever Had a Night Out Go Terribly Wrong

Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley

Jane’s life isn’t what she planned. Her two teenagers don’t need her anymore. The book she worked for years to publish sold only 500 copies. And, after nineteen years of marriage to her husband Dan, she’s ready for a divorce. Jane plans to ask him for a separation at their anniversary dinner at the exclusive La Fin du Monde restaurant, where they’ve won a reservation.

Just as they finish their first course — and Jane works up her courage to tell Dan she wants a divorce —a climate activism group takes over the restaurant. As they tie up hostages and block the exits, Jane realizes the awkward activists seem to be using her failed novel as a playbook. Dan, who Jane didn’t believe even read the book, agrees. And the couple realize they’re the only people who know what’s going to happen — and the only people who can stop it.

One of the benefits of writing this newsletter is that I get early copies of books. I read Jane and Dan at the End of the World in December and have been eagerly waiting for months to be able to share it with you. It’s “Date Night” meets Bel Canto; and such a fun and propulsive read. As Kirkus said in its review, “As much fun as you’ll ever have with middle-aged marriage and ecoterrorism." Please read it so I finally have people to discuss it with.

You Remember Those “Scared Straight” Shows

The Elissas by Samantha Leach

There was a weird subgenre of ‘90s/early 2000s TV programming that depicted troubled teenagers being “scared straight” after visiting prisons and meeting with inmates. (Google just informed me the genre stems from a 1978 documentary appropriately titled “Scared Straight.”) For whatever reason, these shows loomed large in my imagination, even as I was a boring, strait-laced kid. Journalist Samantha Leach examines the dark side of the “troubled teen” industry in The Elissas.

Leach met her childhood best friend Elissa at preschool in Providence, Rhode Island. By seventh grade, they had taken steps towards rebellion — stealing drinks at Bar Mitzvahs and having boys over to the basement. After one of their wild moments, Leach gets a warning from their posh private school; Elissa is expelled.

Elissa’s parents then sent her to a “therapeutic school” designed for troubled teens. There, she became fast friends with two other girls — Alyssa and Alissa — who became known for their shared names. By the time they were 26, all three Elissas had died. Leach carefully documents how the schools that were ostensibly supposed to help these young women — and more than 50,000 tens like them — failed their students and put them on a fast track for struggles in adulthood.

I expected The Elissas to be a tough read — and it was — but I wasn’t expecting (again as a former strait-laced teen) for it to hit so close to home. Leach does an exceptional job showing how the culture of the ‘90s/early 2000s (think Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton) shaped those of us who grew up then in ways we’re still grappling with. It’s also a stellar chronicling of the feeling of helplessness that comes with watching a loved one struggle with addiction or another mental illness.

Reminder Recs: Kenneth Rosen’s Troubled also examines behavioral treatment programs, and Toxic by Sarah Ditum includes a standout essay on how our culture failed Paris Hilton.

You’re in a March Madness Pool

Glory Be by Danielle Arceneaux

If you placed a wager or two on March Madness games, I’m willing to …bet… your bookie/friend/Fan Duel isn’t nearly as cool as Glory Broussard, the self-described “old, fat, Black woman” bookie/church lady who stars in Danielle Arceneaux’s mystery Glory Be. As the phrase “bookie/church lady” implies, she’s one-of-a-kind and a total delight to hang out with.

As the novel begins, Glory is taking bets at her local coffee shop when she overhears a police radio describing a brutal death at the address where her best friend, a nun, lives. Law enforcement rules her friend’s death a suicide, but Glory doesn’t believe it. With her daughter — who is keeping some big secrets of her own — Glory launches an investigation that brings them in contact with church leaders, oil executives and a suspected voodoo priestess, among other colorful characters.

I listened to Glory Be and Bahni Turpin’s narration really made the mystery shine, but I’m sure it would be a great reading experience as well. The plot combines church politics, environmental justice and local intrigue, with sharp observations about how growing up in Jim Crow Louisiana continues to affect Glory today.

I first highlighted Glory Be last year and the last sentence of my rec was “I’m eagerly waiting for a sequel.” I’m spotlighting now because I just finished that sequel, Glory Daze, again narrated by Bahni Turpin, and loved getting to spend more time with these characters. Cozy mystery lovers won’t want to miss this series.

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