We hope you enjoyed the August 2025 issue of This Awful Awesome Life. Many thanks to Orlando Bartro for his contributions to the magazine. We’ve reached the second half of the year. How are you feeling about the future? With the cost of almost everything certain to increase in the coming months, remember; we are a free publication.
We live in uncertain times with global conflicts in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Africa. In the United States we’ve never been more divided. It’s time to stop thinking along red or blue lines and start thinking as human beings. Are we really okay with our government burning millions of dollars of food instead of allowing it to go to starving children? Are we okay with withholding disease preventing vaccines and life-saving drugs? Are we okay with men in masks riding around with guns and targeting ANYONE they choose? Are we okay with people being fired from their jobs and being denied the retirement benefits they’ve worked for all their lives simply because they don’t conform to someone’s idea of what gender means? Well, I’m not, and if it costs me readers, I’ll be sad, but I’ll still be able to sleep at night. Being kind should not be optional depending on the hat you decide to wear or how you express your religious preferences.
When we have pastors going on social media and saying women should not be allowed to vote, and our Secretary of Defense retweets them in support that’s a bridge too far. The 19th Amendment is part of the Constitution. How much do you have to hate the women in your lives to try to strip them of their rights as citizens and human beings?
Epstein’s and Maxwell’s victims are speaking up. Are we finally ready to listen to what they have to say?
In this issue we’ll examine Banned Books and censorship. Which books were challenged or banned the most in 2024? Which writers and what type of content was most challenged? How has that changed by decade?
Did you know Shakespeare’s plays have been censored, boycotted, or banned in countries all over the world since the 1600s?
Orlando Bartro has a final piece about Stockhausen and how he revolutionized electronic music.
Don’t miss my short story and this month’s poem.
For our column, “Happy Birthday,” celebrating the birthdays of famous writers, I selected Miguel de Cervantes the incomparable Spanish author of Don Quixote.
In honor of Banned Books Week, I read and reviewed The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. It’s a story based loosely on his experiences growing up on a reservation and leaving it to attend a predominantly White high school in a neighboring farm community. It’s a powerful and compelling read that will make you laugh, cry, and get angry about how we treat fellow human beings.
For August 2025 in “The Twelve Months of Fruit,” I decided to feature another perfect summer fruit that’s also available year round, watermelon. You’ll love the recipe link we found for watermelon, orange, and cucumber salad.
Our reading recommendations for kids, young adults, and adults feature frequently challenged or banned books.
Find out how censorship affects streaming around the world.
Test your knowledge of celebrity birthdays by connecting celebrities with other celebrities who were born on the same day of the month by completing Six Degrees of Separation between them.
We’re constantly updating our Author Page to include the latest published works of your new favorite authors, and we’re adding authors. Being able to give authors a free place to display their work is a dream come true for me, so please check every month to see who’s new and what’s new.
Don’t miss our new Artist Page where we will be celebrating creatives and providing their contact information. We will be updating and adding to the list during this month and the following months, so keep checking our new page.
Everything in Between is now available as an audiobook and in hardcover or paperback. The narrator, Louise Porter, does a wonderful job bringing Sabrina and her story to life. I can’t wait for you to have a listen. You can purchase the audiobook for Everything in Between on Amazon, iTunes, or Audible. https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Everything-in-Between/dp/B0DDR8GRWS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3TV0J0HCWYT7T&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tdRKc5MxwdOobXZOLckDvQ.0BXe9QYH3JnZOn9j0LC6Yy6gCG9UI3lIcRu4KlRnIPs&dib_tag=se&keywords=everything+in+between+by+frances+joyce+audiobook&qid=1725234363&sprefix=everything+in+between+by+frances+joyce+audiobook%2Caps%2C103&sr=8-
I’m incredibly proud of this novel. If you enjoy my writing, you should definitely check it out. Independent authors can’t afford splashy book launches and expensive PR campaigns to make the public aware of their work. Your support is greatly appreciated.
All year we’ve been encouraging you to make informed choices at the ballot box. The election may be over, but insuring we have responsible people in places of authority is a never-ending job. If you’re worried about the capabilities/qualifications of certain cabinet members, please make those concerns known to your Senators and Representatives. You can email or call their office and make your concerns known. We The People should have a say in our future. If you don’t want billionaires to have access to your private information and finances, speak up because it’s happening. Do you want people with no accountability to the American people evaluating how your tax dollars should be allocated and the benefits you will receive? Are you concerned about proposed cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, and SNAP? Are you okay with senators defending these cuts by saying things like, “Well, we’re all going to die sometime,” or “They [my constituents] will get over it,” while they pay little to nothing for the finest healthcare available and will be entitled to that level of care for the rest of their lives? These programs protect our most vulnerable members of society. Let the people in Congress know what you expect them to do to restore our safety, security, economy, and good standing in the world before we have a recession and/or a major global conflict.
If you are worried about the direction of our government, start preparing for the midterms now. Do your research, so we don’t end up with legislators who care more about partisanship than serving the needs of the American people. The League of Women Voters is a reputable and impartial source for information. Check them out before you head to the polls.
Please keep showing up and voting. We will never tell you who to vote for, but we will keep telling you to vote and do your homework! Be an educated not indoctrinated voter!
Which incumbent legislators have actually authored and submitted legislation to benefit Americans? Who’s all talk and soundbites? Who refuses to bring legislation to the floor of the House of Representatives or Senate, so our Representatives/Senators can vote on it? We pay them to conduct the government’s business, not to sit and do nothing. We don’t pay them to do the bidding of political parties or billionaires. Would you hire this person to run your business or trust them to be a fair boss? Would you trust them to make decisions about your safety and well-being?
Now more than ever, I encourage you to watch C-SPAN and get to know the members of Congress, the members of the president’s cabinet, and the leading experts who testify at Congressional hearings. Listen to what they are saying and what they refuse to say out loud. Do they actually care about the Constitution and the people of this country?
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Happy Reading,
Fran
Photo Credits:
For Sherman Alexie Photo:
By ASU Department of English - red-ink-alexie-matsunaga-2016-3507, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=113130450
For Book Jacket:
By Bookcover scanned, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16622649