LOVE AND MONSTERS IN SOFIA'S LIFE: A Book Review

March 03, 2021 in BOOKS, Breast Feeding, Death and Desperation, Death and Dying, Empathy, EXTRA-JUDICIAL KILLING, Grief, Health and Fitness, Health Inequity, Human Rights, Infant & Child psychology, Social Commentary, Social Justice, Child Psychology, Marriage and Family Thera, Childrens Books

Belinda Hernández Arriaga and Veronica Castillo’s children’s picture book, LOVE AND MONSTERS IN SOFIA’S LIFE, is a bold and beautiful addition to the cannon of children’s literature. That boldness is in prose, art, and therapeutic concept. LOVE AND MONSTERS IN SOFIA’S LIFE acknowledges that adults can try to run away from the reality that their children live in a disparate world — but they cannot hide from it forever.

It is a children’s book for a child, but for parents, older siblings, friends, and teachers— it is a road map. It is a way to build an emotional safety net for children and families who are disproportionately affected, by forced deportation, incarceration, and early death. This book is not for “the faint of heart”.

As a Bioethicist — I am aware that writings on loss involving children usually are directed at parents who loose children. LOVE AND MONSTERS IN SOFIA’S LIFE acknowledges that there are whole generations of children who loose their adults, and siblings, who also need support and protection from the most virulent consequence of their valid fears, the allostatic load of oppression, and potentially devastating grief.

LOVE AND MONSTERS IN SOFIA’S LIFE is available in all the usual places including your local independent book dealer.This is the link for more information about Dr. Belinda Hernández Arriaga’s work.

September Williams MD-Author with Director Mike Binder Black & White, at the Mill Valley FIlm Festival, 2014

September Williams Author of Chasing Mercury: The 2020 US Census as An Act of love in the time SARSCoVID-19

March 21, 2020 in Baby Boomers, Bioethics, Death and Desperation, Film, Grief, Healing, Health and Fitness, Health Inequity, Peace, Resistance, September MD-Writer, Social Justice

I very nearly forgot to fill out my household’s United States Census, amid the struggles around the SARS-CoVID19 pandemic. Maintaining social distance is designed to save lives—not to save money and it will do so—if people work hard to adhere to it during the rising phase of this viral epidemic. The USA census is also designed to save lives. Of course, the devil is in the details of the application. But it starts by “We the people” making sure every member of our nations households are fully counted. It’s not about citizenship, but about the distribution of resources in accordance with humanitarian law which demands every nation provide certain things for those living in it. We see the hell on earth when nations stop doing that. By the way, It took me exactly 10 minutes to fill out the US census. Here is how the census is applied. It determines:

1) The way that federal money is distributed to the citizens of the country at local levels when things work at their best—based on the science of health, welfare and economic parameters—consistent with humanitarian law. That includes providing for local communities schools, roads, public services.

2) Funds for preparing for transportation and emergency readiness.

3) THE NUMBER OF SEATS EACH STATE HAS IN THE US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND YOUR POLITICAL REPRESENTATION AT ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT. Have a look and please fill out the census and make sure every member of your household and your family, community and living soul in this nation is counted.

In that obscure way, that I often put things together, I was reminded about a film I reviewed 5 years ago, while completing the last question of the census, That question asks the race of each member of the household is counted. The question is as lousily written this year as those in the past. It mixes up the fallacy of race with ethnicity and nationality all over the place. The film reviewed was Black or White by Mike Bender. The review got picked up by Mixed Race Studies.

September Williams Author of Chasing Mercury: A short film on mercury in the body →

November 01, 2019 in Bioethics, Baby Boomers, BOOKS, Breast Feeding, Chasing Mercury the Novel, Echo Boomers, Environmental Justice, free grassy.net, greenaction.org, Health and Fitness, Human Rights, ipen.org, mercury pollution, Minamata disease, Nutrition, Peace, Resistance

There is a new very short film on mercury in your body from the Minamata Convention on mercury. There are a whole series of short films on the subject produced by UNESCO with the Convention secretariat. On YouTube under the tag #MakeMercuryHistory there are several short films that might answer questions you have about mercury. People are still asking me about it over the fish couters in various markets.

Remember Governments may come and go, and a million people are tweeting about the USA excutive officer while he gives a life feed speech in Mississippi — but heavy metals are here to stay so the Mercury Convention folks are working internationally to: contain mercury, reduce technology that uses mercury, find alternative technologies to replace them, remediate the environment and the improved or compensate lives that have been damaged by this particular heavy metal. Also, I’ve been updating the Mercury and Minamata Convention on Mercury page of my website. So have a look. And use that #MakeMercuryHistory.

September Williams Author of Chasing Mercury & The Elephant in the Room... Thanks Book Passage and Marin Magazine!

July 12, 2019 in Bioethics, Baby Boomers, Breast Feeding, Echo Boomers, Feminism, Health and Fitness, Human Rights, Health Inequity, Infant & Child psychology, Librarians, Peace, Pregnancy and Prematurity, Waking up in Syria

Thanks Marin Magazine for the Shout Out About the August 3. 2018 reading of the Elephant in the Room. at

Book Passage, Corte Madera !

https://www.marinmagazine.com/event/september-williams-the-elephant-in-the-room/

September Williams Author of Chasing Mercury reads from new book The Elephant in the Room at Book Passage, Corte Madera August 3, 2019 for World Breast Feeding Week!

June 28, 2019 in Baby Boomers, Bioethics, Echo Boomers, greenaction.org, Human Rights, Peace, Nutrition, Health and Fitness, Infant and Cold Psycholog, Librarians, Pregnancy and Prematurity

Hi all,

I’m delighted to be introducing my this year’s book THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM:BIOETHICAL CONCERNS IN HUMAN MILK BANKING to the independent book store community beginning at the guiding light of community based readers BOOK PASSAGE CORTE MADERA, on Saturday, AUGUST 3, 2019, at 4PM. Joining me will be Pauline Sakamoto the founding director of Mothers Milk Bank San Jose — the organization to whom the proceeds from the sales will be allocated and Susan Martinelli of the California Breastfeeding Coalition—who is a lactation consultant with the County of Marin— my own home county.. Please join us, kids welcome, as we celebrate and promote the international WORLD BREAST FEEDING WEEK !