Excerpt: ‘Ending Back Pain’ by Jack Stern, M.D., PH.D

Ending Back Pain
by Jack Stern, M.D., Ph.D.

Most feelings of discomfort in life have clear solutions. For a stuffy nose, decongestants do the trick. For a pounding headache, aspirin or Tylenol comes in handy. But what do you do about a relentlessly aching back? As most of us know, the answer is not nearly as clear-cut as we’d wish. And unlike infectious diseases that often have targeted remedies (think antibiotics for bacterial infections and vaccines for viruses), ailing backs are like misbehaving, obnoxious family members—we can’t easily get rid of them or “fix” them. They also have a tendency to stick around and bother us nonstop, lowering our quality of life considerably and indefinitely.

Perhaps nothing could be more frustrating than a sore or hurting back. It seems to throw off everything else in our body, and makes daily living downright miserable. With the lifetime prevalence approaching 100 percent, virtually all of us have been or will be affected by low back pain at some point. Luckily, most of us recover from a bout of back pain within a few weeks and don’t experience another episode. But for some of us, the back gives us chronic problems. As many as 40 percent of people have a recurrence of back pain within six months.

At any given time, an astounding 15 to 30 percent of adults are experiencing back pain, and up to 80 percent of sufferers eventually seek medical attention. Sedentary people between the ages of forty-five and sixty are affected most, although I should point out that for people younger than forty-five, lower back pain is the most common cause for limiting one’s activities. And here’s the most frustrating fact of all: A specific diagnosis is often elusive; in many cases it’s not possible to give a precise diagnosis, despite advanced imaging studies. In other words, we doctors cannot point to a specific place in your back’s anatomy and say something along the lines of, “That’s exactly where the problem is, and here’s how we’ll fix it.” This is why the field of back pain has shifted from one in which we look solely for biomechanical approaches to treatment to one where we have to consider patients’ attitudes and beliefs. We have to look at a dizzying array of factors, because back pain is best understood through multiple lenses, including biology, psychology, and even sociology.

The Challenge

So, why is back pain such a confounding problem? For one, it’s lumped into one giant category, even though it entails a constellation of potential culprits. You may have back pain stemming from a skiing accident, whereas your neighbor experiences back pain as the consequence of an osteoporotic fracture. Clearly, the two types of back pain are different, yet we call them “back pain” on both accounts, regardless. Back pain has an indeterminate range of possible causes, and therefore multiple solutions and treatment options. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this malady. That is why diagnosing back pain, particularly persistent or recurrent pain, is so challenging for physicians.

Some people are able to describe the exact moment or series of moments when they incurred the damage to their back—a car accident, a slip and fall, a difficult pregnancy, a heavy-lifting job at work, a sports-related injury, a marathon, and so on. But for many, the moment isn’t so obvious, or what they think is causing them the back pain is far from accurate.

The Two Types of Back Pain

If you are going to experience back pain, you’d prefer to have the acute and temporary kind rather than the chronic and enigmatic kind. The former is typically caused by a musculoskeletal issue that resolves itself in due time. This would be like pulling a muscle in your back during a climb up a steep hill on your bicycle or sustaining an injury when you fall from the stepladder in the garage. You feel pain for a few weeks and then it’s silenced, hence the term self-limiting back pain. It strikes, you give it some time, it heals, and it’s gone.

The second type of back pain, though, is often worse, because it’s not easily attributed to a single event or accident. Often, either sufferers don’t know what precipitated the attack, or they remember some small thing as the cause, such as bending from the waist to lift an object instead of squatting down (i.e., lifting with the legs) or stepping off a curb too abruptly. It can start out of nowhere and nag you endlessly. It can build slowly over time but lack a clear beginning. Your doctor scratches his head, trying to diagnose the source of the problem, and as a result your treatment options aren’t always aligned with the root cause of the problem well enough to solve it forever. It should come as no surprise, then, that those with no definitive diagnosis reflect the most troubling cases for patients and doctors.

What Are the Chances?

Chances are good that you’ll experience back pain at some point in your life. Your lifetime risk is arguably close to 100 percent. And unfortunately, recurrence rates are appreciable. The chance of it recurring within one year of a first episode is estimated to be between 20 and 44 percent; within ten years, 80 percent of sufferers report back pain again. Lifetime recurrence is estimated to be 85 percent. Hence, the goal should be to alleviate symptoms and prevent future episodes.

Jack Stern, M.D., Ph.D., is the author of “Ending Back Pain: 5 Powerful Steps to Diagnose, Understand, and Treat Your Ailing Back.” He is a board-certified neurosurgeon specializing in spinal surgery, and cofounder of Spine Options, one of America’s first facilities committed to nonsurgical care of back and neck pain. Dr. Stern is on the clinical faculty at Weill Cornell Medical College and has published numerous peer- and non-peer– reviewed medical articles. He lives and practices in White Plains, New York.

Theater review: ‘Spamilton’ at the Empire Theatre

Now playing at the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre is ‘Spamilton: An American Parody.’ The tour launched in December 2018 and has been playing several multi-week engagements, hip-hopping around the country. Created by Gerard Alessandrini, the comic mastermind behind the long-running hit ‘Forbidden Broadway’ and performed by a versatile cast of seven, ‘Spamilton’ is a side-splitting new musical parody. It is playing through Sunday January 26 with upcoming performances: Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30p.m., Friday at 8p.m., Saturday at 2p.m. and 8p.m., and Sunday at 2p.m. and 7:30p.m. Tickets start at $69 and are available online, by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-982-2787, or by visiting the Majestic Box Office.

‘Spamilton: An American Parody’ is a musical parody of the Broadway show ‘Hamilton.’ It also parodies several other musicals including ‘Chicago,’ ‘The King and I,’ ‘The Book of Mormon’ and ‘Sweeney Todd’ and personalities like Barbara Streisand, Bernadette Peters, Carol Channing and Liza Minelli. Cast includes Jared Alexander, Marissa Hecker, Brandon Kinley, T.J. Newton, Datus Puryear and Matthew Hougland (Musical Director as well as King George III.) It begins as “Barack and Michelle Obama” are getting ready for bed and they set up their copy of the ‘Hamilton’ Broadway Cast Album to play before they fall asleep. From there the story develops into a fictionalized account about ‘Hamilton’ and how Lin-Manuel Miranda’s dream came true. Woven in between are mashups of musicals and parodies of the real songs. Highlights include “Straight is Back” by King George III and “The Film When It Happens.”

At only an hour and 15 minutes, ‘Spamilton’ is packed with everything that made ‘Hamilton’ a Broadway hit: similar cast costumes and songs that sound similar but hilariously re-written to fit the scene. Is it necessary to have seen the original to enjoy ‘Spamilton?’ No, but it helps, as does having a knowledge of the different musicals in general because there are so many Easter Eggs it is hard to pick up on all of them. Everyone does a fabulous performance but Marissa Hecker’s impersonations are spot on, especially her Barbara Streisand and Liza Minelli. ‘Spamilton’ is a non-stop singing and dancing spectacular and the laughs come early on and stick around for the entire show. There is no intermission and the smaller venue at the Empire Theatre gives it a more intimate feel. It is a definite must-see.

Win a Whatawedding for this Valentine’s Day

Attention die-hard Whataburger fans: the fast food chain announced last week that from now until Sunday February 2, couples can enter to win the chance to tie the knot or renew their vows on Valentine’s Day at a Whataburger restaurant in six cities across Texas with all costs covered, excluding travel. As an added bonus, one of these couples will also receive a cash prize of $5,000 for a dream honeymoon. (Whataburger, 2020)

Cities where couples can win a Whataburger wedding or renewal ceremony:

San Antonio
College Station
Corpus Christi
Houston
Grand Prairie
Fort Worth

The ultimate Whatawedding includes:

Whataburger meal (couples get to order their favorite off the menu)
Photographer
Select number of guests
Orange and white decorations
Officiant

The winning couple in Corpus Christi will receive all of the above plus an upgraded floral package and video package. A select number of couples will receive a renewal ceremony at each location that includes the Whatawedding details. To enter, couples can visit Whataburger online and fill out the request form which includes name, phone number, email, their preferred city, whether they are looking to get married or renew their vows, picture of the couple and a 500 word of less essay on their love story and why they want to get married at Whataburger.

North Star Mall boots celebrate 40 years

northstarboots20 — The North Star Mall boots celebrates 40 years this month. In honor of the artist, Bob “Daddy O” Wade, a commemorative limited edition Fiesta medal will be out in February. Photo: North Star Mall, used with permission.

The adage that everything in Texas is bigger and better is best illustrated by the massive cowboy boot sculpture that adorns North Star Mall’s northern face. The “World’s Largest Cowboy Boots” sculpture stands an impressive 35-feet, three inches tall, 30-feet long, nine–feet wide and weighs in at 10,000 pounds. (North Star Mall, 2019)

Artist Bob “Daddy O” Wade was 36 years old in 1979 when he was contacted by the Washington Project for the Arts out of Washington, DC to create a Texas-themed sculpture to be featured in an empty lot, mere blocks from the White House. Built on site, Wade created two structures that in 2016 became Guinness World Record-certified Cowboy Boots – the largest such sculpture in the world. Approximately forty feet high and thirty feet long, the boots are made of tubular steel sprayed with polyurethane foam. Wade is known for several other giant creations, including a 40-foot long iguana that now sits atop the Ft. Worth Zoo, dancing frogs that can be found on the roof of a Taco Cabana in Dallas and a 70-foot high saxophone in Houston, among others.

Shortly after its creation, a bidding war ensued between a company in Houston and The Rouse Company, then owners of North Star mall, who purchased the landmark for $20,000. Getting them from DC to San Antonio is a story that includes getting stuck under an overpass. From that point on the truck drivers responsible for moving the boots took back roads all the way to Texas.

The World’s Largest Cowboy Boots is celebrating its 40^th anniversary in January. They have become iconic – used in commercials and highlighted in every San Antonio event that garners state and national attention. According to Wade, they’ve even been the subject of a master’s thesis – a fitting study for boots that have earned their place in Texas culture.

“The North Star Mall family was deeply saddened to learn of Bob Wade, artist of the World’s Largest Cowboy Boots, passing on Christmas Eve. In his honor and memory, we are creating a commemorative Fiesta Medal that will be available in February. Please check our website and Facebook page for details. The Boots, much like the artist who made them, are larger than life and have a special place in San Antonio’s heart. Bob will always be an important part of North Star Mall history; may Bob’s legacy live on through his sculptures.” Brenda Crawford, Sr. General Manager, North Star Mall

Shake Shack launches Classic Comfort Menu

shaketrio — Shake Shack’s Shake Trio. Photo: Shake Shack, used with permission.

In honor of the New Year, Shake Shack is launching its limited edition Classic Comfort Menu which will include a trio of shakes – Cookie Butter, Malted Milk Chocolate and Frozen Hot Chocolate – as well as an old favorite with an updated, Texas spin, The ShackMeister Burger. Exclusively available at the Texas Shacks, Shiner Bock-marinated crispy shallots will top the 100% Angus beef Burger. (Shake Shack, 2020)

The trio of shakes will be available from January 7 through March 16 and the ShackMeister Burger will be available from January 7 through March 31 at all Texas Shacks.

The award winning ShackMeister Burger, which was originally created in 2014 for South Beach Food and Wine Festival, was a spin-off of Shake Shack’s take on onion rings. A classic Shackburger topped with shallots marinated in Shiner Bock (exclusive to the Texas Shacks) and fried until crispy. The ShackMeister is the perfect combo of bitter and sweet. This is the first time the original ShackMeister Burger is making its return to U.S. menus. Pro tip: Looking for more shallots? You can add them to either your fries or dog at any Shack.

Classic Comfort Menu

Cookie Butter: vanilla frozen custard and cookie butter mixed and topped with whipped cream and cookie crumbles
Malted Milk Chocolate: chocolate frozen custard and Ghirardelli sweet cocoa powder mixed and topped with whipped cream, cocoa powder and miniature marshmallows
Frozen Hot Chocolate: vanilla and chocolate frozen custard malted and topped with whipped cream and crushed milk chocolate
ShackMeister Burger: Exclusive to Texas Shacks, Shiner Bock-marinated crispy shallots and ShackSauce will be placed on a 100% Angus beef cheeseburger – no added hormones or antibiotics, ever

Since 2004, Shake Shack’s mission is to Stand For Something Good^®, from its premium ingredients and caring hiring practices to its inspiring designs and deep community investment. With its fresh, simple, high-quality food at a great value, Shake Shack is a fun and lively community gathering place with widespread appeal. Since the original Shack opened in 2004 in NYC’s Madison Square Park, the company has expanded to more than 220 locations in 26 U.S. States and the District of Columbia, including more than 70 international locations across London, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Dubai, Tokyo, Moscow, Seoul and more.

Shake Shack
3003 Broadway St.
San Antonio, TX 78209
(210) 469-3732

Shake Shack
7427 San Pedro Ave. Suite 107
San Antonio, TX 78216
(210) 277-4770

Excerpt: ‘Kidnapped On Safari’ by Peter Riva

KIDNAPPED ON SAFARI – CHAPTER 3

Mamba Kisiwa na Simu ya Dharura—Crocodile Island and an Emergency Call

The emergency call came in at breakfast. They could hear Wolfie’s shortwave radio belting out his call sign, repeatedly declaring, “Come in 5Z4WD, most urgent call for Pero Baltazar.” Pero got up and made his way to Wolfie’s office, asking Amal, their waiter, to get Wolfie. “Kwenda kupata bwana Wolfgang haraka, tafadhali, Amal.” (Go get boss Wolfgang quickly, please, Amal.)

Pero knew better than to touch Wolfgang’s sole means of communication with the outside world. Besides, Wolfgang had once allowed him to use the radio transmitter set, commonly called an RT set, to reach out to Pero’s old contacts at the CIA and State Department in Washington. Pero had been a runner for them, collecting papers and making note of fellow passengers at airports when asked, fortunately infrequently—nothing dangerous, nothing remotely exciting. Then two events had caused Pero to get deeper into the world of anti-terrorism than he ever wanted. Unable to cope alone those two times, he had involved his friends, including Heep, Mary, Susanna, and, of course, Mbuno, who were once again on location with him, this time along the shore of Lake Rudolf. Pero desperately hoped this emergency call had nothing to do with his old Washington contacts.

He had quit after the Berlin package incident, after he had nearly died, mainly because he had married for the second time in his life as soon as he had left the hospital and recovered. Susanna was a brilliant sound engineer, as devoted to Pero as he was to her. The name of Pero’s first wife, Addiena, who had died in the Lockerbie disaster, was tattooed on the underside of his right forearm. He used to sleep with it across his heart so he would not forget her after she perished. Her tragic death was the reason he had offered his minor services to the CIA in the first place, wanting to do something to thwart terrorism. It was heartwarming for Pero that his new wife, Susanna, now insisted she drift off to sleep lying to his right, making him put out his arm for her to use Addiena’s name as a pillow. “She loved you and you, her. It is how I can remember her, thank her, for teaching you how to love, you dummer Mann.”

Susanna’s native German expression of “dumb man” had been a scolding term for him originally deployed during the Berlin dangers, which was when she had revealed she cared for Pero deeply. Since then, it had become a term of endearment between them, their bond cemented by past events.

Adrenaline pumping because of the radio call, Pero weaved his way past tightly packed breakfast tables, careful not to allow his large, six-foot frame to disturb fellow guests. He heard Amal calling out to Wolfgang. By the time Pero got to the radio office, he could hear Wolfgang replying, “I am coming, I am coming.” The RT set was almost a living thing to Wolfgang, and Pero was used to hearing the man talk to it as a father would his child. Pero, waiting at the door, opened it for Wolfgang, who entered, sat, and flicked the on switch all in one practiced movement. He keyed the mike, gave his call sign 5Z4WD in answer, and said, “What is the message?”

The voice faded suddenly, coming in faintly, and Wolfgang gently turned the tuning dial. “Okay, Nairobi, I read you now, the sun’s up here so this may break up.” A woman’s voice came on the radio, asked if Baltazar was available, and Wolfie told her he was present and standing by.

“Message from Flamingo Tours, for Pero Baltazar, urgent, Mwana Wambuno, on safari, Moyowosi Game Reserve, missing for over ten hours. Safari clients being flown back to Nairobi. No trace of Ube. Over.” Ube was the nickname of Mbuno’s nephew, Mwana Wambuno. Pero immediately knew Mbuno would take the news of his favorite nephew hard.

Pero asked, “Wolfie, may I speak directly to her?” Wolfgang nodded and indicated the mike button. “Pero here, who’s that? Sheila Ndelle? Over.” Sheila, the backbone of Flamingo Tours, was also the sister of the UN security police chief and totally reliable.

“Ndiyo, over.” Yes, came the reply.

“Hi Sheila, give me all the details you have, and also, where’s Tone? Over.” Anthony Bowman was the owner of Flamingo Tours, known to everyone over the decades as simply Tone. An ex–white hunter, Tone ran the best safari outfitters anywhere—expedition tents, private toilets, dinner with white table linens, client’s wishes always fulfilled.

“Hi Pero, Mr. Anthony is down at the Tanzanian Embassy trying to find out more information, if there is any known terrorist or poaching problems in the area. There wasn’t any when we sent the clients there. All we know is that Ube took three clients out on a walking safari yesterday morning, camera clients”—by which she meant not hunters—“and they took leopard images in the tall grass, a kill of a bushbuck, treeing the carcass, you know the drill.” Pero did. Leopard was one of Africa’s big five—lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, and cape buffalo. Originally a hunting list, these animals still presented a challenge for the lens hunter. “On the plane’s HF radio, briefly, the clients have reported that suddenly as they were heading back to camp, Ube told our two bearers to make the clients crawl back to the Land Rover and fly back to Nairobi without stopping or talking to anyone. They said Ube told them to do this quietly if they valued their lives. They did as they were told. They have no idea what Ube did or where he went.” Sheila paused. “But, Pero, they said they heard a shot. Over.”

Pero’s producer instincts kicked in. “You say the clients are en route for Wilson Airport? Over.” Wilson Airport was on the western side of Nairobi and the jumping off small airport for most safaris and the Flying Doctor air services. Wolfgang glanced at Pero, clearly wondering why Pero should be interested in the clients since he knew Ube’s disappearance would be of paramount importance to Mbuno and, therefore, presumably to Pero.

Sheila’s tone also had an edge. “Yes, yes, they are inbound but had to wait for Tanzanian air traffic control for permission to depart. We had a plane waiting, in case, for medical reasons on the client’s instructions. They will be back in about two hours. But it is Ube we are worried about, and we need to tell Mbuno. Over.”

Pero nodded. “Agreed, I’ll take care of that. But Sheila, listen to me, please, I need you to go immediately to the airport, see Sheryl at Mara Airways, arrange for a Cessna 414 for us here immediately, plane and pilots—note, I said pilots—on loan, indefinite period. Over.” Sheila gave her confirmation. “Good, then call the Langata police station and ask for Sergeant Gibson Nabana. He’s the one I shot during that terrorist attack two years ago, remember? Over.” Sheila laughed and said she remembered it well. It had made the front page of the Daily Standard paper. At the time Pero had needed to gain control of a difficult confusion of authority at Wilson Airport and had only slightly wounded the sergeant. They subsequently became good allies and, since then, drinking buddies. “Okay, Sheila, tell Gibson to stop your clients and confiscate every piece of camera equipment they have. Tell him that I will be in Nairobi as soon as possible. Look, we need to review every shot to see if those camera-happy clients caught anything that can help us figure out what has happened to Ube. Once Mbuno and I see what is there, or not, we will reboard the Mara Cessna and proceed to . . . where was the landing strip? Remember that Sheryl at Mara Airways will need to have that information while you are at Wilson Airport, okay? Over.”

Sheila understood the flight would have to leave Kenya and land in Tanzania, an everyday occurrence as long as the paperwork was filled in properly with Customs and Excise on both sides of the border. “The Moyowosi Airport we used for the clients was actually at Mgwesi at the southwestern end of the Lake Nyagamoma, and then there is a three-hour slow drive into the game reserve. Should I lay on transport? Our drivers are still there, packing up the tents. I have not given them instruction to drive back to base. Over.”

“Yes, Sheila, hold your people in place, reestablish the camp, but move it at least a mile or more away. We’ll use it, and we’ll pay the fare. And one more thing, your clients will get back to Wilson before we do, so you have to make sure to tell them, before they land, that if Ube had reason to get your clients out secretly, whatever his reasons were, it is serious and if they value their lives they will not, I repeat, not talk with anyone. And keep them at the airport. Over.” Sheila said she understood and signed off.

Wolfgang looked over at Pero and simply said, “I guess you’ll be leaving then. The pool is full; I was thinking about draining it, but you might as well use it before you go while you wait for transport.” It was as friendly a gesture Pero had ever heard the owner of the Oasis make.
**************************************************
Peter Riva is the author of “Kidnapped on Safari.” He has spent many months over thirty years traveling throughout Africa and Europe. He created the 1995 series Wild Things for Paramount. Passing on the fables, true tales and insider knowledge of the last reserves of true wildlife is his passion. He has been working as a literary agent for the past forty years. In his spare time, Riva writes science fiction and African adventure books, including the Mbuno and Pero Adventures series, “Murder On Safari” and “The Berlin Package.” He lives in Gila, New Mexico.

Guitarist Eric Johnson at the Aztec Theatre

Eric Johnson, the Austin, Texas based prolific guitarist, vocalist, composer and multi-instrumentalist, will release a new studio offering titled EJ Vol II, on February 28, 2020. To celebrate this 11^th studio album, Johnson has a 55-date tour planned, spanning nearly 3-months. The tour will hit every major city across the U.S. and will also enter into Canada, for one show in Toronto as well. Locally, he will be performing at the Aztec Theatre on Thursday January 30. (Mad Ink PR, 2020)

With EJ Vol II, he presents new repertoire that combines electric and acoustic arrangements and once again represents a collection of originals with a couple of select covers. Among the new songs, there is deep meaning and messaging with each track, sometimes figurative while at times literal. On “Waterwheel,” he captures personal feelings about the gift of the flow of the spirit and synchronicity of all things under the universe in creation, utilizing the water wheel or an old paddle wheel that turns in water as the metaphorical symbolism. The song “Golden Way,” approaches finding the true higher path in life, while the poignant “For the Stars,” captures his introspection surrounding the loss of his mother as he looks up towards the sky at night wondering where she is now. Along with the 11 original songs there are two covers on the album; The Beatles “Hide Your Love Away” and Eric’s arrangement of Bert Jansch’s take on the traditional “Black Waterside.”

The new 2020 tour titled “Classics: Present and Past” will feature EJ Vol. II alongside selections from his prolific career. The EJ touring band will feature Roscoe Beck on bass (Leonard Cohen, Robben Ford, Dixie Chicks), Tom Brechtlein on drums (Kenny Loggins, Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Robben Ford), and on keyboards + second guitar, Dave Scher (a rising star from the Austin music scene).

Among Johnson’s many accolades are a Grammy award for “Cliffs of Dover,” a lifetime induction into the Guitar Player Gallery of Greats and his listing among the “100 Greatest Guitarists of the 20th Century” by Musician. In his hometown of Austin, a city full of guitarists, the readers of the Austin Chronicle have voted Eric Johnson the city’s “Best Electric Guitarist” and “Best Acoustic Guitarist” in their yearly poll year after year. They also named him “Electric Guitarist of the Decade” and one of the top five “Musicians of the Decade.”

“Classics – Present and Past” Tour. Complete tour available online.
January 14          Miner Auditorium                      San Francisco, CA
January 15          Crest Theatre                               Sacramento, CA
January 16          Sunset Cultural Center              Carmel, CA
January 17          The Grove of Anaheim              Anaheim, CA
January 18          The Regent Theater                    Los Angeles, CA
January 19          Majestic Ventura Theater         Ventura, CA
January 21          House of Blues                            San Diego, CA
January 22          Rialto Theatre                             Tucson, AZ
January 23          The Crescent Ballroom              Phoenix, AZ
January 24          KiMo Theatre                              Albuquerque, NM
January 25          Paramount Theatre                    Denver, CO
January 26          The Lincoln Center                     Fort Collins, CO
January 29          House of Blues                             Dallas, TX
January 30          The Aztec Theater                      San Antonio, TX
January 31          House of Blues                             Houston, TX
February 1          Paramount Theatre                    Austin, TX
February 18       Cain’s Ballroom                            Tulsa, OK

Book review: ‘Freedom Lessons’ by Eileen Harrison Sanchez

Eileen Harrison Sanchez is an author who retired from a forty-year career in education that started as a teacher and ended as a district administrator. Her debut novel is “Freedom Lessons: A Novel” on which she draws on her own remarkable experience as a young, white teacher in the Jim Crow South during desegregation to write her immersive work of fiction inspired by those events. It is the story of Colleen, a white northern teacher who enters into the unfamiliar culture of a small town and its unwritten rules as the town surrenders to mandated school integration.

“Freedom Lessons” is told alternately through three points of view: by Colleen, an idealistic young white teacher, Frank, a black high school football player and Evelyn, an experienced black teacher. This is the story of how the lives of three very different people intersect in a rural Louisiana town from July 1969 to November 1970. It begins as Colleen and Miguel, newlyweds, are driving to Fort Polk and their vehicle overheats. Miguel is Cuban and has been transferred to the Louisiana army base where he would serve as a drill sergeant for a year. Colleen later gets a job at the local black school until seemingly overnight, the school is ordered shut down and the neighboring white school is forcibly integrated. Frank is determined to protect his mother and siblings after his father’s suspicious death even if it means keeping evidence from the crime scene a secret from everyone around him. Being forced to attend the now integrated white school means he lost his position as a star football player and others lost positions of power, including the president of the student council. Evelyn does not want public schools to be integrated because she believes, as other like her do, that black teachers do a better job with black students and prefer to follow the Freedom of Choice plans, where everyone ‘chooses’ to be with their own.

As the years go by, the era of Brown v. Board of Education, Jim Crow laws and civil rights is in danger of becoming a distant memory. That is why it is vital that the topic gets revisited, especially by authors with first-hand knowledge, which gives their voice authenticity, as is the case with “Freedom Lessons.” Eileen Harrison Sanchez spent a year teaching in rural Louisiana and, as a teacher and an outsider, experienced the effects of segregation and forced integration and how it affected those around her. Far from being a white savior story, Colleen does not come in and “saves the day,” this is a well-researched and balanced novel that successfully gives three different viewpoints of one of America’s darkest periods. The language is easy to understand and simultaneously poetic: “The houses were set behind huge trees with Spanish moss dripping from the trees, like curtains shielding the lives of the tenants.” The characters are well developed and relatable and considering the topic, it is appropriate for all ages and should be required reading in schools. “Freedom Lessons” is a must-read for fans of historical fiction and a gentle reminder of how far we have come as a country and how much we still need to learn.

May 17, 1954: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was a landmark US Supreme Court case. The court unanimously declared that state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students was unconstitutional. In 1955, the court ordered states to desegregate “with all deliberate speed.”

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.

Television adaptation: ‘The Outsider’ by Stephen King

Stephen King is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, science fiction and fantasy. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and many of them have been adapted into feature films, miniseries, television shows and comic books. He is best known for classic novels like “Carrie,” “It,” “The Green Mile” and the Dark Tower series and most recently “The Outsider,” “Sleeping Beauties,” co-written with his son Owen King, and the Bill Hodges trilogy: “Mr. Mercedes,” “Finders Keepers” and “End of Watch.” “The Outsider” follows a seemingly straightforward investigation into the gruesome murder of a young boy. But when an insidious supernatural force edges its way into the case, it leads a seasoned cop and an unorthodox investigator to question everything they believe in. It has been adapted into a 10 part limited series that will premiere on HBO on Sunday January 12 at 9p.m. Cast includes Ben Mendelsohn, Cynthia Erivo, Jason Bateman and Bill Camp.

According to Amazon, “The Outsider” the story centers around an eleven-year old boy’s murder. When his violated corpse is found in a town park, eyewitnesses and fingerprint evidence points to one of Flint City’s most popular citizens. His name is Terry Maitland, and he is a Little League coach, an English teacher, husband and father of two girls. Detective Ralph Anderson, whose son Maitland once coached, orders a very quick and public arrest even though he has an alibi. Anderson and the district attorney add DNA evidence to go with the fingerprints and eyewitnesses and assume they have an ironclad case. Typical of King, this is not the ending, for as the investigation expands and horrifying answers begin to emerge, the story kicks into high gear and brings along strong tension and unbearable suspense. Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy, but is he really?

Theater review: ‘Miss Saigon’ at the Majestic Theatre

Now playing at the Majestic Theatre is Cameron Mackintosh’s acclaimed new production of Boublil and Schönberg’s legendary musical ‘Miss Saigon,’ a smash hit in London, Broadway and across the UK. It is based on Giacomo Puccini’s opera ‘Madame Butterfly’ and similarly tells the tragic story of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover. The setting of ‘Miss Saigon’ is relocated to 1970s Saigon during the Vietnam War and ‘Madame Butterfly’s’ story of marriage between an American lieutenant and a geisha is replaced by a romance between a United States Marine and a seventeen-year old South Vietnamese bargirl. This highly anticipated engagement will play for eight performances through Sunday January 12 with upcoming performances on Thursday at 7:30p.m., Friday at 8p.m., Saturday at 2p.m. and 8p.m. and Sunday at 2p.m. and 7:30p.m. Tickets start at $45 and are available online, by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-982-2787, or by visiting the Majestic Box Office.

‘Miss Saigon’ begins in April 1975 at “Dreamland,” a Saigon bar and brothel, shortly before the end of the Vietnam War where it is Kim’s (Emily Bautista) first day working at as a bargirl. She is a teenage peasant lured in by the Engineer (Red Concepción), a hustler who owns the bar and the rest of the workers tease her for her inexperience. U.S. Marines are there to party with the Vietnamese sex workers knowing they will be leaving soon. “The Heat Is On” This is where Chris Scott (Anthony Festa) meets Kim and they spend the night together. “The Transaction” They soon fall in love “Sun and Moon” and Chris promises to take her with him when he leaves Vietnam “Last Night of the World.” They get separated during the fall of Saigon and reconnect years later but Chris is already married. When he finds out that he and Kim had a son (Tam), he promises to take care of them. Not wanting to break her promise to Tam that he would one day meet his father, she makes the ultimate sacrifice to ensure he has the future he deserves. “Little God of My Heart”

This new production is unlike the usual featured at the Majestic Theater. With themes including war, lost loves and suicide, it is darker than most audiences are used to but is well worth experiencing. It includes a sensational cast of 42 performing the soaring score, including Broadway hits like “The Heat is On in Saigon,” “The Movie in My Mind,” “Last Night of the World” and “American Dream.” Even though the Engineer is a money-grubbing hustler, he provides much needed comic relief and quickly becomes an audience favorite, especially during “The American Dream” where he fantasizes about the glamorous life he will have in America. On Wednesday, during one of the most intense scenes, “Kim’s Nightmare (Fall of Saigon 1975)” there was a technical glitch but the expert crew had the show back on track within minutes. Anthony Festa and Emily Bautista have excellent stage chemistry and are believable as the doomed lovers and Anthony’s anguished scream during the final scene is heartbreaking. Show highlights include “Sun and Moon,” when the couple falls in love, “The Morning of the Dragon” during the parade celebrating the anniversary of Vietnam’s unification because of the gorgeous costumes and dancing and “You Will Not Touch Him” when Kim saves Tam’s life. Overall, “Miss Saigon” is an intense and tragic tale of lost love and war but is a must-see production for fans of the genre.

Majestic Theater disclaimer: ‘Miss Saigon’ contains some scenes and language which may not be suitable for younger audience members, including scenes of a sexual nature. The production includes strobe lights, gun shots and pyrotechnic effects. We encourage patrons to consider these factors when making their decision about attending the performance. Recommended for ages 14 and up.

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