Florida Agenda

BY Terri Schlichenmeyer

Is it so horrible to know what you want? You don’t think so. That’s why you’re decisive, you state your needs clearly and firmly, and you expect people to act accordingly. What’s wrong with that?

Nothing. So why do people call you the “B” word that rhymes with itch?  You’re not nasty or horrible, so why would they call you a diva? Author Sheryl Lee Ralph doesn’t know the answer. But, as she says in her new book “Redefining Diva,” if they call you that last name, you really should thank them.

Okay, so you’re a diva. What is that, anyhow? The word, says Ralph, has gotten a bum rap lately, but it was originally an Italian noun derived from the Latin word for deity; in other words, a diva is a goddess. Ralph also says that the word is an acronym for Divinely Inspired Victoriously Anointed. A diva, says Ralph, “copies no one. She is her own woman.”

Ralph became a diva through a lifetime of observing strong women. Her mother, a Jamaican immigrant, worked in a hospital to pay for her ticket to America. Ralph’s grandmother, a North Carolina belle, was headstrong and fearless enough to tussle with the burglars who killed her husband.  Divas, you see, know that risks are to be seized.

At sixteen, Ralph took on a big risk when she went to Rutgers University. She had initially considered going to medical school, but she hated dissecting. She switched to law school, but considered it “boring.” Then Ralph stumbled into drama auditions, tried out for a play, and found her niche. When a Diva discovers what she’s meant to do, Ralph says, she knows it.

After working with the Defense Department, she landed in Hollywood and the movies, but Broadway was her first love. Good Diva that she is, she tackled every opportunity, which eventually gained her a part as one of the original “Dreamgirls,” in the stage show. She ultimately quit the show, went back to Hollywood, and enjoyed more fame on television. Today, Ralph still acts, because Divas know “yes” can be satisfying. She also works with the Diva Foundation, an organization that focuses on HIV/AIDS awareness and testing. She does it to memorialize her friends and because, she says, a “real Diva counts…her blessings.”

I wasn’t sure what to expect when “Redefining Diva” crossed my desk. Is it a memoir? Or is it meant to inspire? The answer to that, delightfully, is both. Author Sheryl Lee Ralph weaves a lot of advice into this biography, giving readers plenty of takeaways while she shares tales of family, fame and folly.  And that’s what makes this book so enjoyable: Ralph imparts life lessons in between star-studded gossip and her own personal experiences, on-stage and off. Advisements are wrapped inside anecdotes, which somehow make them more memorable and definitely more fun to read. I liked this book, and I think you will, too. Read “Redefining Diva” for the advice. Read it for the biography. Either way, this’ll be a book you’ll want to read.

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

Is it so horrible to know what you want? You don’t think so. That’s why you’re decisive, you state your needs clearly and firmly, and you expect people to act accordingly. What’s wrong with that? Nothing. So why do people call you the “B” word that rhymes with itch? You’re not nasty or horrible, so why would they call you a diva? Author Sheryl Lee Ralph doesn’t know the answer.

But, as she says in her new book “Redefining Diva,” if they call you that last name, you really should thank them. Okay, so you’re a diva. What is that, anyhow? The word, says Ralph, has gotten a bum rap lately, but it was originally an Italian noun derived from the Latin word for deity; in other words, a diva is a goddess. Ralph also says that the word is an acronym for Divinely Inspired Vi ctoriously Anointed. A diva, says Ralph, “copies no one. She is her own woman.” Ralph became a diva through a lifetime of observing strong women.

Her mother, a Jamaican immigrant, worked in a hospital to pay for her ticket to America. Ralph’s grandmother, a North Carolina belle, was headstrong and fearless enough to tussle with the burglars who killed her husband. Divas, you see, know that risks are to be seized. At sixteen, Ralph took on a big risk when she went to Rutgers University. She had initially considered going to medical school, but she hated dissecting. She switched to law school, but considered it “boring.”

Then Ralph stumbled into drama auditions, tried out for a play, and found her niche. When a Diva discovers what she’s meant to do, Ralph says, she knows it. After working with the Defense Department, she landed in Hollywood and the movies, but Broadway was her first love. Good Diva that she is, she tackled every opportunity, which eventually gained her a part as one of the original “Dreamgirls,” in the stage show.

She ultimately quit the show, went back to Hollywood, and enjoyed more fame on television. Today, Ralph still acts, because Divas know “yes” can be satisfying. She also works with the Diva Foundation, an organization that focuses on HIV/AIDS awareness and testing. She does it to memorialize her friends and because, she says, a “real Diva counts…her blessings.”

I wasn’t sure what to expect when “Redefining Diva” crossed my desk. Is it a memoir? Or is it meant to inspire? The answer to that, delightfully, is both. Author Sheryl Lee Ralph weaves a lot of advice into this biography, giving readers plenty of takeaways while she shares tales of family, fame and folly.

And that’s what makes this book so enjoyable: Ralph imparts life lessons in between star-studded gossip and her own personal experiences, on-stage and off. Advisements are wrapped inside anecdotes, which somehow make them more memorable and definitely more fun to read.

I liked this book, and I think you will, too. Read “Redefining Diva” for the advice. Read it for the biography. Either way, this’ll be a book you’ll want to read.

By TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

Imagine going on the cruise of a lifetime. It would be so exciting! Imagine – you’d have a whole ship to explore. You could swim and play games, watch dolphins in the ocean, snack all day, and mess around without worrying your parents.

Maybe you could even get a tour of the ship’s inner workings. How cool is that? Just imagine: you wouldn’t have to make your bed. You wouldn’t have to clean up after yourself. You wouldn’t have a bedtime to think about. You would want to count lifeboats, however, once you’ve read “Titanic: Voices from the Disaster” by Deborah Hopkinson.

One hundred years ago, before airplanes made trans-Atlantic flight possible for everybody, the most common way to travel between Europe and North America was by ship. It usually took several days for those big ocean liners to make the trip from coast to coast and since there were no cell phones, there were very few ways to tell everyone back home that you were having a great time.

Of all the great ships, three of them were owned by White Star Lines: Olympic, Brittanic, and the largest and most luxurious of all, Titanic. The Titanic was massive: bigger than two full football fields, the ship weighed nearly 47,000 tons and could carry more than 3,500 passengers with three levels of travel. There were several dining rooms, a gymnasium, a swimming pool (which was unique at the time), and a post office. The Titanic was almost like a small town.

On April 10, 1912, amid much celebration, the Titanic set out on its very first trip. Bankers, financiers, and the Titanic’s director and designer were aboard, as well as many people from all walks of life. Sailing on the Titanic was a treat for some and a new beginning for others. For all, though, it would be a life-changing event.

Just before midnight on April 14, while most passengers were asleep, an iceberg was spotted. The captain, unworried, gave word to move slowly ahead: after all, the Titanic was thought to be unsinkable.

His orders were a big mistake.

Using documents, letters, and telegrams from people who survived, as well as authentic accounts of passengers who disembarked early, author Deborah Hopkinson tells the story of what happened that night 100 years ago and how it changed both lives and laws. I found those first-person accounts fascinating, and I was also particularly pleased to see a treasure-trove of pictures, all of which put a sobering face upon the tragedy and its aftermath.

While a Titanic-obsessed adult will find a lot to like here, “Titanic: Voices from the Disaster” is really meant for kids ages 10 and up. For them, for enjoyment, vacation, or for school, this mesmerizing book may be a lifesaver.

By TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

“Voyagers of the Titanic” by

Richard Davenport-Hines

© 2012, William Morrow

$26.99 / $29.99 Canada

342 pages, includes index

There’s no doubt about it: moving stinks. You pack your belongings, living with cartons and mess in the meantime, always needing something that’s stashed in a mystery box. Then you haul everything to your new place and unpack it, living with cartons and mess in the meantime, looking for the mystery box and apologizing to whatever friends you have left after they have finished helping.

Now imagine doing it blindly and with very little real preparation, clutching a few paltry possessions and a half-promise of a job, leaving your loved ones an ocean behind. That’s just one of the stories you’ll find in “Voyagers of the Titanic” by Richard Davenport-Hines. One hundred winters ago, the Arctic temperature was milder than normal, which created a higher number of icebergs from the glaciers near Greenland’s coast.

These icebergs floated down into the Atlantic Ocean, right into shipping lanes for cargo ships and luxury liners. One of the liners was the Titanic. Eleven stories high, weighing nearly 47,000 tons, the Titanic was massive. She carried 2,240 passengers and crew, gems and spices, books, a car, fine fabric, mail, and more. There were fine dining rooms onboard, a swimming pool, library, and quarters for pampered first-class dogs. Most of the crew of the Titanic was new to this ship, although they were an experienced lot.

An overwhelming majority of them were British and included stewards, a linen keeper, and a slew of men whose backbreaking job was to fill 190 steel furnaces with coal every 20 minutes. Their captain was on the verge of retirement. Third class passengers, who constituted most of those onboard, were likewise mostly British, but they also hailed from Ireland, Croatia, Norway, and elsewhere. Second-class passengers were largely working-class folks, social up-and-comers, and small business owners. They counted among them a single black man, the only one on board.

First class passengers were the kind who might board the Titanic on a whim, or just as quickly cancel the trip to pursue another fancy. Some of them, in fact, did so. Others, tragically, did not. “Voyagers of the Titanic” begins in an unusual place, and one can almost feel the doom in author Richard Davenport- Hines’ words. For reasons you’ll soon see, the ship was ill-fated from the moment it set sail and—knowing what you know—there is a sense of wanting to warn someone of the impending disaster as you’re reading. Davenport-Hines tells about each group of people onboard, and there are even surprises here.

I’ve read a lot of Titanic books, but I enjoyed this multifaceted take on the ill-starred story. “Voyagers of the Titanic” is truly quite moving.

Worth a Look:

“’Unsinkable’: The Full Story of the RMS Titanic” by Daniel Allen Butler takes the story from before the ship was built to the days when she was discovered at the bottom of the Atlantic. First published more than a decade ago, the newly-refurbished paperback is nicely updated.

Author Charles Pellegrino jumps into the midst of the tragedy in “Farewell, Titanic: Her Final Legacy” and tells the story of the last minutes before the sinking and its aftermath from the survivors point-of-view. Pellegrino then writes about the subsequent search for the ship.

Readers who just want an overview of events will appreciate “The Titanic for Dummies” by Stephen Spignesi. Like most other books in the “for Dummies” series, there’s just enough information to make you seem Titanic smart. The book is browse-able and also includes some cool pictures.

“Titanic: The Unfolding Story” takes a look at the days before the ship was built through the days after the disaster.

The unique twist here is that the book is created entirely of authentic newspaper articles and stories from the Edwardian era. The pictures imbue a “You Are There” feel to this read.

By TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

“Gypsy Boy: My Life in the Secret World of the Romany Gypsies” by Mikey Walsh c.2012, Thomas Dunne Books $24.99 U.S. & Canada 288 pages When you were very small, there wasn’t much you wanted. Clean diapers, a cuddle, and food made the shortlist early on. Stuffed animals were slowly added, then siblings, books, and anything upon which you could climb.

By the time you hit school age, your wants became more complicated.

You wanted to be somehow famous. You wanted to stay up late, snack before dinner, and possess that cool toy you saw on TV. You wanted to grow up fast.

Author Mikey Walsh wanted those things, too, but he never wanted to become a fighter. As you’ll see in his memoir, “Gypsy Boy,” his father had other ideas. Mikey Walsh’s father was “fiercely determined” to have a son.

In Romany culture, having a male child was everything – even more so for the Walsh family, which was known for generations of “manly” men who were good with their fists. So, even though his mother was told that her heart condition precluded having a second child, Mikey followed his sister in succession. Upon the happy event, Mr. Walsh hung golden boxing gloves around his newborn son’s neck. Growing up, Mikey loved the dramatic. He and his older sister, Frankie, enjoyed playing dress-up and pretending games. They loved watching TV and, largely unsupervised, they played outside with their cousins, who lived on the same compound.

It was an idyllic early childhood, but at age four, Mikey’s destiny caught up with him. His father decided that it was time to start fight training, and the best way to do it was to beat the boy. His disgust at Mikey’s cries meant more punches.

By age seven, Mikey was being “hidden” in school by his mother, which was an unusual move. Gypsies were mostly forbidden to mingle with “Gorgias,” and sending a child to a Gorgia school was scandalous. It was her way of keeping Mikey safe, however, and it gave him a chance at an education, which was something she didn’t have. Yet, the beatings continued: always daily, sometimes more.

By age 13, Mikey realized that he was gay which, he knew, would enrage his father. He also knew that he needed to escape before it cost him his life.

Stunned, simply nowhere-to-go-stunned: that was me at the end of reading this book. Pseudonymous author Mikey Walsh lulls his readers into first believing that they’re reading a droll memoir filled with quirky relatives and a secret world about which few have dared to write. Walsh busts open a few myths about Romany culture, pokes gentle fun at his family, and makes us laugh out loud while he’s doing it.

But much like a dog that can’t be trusted, “Gypsy Boy” turns quick and bites. Walsh takes the laughter and, two pages later, spins it with horror and a painful emotionlessness that only serves to underscore the brutality he describes, which ultimately leads to an end that shimmers like a tambourine.

Published in Europe three years ago, “Gypsy Boy” is new stateside and absolutely can’t be missed. If you’re up for a funny, brutal, sharp memoir, this is the book you want.