Hello Butterfield Band
Did you start a band during COVID? Our contributor Pearl did!
Girl Folk contributor and artist Pearl started writing music during the COVID lockdown to stay connected to friends in the San Francisco Bay Area. That led to forming the alternative rock band BUTTERFIELD in 2019. Playing music kept her going and still does.
You can check out one of their songs below and follow them on Spotify.
M.I.A.: Not A Normal Popstar
M.I.A.: Not A Normal Popstar
I love singer M.I.A.’s music, so does my entire family. So, when we found out a documentary about M.I.A. would be showing at the Orcas Island Film Fest, I signed up for the Orcas Island Lit Fest Teen Film Critics programs to review the film. When I watched it, I ended up really enjoying it and I learned a bunch of new facts about M.I.A. Below is my review about the film, which is called Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.. Hopefully it will make you want to see it, too!
THIS IS NOT A NORMAL POP DOCUMENTARY, BECAUSE M.I.A. IS NOT A NORMAL POP STAR.
— The Atlantic
Images of M.I.A. dancing. These were included in the documentary but were filmed by M.I.A. herself.
“Matangi/ Maya/ M.I.A.” by director Steve Loveridge peers into the life of hip hop and pop singer M.I.A., born Matangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, including her path to fame and how she defied stereotypes as well as the constant barrage of controversy that surrounds her. Using never before seen footage shot by M.I.A. herself over more than a decade, as well as Loveridge’s own seven hundred hours worth of documentary footage, Loveridge creates a compelling story that is about more than a musician’s ascent to fame. The documentary boldly faces issues such as racism, violence and cultural stereotypes to show viewers what life is like in Matangi’s hometown in Sri Lanka, which she was forced to flee with her mother and siblings when she was a young child.
In the film, the singer shares footage of her visits back to Sri Lanka where her father was a leader in the Tamil Tiger government-resistance movement. By doing so, she depicts the repressiveness and horrors that her family exprienced in her homeland, and the viewer is able to make the connection between the meaning behind her songs and that experience. Sounds we hear in her personal footage clearly inform her most popular song, Paper Planes. With its controversial gunshots and lyrics, M.I.A. explains that the song is “about stereotypes attached to immigrants” and people’s beliefs that they take jobs and money.
M.I.A. with director Steven Loveridge
“M.I.A.” also includes real footage of terrorism and government executions in Sri Lanka, which may be upsetting to some, but does force audiences to really understand and appreciate the importance of what M.I.A. is speaking up about. Not only does the documentary “M.I.A.” address racism and cultural stereotypes, it also covers self-identity. Mathangi argues that you should always be yourself and stand up for what you believe in. The film also conveys that you can overcome your past, break free from your roots and what others think you are supposed to be. Your family, culture, or people who disapprove of you, cannot stop you from achieving your dream.
I would certainly recommend this documentary, especially to people who are fans of M.I.A., interested in music, or feel confined by culture, religion, stereotypes, or nationality. However, I would caution that “M.I.A.” contains footage of graphic violence (real videos of wars in Sri Lanka and executions, as mentioned above) as well as a great deal of profanity; therefore, depending on your family’s preferences, it may not be suitable for children younger than 18.
Click on the video player above to watch a trailer for “Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.!
Our Quarantine Book Recommendations
Here’s a list of some books we have read recently that we totally recommend, plus some books we look forward to reading soon.
Looking for a new book to cure your boredom during this quarantine? Here’s a list of some books we have read recently that we totally recommend, plus some books we look forward to reading soon…
What We Recommend
Lost Boys by Darcey Rosenblatt - Lost Boys is an unforgettable tale about twelve-year-old Reza, who, in the wake of a tragedy, decides to enlist in the army, assured by the authorities that he will achieve paradise if he happens to die in service. However, Reza never sees the glory that was promised and soon finds himself held in a prisoner-of-war camp in Iraq, where the guards are far from kind. Friendship, heartbreak, and Reza’s own survival are at stake while he forges his own path—wherever that may take him.
The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera - After stealing her dad’s credit card to finance a slightly more stylish wardrobe, young Margot Sanchez from the South Bronx finds herself practically working as what she sarcastically refers to as an “indentured servant” in her family’s struggling grocery store in order to pay off her debts. Margot can feel her reputation at her prep school—that she worked so hard for—begin to slip away, and she is ready to do anything to save it…lie, cheat, or even steal. This book is full of secrets being uncovered, bad choices, dysfunctional families, and still retains some of the classic elements of a coming-of-age novel.
Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand - When problems such as daily blues or family trouble become too much to handle, Finley Hart retreats to the Everwood, a forest kingdom that exists solely in the pages of her notebook, until one day when she realizes the Everwood is real and holds far more mysteries than she’d ever imagined. Finley sets out on a mission to save the dying Everwood and uncover its secrets. However, as the mysteries begin to pile up, Finley realizes that before she can save the Everwood, she must save herself first.
Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch - Love and Gelato is a great tale for anyone who loves romance, Italy, and, of course, gelato. After her mother dies, Lina is sent to Tuscany to live with her father. Her father who she has never met or heard of before. What starts out as an awkward summer in Italy becomes a bit of a mystery when Lina is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. With the help of a sweet Italian boy named Ren, Lina follows in her mother’s footsteps and unearths a secret that could change everything she knew about her mother, her father, and herself.
Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead - Bridge is an accident survivor who wonders why she's still alive. Emily has a new look that begins to change much more than just how people see her. Tabitha sees through everybody's games, or so she says. Goodbye Stranger takes an interesting approach to storytelling as the plot jumps around in time and in narrator POV. Plus, readers are introduced to a mystery narrator - an unnamed high school girl struggling with betrayal - that adds for an interesting twist at the end.
Warhead by Jeff Henigson - Warhead is a memoir about Jeff, an average fifteen-year-old boy living in 1986, while the United States and the Soviet Union are at glaring odds and the word "nuclear" is on everyone's mind. Jeff learns that he has brain cancer, and it's likely terminal. Jeff's family rallies around him, but, like many families, they are complicated--and Jeff's father may be the most complicate. He can't say "I love you," even during the worst of Jeff's medical treatments. So, when the Starlight Children's Foundation offers to grant Jeff a wish, he attempts to win his father’s respect. Jeff asks to travel to Moscow and meet with Mikhail Gorbachev to discuss nuclear disarmament and ending the Cold War. This story is both dark and funny at the same time. Readers will be fascinated while reading about the classic woes of growing up, the scariness of brain cancer, and Jeff’s romantic and platonic endeavors.
The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith - (WARNING: This book deals with the aftermath of a girl being raped and may be a trigger for anyone who has experienced sexual assault or rape.) The story is told in four parts - freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior year, and follows a girl named Eden who was raped by her brother’s best friend, with her family in the next room. From that moment on, everything changes. Eden finds herself hating things, and people, she once loved. She can’t get herself to tell anyone about it, so she buries it instead, and with it her old self. This novel reveals just how much rape or sexual assault can affect the victim, and change their relationships with others. But it also demonstrates one young girl’s strength as she navigates the pains of adolescence, first loves, first heartbreaks, and finding herself.
What We Want to Read
Pride by Ibi Zoboi
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Attitude by Robin Stevenson
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Other recommendations from contributors for past months include:
The Darkest Minds + Keeper of the Lost Cities + The Land of Stories - Recommended by Isabella D.
The Hunger Games - Recommended by Rose
Red Queen + Children of Blood & Bone - Recommended by Pearl B.