Tragedy Strikes Research Articles

When Tragedy Strikes: Lessons in School Leadership

When Tragedy Strikes: Lessons in School Leadership

Tragedy Strikes: Infant's Eczema Complicated by Fatal Septic Shock

Tragedy Strikes: Infant's Eczema Complicated by Fatal Septic Shock

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross (review)

Reviewed by: Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross Aaren Tucker Ross, Rebecca Divine Rivals. Wednesday/St. Martin's, 2023 [368p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781250857439 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781250857446 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad Gr. 9-12 Eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow drops out of school to make ends meet, and her mother's alcoholism worsens after Iris' older brother joins the goddess Enva's war against the god Dacre. Taking a job at a major newspaper, Iris finds herself competing for the columnist position with the infuriating, and infuriatingly handsome, Roman Kitt. To cope, she types letters to her missing brother, knowing she cannot send them, and instead slips them into a wardrobe where, much to her surprise, they disappear time and time again. It's even more surprising when someone other than her brother suddenly writes back. Unbeknownst to Iris, Roman has been receiving her letters thanks to a connection between their enchanted typewriters, and her words are a bright spot in his cold, though privileged, life. When tragedy strikes, changing Iris' life forever, she takes a position as a war correspondent with a different paper, hoping to find her brother on the frontlines. Roman now has to decide between a loveless marriage arranged by his family or the chance to follow Iris—and his heart—into war. Rich, evocative details build a world both gritty and whimsical, and Ross' gorgeous prose is equal to the novel's ambitious premise: two journalists falling in love à la The Shop Around the Corner during a WWI inspired conflict created by rival gods. The stakes for this conflict are sadly never revealed; readers are simply told that Enva is good and Dacre is bad without any explicit reasons, though the book does an admirable job of showing the grief and horror of warfare. The leisurely narrative slows to a snail's pace in the final quarter before reaching an unsatisfying cliffhanger ending, but readers who enjoy enemies-to-lovers with a heaping dose of angst will find plenty worthwhile here. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Adrift by Tanya Guerrero

Reviewed by: Adrift by Tanya Guerrero Danica Ronquillo Guerrero, Tanya Adrift. Farrar, 2022 [320p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780374389659 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780374389642 $9.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 6-9 Growing up on Pebble Island with their families, eleven-year-old Coral and twelve-year-old Isa are biracial Filipino cousins who are as close as siblings. When Coral and her parents are off on a four-month sea voyage to Indonesia, Is a feels lost without her cousin and decides to write letters to Coral to keep in touch. But tragedy strikes when a tidal wave sweeps Coral's parents and the rest of the crew members off the boat, and Coral is washed ashore on a deserted island. Devastated and alone, Coral must find the strength to survive and figure out a way to get back home, while Isa stays hopeful that her cousin is still alive and they will reunite again. First-person point of view and the use of handwritten letters effectively convey the two girls' struggle with grief as they learn how to validate and accept their own feelings during a terrible hardship. Although repetitive dialogue and descriptions slow the narrative down, they also immerse readers in Coral's experience on the island and capture the significance of familial memories to the cousins' resilience. This is an insightful and heartfelt book that balances a strong representation of Filipino culture with a heartfelt message about how it is okay to not be okay. Copyright © 2022 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Hubungan Kecerdasan Emosional Dengan Resiliensi Pada Wanita Pasca Bencana Banjir

A disaster can have a wide range of effects, both physically and mentally. When tragedy strikes, women are particularly vulnerable and their resilience decreases. Someone who is in good psychological health normally has good interpersonal interactions, which influences emotional intelligence. The aim of this study is to discover a connection between emotional intelligence and resilience in women experiencing a flood disaster. This study was a correlational research with cross sectional design. This study was conducted out in Sirau Kemranjen, Banyumas Regency. This study’s sampling method was simple random sampling, which yielded 87 respondents. This study utilized an emotional intelligence and resilience instrument adapted from previous studies. Somers’d test was used to interpret the data in this analysis.

Where Secrets Lie by Eva V. Gibson

Reviewed by: Where Secrets Lie by Eva V. Gibson Alaine Martaus Gibson, Eva V. Where Secrets Lie. Simon, 2021 [384p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781534451223 $19.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781534451247 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 8-12 Since childhood, seventeen-year-old Amy Larsen has spent summers on her wealthy family’s estate just outside rundown River Run, Kentucky, hanging with golden-boy cousin Ben and working class soulmate Teddy. Last year, yearnings broke free, hearts broke, and fights ended friendships; this summer, the distances seem unbroachable, until tragedy strikes. New grief shoves aside old grievances, as the three set out to solve the heartbreaking mystery that, unbeknownst to all, links their three families. With its abundance of personal angst and intergenerational strife paired with a compelling mystery, this gripping drama-thriller reads like a cross between Dawson’s Creek and Riverdale. The twining narratives, one this year, one last, gradually ratchet up anticipation for both romance and revelation, bridging recent and distant pasts, teens and parents. Indeed, it is the writing and plotting that are the true stars here, pulling the audience in, sweeping them along, and keeping them caring about both the characters and their quest for the truth. Readers more observant than heroine Amy may see some of the big reveals coming, but that won’t undermine the tension of the final confrontation or the relief as final chapters set most things to rights again. [End Page 380] Copyright © 2021 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

When Tragedy Strikes: Potential Contributions From Ocean Observation to Search and Rescue Operations After Drowning Accidents

Drowning accidents followed by the disappearance of the body are particularly distressing events. When such tragedy strikes, Search and Rescue Operations are usually deployed to recover the body. The efficiency of such efforts can be enhanced by timely data and appropriate data integration tools, such as operational prediction systems relying on numerical models or other data sources. In this paper, we propose four stages for Search and Rescue Operations after drowning accidents and briefly address the critical role of ocean observations at each stage, as well as the relevancy of available computational resources. The potential of the combination of different data sources on the state of the sea to provide better insight into Search and Rescue Operations is discussed. This work is a challenge to oceanographers, data scientists and relevant marine stakeholders to produce knowledge and tools to support Search and Rescue Operations after drowning accidents.

Flooded: Requiem for Johnstown by Ann E. Burg

Reviewed by: Flooded: Requiem for Johnstown by Ann E. Burg Elizabeth Bush Burg, Ann E. Flooded: Requiem for Johnstown. Scholastic, 2020 [336p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781338540697 $18.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 5-10 While the year-round residents of Johnstown, Pennsylvania work at the mill and run their shops and tend to their lives, a cadre of rich business barons pops in at the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, a members-only lake retreat high above the town. The lake depends on the dam, and the dam requires maintenance, but the members know little and care less about the dam they have variously altered and neglected under their ownership. Tragedy strikes in May of 1889, when a strong rain finally overpowers the dam and empties the lake into Johnstown. Burg's verse novel is divided into three parts: the first, establishing background through voices of Johnstown children and young adults; the second, following their experiences during the height of the flood; third, exploring the aftermath—assigning blame, seeking justice, rebuilding lives. Burg ably conducts players and readers through a suite of emotions, from the slightly ruffled normalcy of family and school concerns, through the terror of the flood, and onto the frustration and outrage of working-class plaintiffs bringing well-heeled defendants to court. Burg uses identities of actual Johnstowners and, in a chillingly effective literary play, switches the names [End Page 75] of deceased characters to their morgue tag numbers and grays out the font as they continue to speak after death. Readers who demand insight into the balance of fiction and fact will do well to read Burg's concluding notes, which comment on her commingling of fictional and researched characterization. This is a worthy companion to similarly voiced novels: Richards' Three Rivers Rising (BCCB 5/10) on the Johnstown Flood, as well as Wiechman's Not on Fifth Street (BCCB 12/17) on the 1937 Ohio River Flood. Copyright © 2020 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Spiritual Currency in Northeast Brazil

Spiritual Currency in Northeast Brazil

Do it Now Short-Term Responses to Traumatic Events

When tragedy strikes, school personnel should perform a range of tasks and roles to minimize harm to children and lay the groundwork for their recovery.

Days of Blood and Starlight (review)

Reviewed by: Days of Blood and Starlight Karen Coats Taylor, Laini. Days of Blood and Starlight. Little, 2012. [528p]. ISBN 978-0-316-13397-5 $18.99 Reviewed from galleys R* Gr. 9–12. The much anticipated sequel to Daughter of Smoke and Bone (BCCB 9/11) finds the angel Akiva grieving his separation from Karou and wondering if she is still alive as he strives to rebuild his relationship with Hazael and Liraz, the brother and sister he betrayed. Karou herself is in Morocco; she has taken up the resurrection work of her beloved mentor Brimstone under the direction of the dangerous chimaera leader, Thiago. While she hates Thiago with a passion, the angel army is menacing the countryside in an attempt to kill the remaining chimaera, so she is designing and resurrecting stronger, more effective winged warriors to protect her people. Meanwhile, Akiva has had enough of fighting his father’s wars, and he decides he must undertake a task long overdue: to kill his father. Karou is wracked with conflicted emotions as she tries to sort out her memories and current feelings about Akiva, who has done so much to destroy her people yet still holds a piece of her heart. As Akiva’s father and uncle plot to extend their reach by waging more wars, the story fills in gaps and fleshes out minor characters. Karou’s human friends Zuzana and Mik provide laugh-out-loud comic relief, while the last of her tribe, Ziri, emerges as an endearing new hero; Hazael and Liraz, reared like Akiva to a life of ruthless intolerance and bloodshed, show signs of reluctant transformation before tragedy strikes. The impossible choices each character faces compel readers to consider the fission when ethics slam into power, creating a chain reaction of pain and grim, uncertain outcomes that must be worked through even if chances for hope on the other side are slim. Of course, the surprising twist at the end will leave readers in breathless anticipation for the next installment, but the intensity of this middle piece is a satisfying feast all on its own. Karen Coats Reviewer Copyright © 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

The Summer I Learned to Fly by D. Reinhardt

Reinhardt, Dana. The Summer I Learned to Fly. New York: Ember, 2012. Print. The enthusiastic endorsement from Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief, on the cover of The Summer I Learned to Fly was persuasive. I picked up this coming-of-age novel with high expectations and it did not disappoint. Reinhardt’s heroine, Drew Robin Solo, aka Birdie, doesn’t have many friends and spends most of her time hanging around her mother’s cheese shop. It is 1986, the summer before Birdie begins grade eight. One night after closing the cheese shop, Drew meets a mysterious young man named Emmett Crane who eats the day-old bread and leftover cheese that Drew puts in the garbage. Drew learns the true meaning of friendship as she finds out who Emmett is, why he is there, and the sacrifices she is willing to make on his behalf. Over the course of the summer, Drew’s friendship with Emmett and his eclectic group of friends develops and when tragedy strikes, Drew must also cope with changing relationships with her Mom and her co-worker and surfer dude, Nick. Reinhardt’s characters, both teen and adult, are flawed, fully drawn, and gloriously human. Drew’s emotional progression throughout the novel is encapsulated in a quiet and profound way: “I didn’t want to be the sort of friend who dashes dreams. Friends, I was pretty sure, lift their friends up; they don’t weigh them down like a sack full of stones.” The Summer I Learned to Fly is a heart-warming and worthy reminder of the choice we all have: to weigh each other down, or to lift each other up. It is highly recommended for a broad audience, but for young girls this book will particularly resonate. Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Tami Oliphant Tami Oliphant is an assistant professor at the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alberta.

Violence and Mental Illness

Violence and Mental Illness

Jumpstart the World (review)

Reviewed by: Jumpstart the World Karen Coats Hyde, Catherine Ryan. Jumpstart the World. Knopf, 2010. 186p. Library ed. ISBN 978-0-375-96665-1 $19.99 Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-375-86665-4 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-375-89677-4 $16.99 Ad Gr. 9-12. Elle's mother's boyfriend has decides he doesn't want a kid around, so now sixteenyear-old Elle is living alone in the apartment her mother has rented for her. Angry at being pushed out, Elle cuts off all her hair, knowing this will infuriate her beauty-obsessed mother. Her act of rebellion gets her labeled as lesbian in her new school, which leads to her being invited into a group of friends who are remarkably accepting of her even when she makes some homophobic gaffes defending her heterosexuality. Meanwhile, she develops a crush on Frank, a gentle man in her new building, despite the fact that he is decades older than she and obviously in love with the woman he lives with. When her new friends inform her that Frank is female-to-male transgendered, she reacts hostilely, but once again, they forgive her prejudices with a sort of patient, understanding weariness. Elle herself is mopey to the point of emo, but her emotional state is linked more to her forlorn crush and the questions it raises about her sexuality than it is to the fact that her mother has utterly rejected her in all ways but financial. Then a terrible tragedy strikes, forcing the characters to come to terms with what's really important and to dutifully learn their lessons about how to live more loving and open-minded lives. Many readers may be stopped by the implausibility of a sixteen-year-old living alone in New York City, or just put off by the constant state of scold that follows Elle's honest reactions to her misunderstandings as well as to being misunderstood, but Hyde's spare, evocative prose almost compensates for her overt purposiveness. Indeed, readers may find this a moving portrayal of people trying to live authentically in a world that seems bent on rejecting them. Copyright © 2011 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Sorta Like a Rock Star (review)

Reviewed by: Sorta Like a Rock Star Karen Coats Quick, Matthew. Sorta Like a Rock Star. Little, 2010. 355p. ISBN 978-0-316-04352-6 $16.99 R Gr. 6-9. She might live on a school bus with her unfit mother and her rescued dog Bobby [End Page 38] Big Boy, but Amber doesn't let her seemingly grim existence shake her unquenchable optimism that she can make the world a better place by the sheer force of her positivity. Every week, she teaches English to the Korean Divas for Christ, entertains the old folks at the nursing home, and takes care of her ragtag crew of social misfit friends, protecting them, particularly Ricky, who is autistic, from the popular kids by physical force if necessary. Then tragedy strikes, and Amber's optimism flickers and threatens to die out, despite the loving support of all the people who have benefited from her sunshine. Fans of children's literature will recognize this character and her plot as Eleanor Porter's Pollyanna, remixed for the twenty-first century, but unlike Pollyanna, Amber begins to question her approach before she is thrown face-to-face with genuine darkness. Her faith in Jesus, a radiant constant throughout her circumstances, is rendered more complex as she admits to herself that her helping others is in part prompted by her belief that if she's good enough, she will deserve the love of a father; her depression leads her to the end of all of her naïveté and emotional resources. Though the plot elements are often sentimental, they're suitable for Amber's story; she self-styles as larger than life, with a distinctive narrative voice. The edge of desperation that limns her flamboyance throws her unguarded moments, such as her flashes of anger toward her mother and the heart-wrenching grief that forces others into understanding that they have conceived her as more than what she is, into sharp relief. The multidimensionality of her character—its bittersweet possibility and utter improbability—will suck readers completely into her world, where they will ride waves of tears through to a world washed clean. Copyright © 2010 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Beyond the Billboard (review)

Reviewed by: Beyond the Billboard Karen Coats Gates, Susan Beyond the Billboard. Harcourt, 2007210p ISBN 978-0-15-205983-5$16.00 R Gr. 6-9 Growing up in the secluded, private world of a swamp that borders a large city, twins Firebird and Ford are very different. Ford adopts the fierce loyalty of his father, a traditional eel fisherman, to the swamp and his equally ferocious disdain for the city, while Firebird yearns to see the places and live the life advertised on the huge billboard that hides their home from prying eyes and marks the border of their lives. Their grandmother and father have spun an elaborate family mythology of their connectedness to the swamp and their independence from the city, making Ford feel self-righteous and Firebird guilty. One night, though, Firebird follows her grandmother out of the swamp, through storm drains and abandoned subway tunnels, and into the heart of the city to discover a disconcerting secret—the eelskin purses she makes as a hobby are being sold as designer accessories for exorbitant sums. Independently, Ford follows his father and finds that he is dumping the skinned eels they work so hard to catch rather than taking them to the smokery, which Ford later learns has closed. The twins share their disturbing information, but they are still willing to rationalize their father's and grandmother's motives until tragedy strikes, first with their father contracting malaria, and then with a freak storm that floods the swamp and brings down the billboard, ending their way of life and exposing all of the secrets that have encased their lives. The setting of this fascinating and original coming-of-age story lends a surreal dimension to the miasma of lies the adults have constructed to keep the children close to home. Characters have a distinct yet universal quality that gives the work the aura of a folktale, with an environmental subtext that adds a cautionary dimension. The result is something a bit out of the ordinary yet recognizable in its theme of needing to seek your own truths beyond what your parents have sold you. Copyright © 2007 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Trash (review)

Reviewed by: Trash Loretta Gaffney Darrow, Sharon Trash. Candlewick, 2006 [160p] ISBN 0-7636-2624-4$16.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 7-12 It's not surprising that sixteen-year-old Sissy and her younger brother, Boy, identify closely with the trash their Arkansas foster parents collect for a living, since they themselves have been treated like trash—their biological mother didn't even bother to name them, and her neglect led to their placement in foster care. Eventually fed up with the stench of garbage and their foster parents' verbal and physical abuse, Boy and Sissy run away to St. Louis to reconnect with their beloved older sister, Raynell. Once there, they find community and inspiration among a group of graffiti artists and defy the law by painting their art and their tags on the walls and water towers of the city. Then tragedy strikes when Boy tumbles to his death while trying to outrun the police, and Sissy, paralyzed with grief, chooses to remain in the city, homeless, when Raynell moves back to Arkansas. The novel's structure, a sequence of poems, mostly free verse, lends itself well both to the power of Sissy's narration and the persistent symbolism of trash that wends its way through the book—Sissy not only sifts through trash to survive but eventually finds hope (the budding artist finds an art-school brochure) in the garbage can. Though the shifts between poetic formats are sometimes disconcerting, Sissy's voice remains recognizable throughout. Fans of poetry and art alike will no doubt find inspiration in this story, while the elements of violence, sibling loyalty, grief, and survival ensure that even those readers with little patience for poetry will find themselves absorbed in Sissy's tale. Copyright © 2006 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

A wake‐up call for not only terrorist threats

AbstractThe terrorist attacks of September 11 underscore the omnipresent threats posed to employers. In addition to those to our personal and national security from terrorists, incidents of workplace violence have increased more than 750 percent in the last three years. The onus is on each organizational leader and business professional to closely scrutinize this epidemic of violence, uncover the common denominators, and expeditiously formulate solutions before tragedy strikes. We must embrace a new corporate environment free of the full range of recognized hazards. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Unity

Unity

New Britain—A nation of victims

This article focuses on a debate on victimhood in Great Britain. Recent events in Great Britain indicate that the cult of vulnerability goes beyond the terms of the existing debate. This cult has emerged as a key element in a moralizing project that touches upon every aspect of social life. The events surrounding the death of Princess Diana showed how significant sections of the British population have been touched by the cultivation of public emotion. Less than two months after Diana's death, the British reaction to the guilty verdict against Louise Woodward indicated that there was still plenty of spare emotion in support of yet another heroine-victim. These events also demonstrated that when politicized, the culture of victimhood can become a powerful force. The politicization of grieving in Britain has been intimately linked to the institutionalization of vulnerability. Virtually every shade of political opinion and the entire British establishment has endorsed this project. Today, British society actually encourages those who suffer to discover some meaning in their experience. The media continually portray personal tragedies as moral plays, where a victim's loss is endowed with special significance. Thus whenever a tragedy strikes, a member of the family invariably remarks on television that they hope that their loved ones have not died in vain. Critics of the culture of victimhood often direct their fire at its more mendacious and self-serving manifestations, such as the predictable demand for compensation or the evasion of responsibility for the outcome of individual action. The celebration of the victim identity represents an important statement about the human condition. It regards human action with suspicion. It presupposes that human beings can do very little to influence their destiny. They are the objects rather than the subjects of their destiny. Consequently the human experience is defined by not by what people do but what has happened to them.