Terry's Blog: Uncensored

May 21, Beverly Hills Book Award winner Soda Springs

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:41:40 -0400

Terry Marshall’s novel, Soda Springs, won first prize for Multicultural Fiction in the 2013 Beverly Hills Book Award contest.

Nov 1, End the Cuban embargo . . . and let us travel freely to that country

Thu, 1 Nov 2012 13:34:23 -0400

The U.S. blockade of trade with Cuba has gone on for more than 50 years. It’s time to end the Cuban embargo, as well as repeal the laws that prohibit Americans from traveling freely to Cuba.

Oct 29, All-inclusive Cuba: pointers on living the good life

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 12:19:49 -0400

Melia las Dunas, an all-inclusive resort 240 miles from Havana, delivers up carefree, sun-drenched vacation. It’s a land all its own, a world apart from the Cuba that Cubans know.

Oct 25, Che Guevara:a “living” hero in today’s Cuba

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 13:46:26 -0400

Che Guevara’s image is everywhere in Cuba, but nowhere more than at his monument in Santa Clara. The pilgrimage takes us to his 19-foot-high bronze statute, mausoleum, and a museum honoring his life.

Oct 18, Cuba today; life after 53 years of Castro’s revolution

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 21:40:03 -0400

Cuba after 53 years of Castro: a collapsed economy; classic American cars; crumbling buildings, but renovation in progress. For tourists, no political minders, no visible AK-47s, freedom to expore

Oct 18, Cuba today after 53 years of Castro’s rule

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 21:35:54 -0400

After 53 years of Fidel Castro’s brand of socialism, how has Cuba fared? We see progress and promise . . . but also decay, hardships, poverty, opportunity lost. Here’s what we saw on our trip to Cuba.

Oct 15, Cuban life: visiting with the locals in Havana and Hanoi

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 20:35:58 -0400

Cuban life surprises us with monuments to both John Lennon and Vladimir Lenin. More striking are the doors it closes to outsiders . . . particularly when compared with Communist Hanoi

Oct 3, Cuban people welcome Americans to their island

Wed, 3 Oct 2012 23:18:55 -0400

We found Cuban people to be warm, helpful, and friendly . . . especially to Americans. We’ll introduce you to some of them.

Oct 1, Cuba classic cars used to hustle tourists in Havana

Mon, 1 Oct 2012 11:43:32 -0400

Day one in Havana: classic car hustlers are on us in a flash. But Cuba isn’t Marakesh or Mexico: no pushy vendors, beggers or swarms of pleading kids. Best of all, we meet a delightful Cuban.

Sep 26, Cuba has its own Holocaust memorials and exhibits

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 22:38:00 -0400

Cuba has a small Jewish community, but it keeps memories of the Holocaust alive with an excellent exhibit in Havana, and a small memorial in Santa Clara. This blog introduces you to those exhibits

Sep 23, Jews in today’s Havana; a small, but increasingly vibrant community

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 20:36:43 -0400

In 1959, nearly 15,000 Jews lived in Cuba; today, only 1,500 do. Why the decline? Anti-Semitism? Economics? How do Cuban Jews fare today? We’ll explore those questions three Havana synagogues

Sep 20, U.S. travel to Cuba: intrique sizzles in the air

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 01:41:42 -0400

Day one of our mission. Our first stop: mojitos, fine dining, romance, and lessons on Judaism. We’re in Vista del Mar, a tiny upstairs restaurant in a former mansion overlooking the bay. What’s for lunch? Mojitos. Wine. Swordfish in lemon sauce. Black beans mixed with rice. Paper-thin home-made potato chips. Lemon flan. Robust coffee. But food is merely the appetizer; intrigue, the main course. Inches away from me, a willowy beauty turns the bay view to an afterthought. She had zipped into the last parking spot as we drove up and flounced into the restaurant like a model on the runway, hair bouncing, clingy dress displaying each luscious curve. She sits tall, shoulders back, perky nipples unfettered by a bra. Her knee pushes against . . . Read the full blog to dine with us.

Sep 10, Pearl and Angela, an old-time tale of life among the “colored”

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 13:49:37 -0400

Pearl and Angela is a throwback to the 1940’s in a small town of “colored folks.” It’s archaic. It’s melodramatic. It’s full of characters straight from Dickens. It’s a slow read. But it's engaging.

Sep 3, Autumn Shadows is grist for a good novel, but it falls short

Mon, 3 Sep 2012 15:02:47 -0400

In Autumn Shadows, a mid-life Wasp protagonist and his Japanese wife retrace his youthful vagabondage through places remote and exotic, Good grist here, but the book reads more like a travel journal

Sep 3, Book reviews by Terry Marshall, author of Soda Springs

Mon, 3 Sep 2012 13:29:09 -0400

Terry Marshall, author of Soda Springs, offers book reviews of both fiction and non-fiction works. No shilling here; merely insights into each book’s themes, setting, characters, and writing style.

Aug 28, Plant Teacher: a Global eBook finalist well-worth reading

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 17:49:03 -0400

Plant Teacher by Caroline Alethia was a 2012 multicultural lit finalist in Global eBook Awards. Read it if you like: crisp language, flowing story, sharp dialog, vivid scenes, flights of imagination.

Aug 21, Hystera: this Global eBook Award winner is a great read

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 18:58:08 -0400

Hystera by Leora Skolkin-Smith is the 2012 multicultural literature winner in Dan Poynter’s Global eBook Awards. It’s a vivid, compelling journey into the delusional reality of a young woman’s mind.

May 25, Soda Springs synopsis of the story.

Fri, 25 May 2012 21:41:39 -0400

Soda Springs synopsis, a rollicking novel that weaves love, sex, and Martin Luther King's 1963 campaign into the untold story of the Mexican-American fight for civil rights.

May 9, El Filibusterismo: a long-tailed route to Soda Springs

Wed, 9 May 2012 19:01:07 -0400

Jose Rizal’s El Filibusterismo and the Philippines are a long way in time and space from Soda Springs, but there’s a clear path between them. Thanks to Bookingly Yours for reminding me.

Apr 17, No Pulitzer Prize for Soda Springs . . . or Terry Marshall

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:52:29 -0400

They awarded the 2012 Pulitzer Prize today, but not for Fiction. No one got it. Not Terry Marshall. Not Soda Springs. At least I’m in good company.

Feb 29, Terry Marshall named Global eBook Awards judge

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:02:36 -0500

Author Terry Marshall, whose novel Soda Springs: Love, Sex, and Civil Rights, was a winner in the 2011 Global eBook Awards has been named a judge for multicultural literature in the 2012 contest.

Feb 24, In The Help, the stories of hard-working women take center stage

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:28:33 -0500

The Help resonates because its stories are about ordinary women coping with life – and in the end, demonstrating that maids, too, can have a meaningful voice in Civil Rights.

Feb 21, Media coverage of Soda Springs and author Terry Marshall

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:23:52 -0500

Media articles about Soda Springs: Love, Sex, and Civil Rights, and its author Terry Marshall. You’ll find background on the novel, how it came about, and other personal tidbits.

Feb 21, Terry on the air features Terry Marshall radio interviews

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:39:56 -0500

This page presents video excerpts from Terry Marshall’s radio interviews on Soda Springs: Love, Sex, and Civil Rights, and contemporary issues raised in the novel.

Feb 19, Review: my visit to Soda Springs

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:22:15 -0500

My recent visit to Soda Springs was a delight! Through Terry Marshall’s characters, I was reminded of how racial hatred can be manifested in most communities—often

Feb 17, How both The Help and Soda Springs honor Medgar Evers

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:26:31 -0500

The 1963 murder of NAACP leader Medgar Evers is a pivotal event in Kathryn Stockett’s The Help, as it is in Terry Marshall’s Soda Springs. This article shows why.

Feb 15, A Soda Springs review: It offers hope for acceptance and tolerance

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:53:42 -0500

I’m not a book “critic.” I read a lot -- best sellers, beach books, junk, fiction, nonfiction, etc. and I don't always agree with what the critics say.

Feb 15, Secrets from Soda Springs

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:00:24 -0500

This Las Vegas Examiner article on Soda Springs digs into some intriguing secrets as to why Terry Marshall wrote this novel.

Feb 11, The Help: Why I’m in love with the novel and its author, Kathryn Stockett

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:30:39 -0500

The Help relives’60s Civil Rights with stories of Black maids in Mississippi. The novel,Soda Springs, set in the same years, charts a lesser known Civil Rights struggle--that of Mexican-Americans.

Feb 8, On the air again

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 12:46:21 -0500

What, you say you missed Terry’s radio interviews on and around Martin Luther King Day? No sweat – we’ll be posting some of them in the weeks to come. In the meantime, you can catch Terry this Friday, February 10 on The Norm Jones Show, WTCM NewsTalk 580 in northern Michigan. Terry will come on at 7:35 a.m. (pacific); 10:35 a.m. (eastern). There will be plenty of volume -- 50,000 watts from Lansing to Canada . . . or just click onto their website and catch it live on your computer. The topics: Soda Springs, racism, civil rights, and political incorrectness

Feb 1, U.S. immigration reform begins with a proposed waiver

Wed, 1 Feb 2012 22:13:59 -0500

A proposed change to U.S. immigration rules offers a hint of compassion: it could help undocumented workers remain here legally without breaking up their families in the process.

Jan 28, Judge 44's verdict: Soda Springs is “A great showcase”

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:15:14 -0500

A Writers Digest judge calls Soda Springs “A great showcase for author Terry Marshall’s delightfully different characters and (Chuck) Asay’s delightful illustrations.” But read on . . .

Jan 24, Why MLK Day should be celebrated by both Whites and Blacks

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:12:19 -0500

Martin Luther King Day is a holiday with meaning for all Americans, white as well as black. MLK Day is a day we can all celebrate together the legacies he left us.

Jan 15, MLK's birthday: a day to celebrate

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 21:26:18 -0500

Today is Martin Luther King's birthday. Let's celebrate . . . by reading "Pilgrimate to Nonviolence," "I Have a Dream," and "Letter from Birmingham Jail"

Jan 7, Up against The Wall in Calexico

Sat, 7 Jan 2012 12:31:01 -0500

The Wall in Calexico, California, neatly separates Mexicali from America, 700,000 Mexicans on one side; 40,000 Americans on the other. Terry stands on the American side looking in . . . or out?

Jan 4, The Wall: Something there is that doesn’t love a wall

Wed, 4 Jan 2012 14:18:32 -0500

“The Wall” separates the U.S. from Mexico, keeping us safe . . . from what? Terry Marshall visits The Wall near the tiny California town of Jacumba, chats with a Border Patrolman, and wonders.

Oct 16, MLK’s Washington memorial . . . official at last

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 15:22:45 -0400

48 years ago MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech captivated the nation – not only for those in the Mall that day, but out there in rural America as well. Here's how it hit Rick Sanders in Soda Springs

Sep 14, Contest judge: "a well-told story . . . great dialog"

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:57:01 -0400

(Soda Springs) is a well-told story revealing a different side of racial prejudice in the sixties and inviting questions of the present. Great dialog,

Sep 13, Good news for teens from Global eBook Awards

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:32:04 -0400

They forgot to tell us when they announced the finalists for the Global eBook Awards: Soda Springs was a finalist both for "Teen Literature" and "Adult Multiculture Literature." For confirmation, Global eBooks put out a nifty little video on Soda Springs. Copy this address and paste it into your browser: http://youtu.be/Ufq40J8bvjQ

Sep 13, Good news for teens from Global eBook Awards

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:32:04 -0400

Sep 6, Soda Springs illustrations win Global eBook Awards contest

Tue, 6 Sep 2011 14:26:48 -0400

Chuck Asay's art in Terry Marshall's Soda Springs won first place for illustrated fiction in Dan Poynter's "Global eBook Awards" contest. The novel was a finalist in multicultural fiction.

Aug 28, August 28 . . . MLK's dream lives on

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 14:39:53 -0400

48 years ago MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech captivated the nation -- not only for those in the Mall that day, but out there in rural America as well. Here's how it hit Rick Sanders in Soda Springs<

Aug 28, And the winner is . . . Soda Springs!

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 13:10:14 -0400
Good news for Soda Springs: Love, Sex, and Civil Rights! And for illustrator Chuck Asay! The Soda Springs electronic edition won first prize for illustrations in a fiction book in Dan Poynter’s "Global eBook Awards" competition. The novel itself was a finalist in both the "Adult Multicultural Literature" and the "Teen Literature" categories . . . though not, alas, the winner in those categories. Poynter is one of the gurus of self-publishing, the author of 127 books, and an acclaimed international speaker on publishing. He established the Global eBook Awards competition this year. The ebook edition of Soda Springs is available from Powell's Books, http://bit.ly/p26ZAO

Aug 18, New Terry Marshall-Speaker website up and running

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 17:12:43 -0400
Check out the new http://www.TerryMarshall-Speaker.com website. It's got a new "About Terry," a variety of presentation topics, a nice little summary of each of my four books, as well as a video and slideshow. Take a look.

Aug 15, Soda Springs named Global ebook finalist

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:43:35 -0400
Good news for Terry Marshall’s Soda Springs: Love, Sex, and Civil Rights! The novel’s electronic edition is a finalist in the multicultural literature category of Dan Poynter’s "Global ebook Awards" competition. Poynter is one of the gurus of self-publishing, the author of 127 books, and an acclaimed international speaker on publishing. He established the Global ebook Awards competition this year. The ebook edition of Soda Springs is available from Powell's Books, http://bit.ly/p26ZAO

Aug 5, We all benefit from reading novels

Fri, 5 Aug 2011 12:37:30 -0400
blogpost by Ann Marshall If you are feeling sad, which of the following is most likely to cheer you up:

Watching reruns of your favorite sitcom

Reading a novel

Tuning into the news.
Answer: reading a novel, according to researchers at the University of Maryland, as reported in Parade Magazine (7-31-11). "People who read are often happier than those who watch more TV -- even if the plot of their paperback is depressing." Read a novel. Be happy. More good news for fiction readers: the more you read, the more empathy you tend to have, according to Keith Oatley, a cognitive psychologist (formerly at the University of Toronto) and a fiction writer. He and his research team found reading fiction, in most cases, opens you out to the world. When reading a novel, you’re living with other people — often inside their heads. Rx for the mugwumps: read Soda Springs: Love, Sex, and Civil Rights. You won’t be able to put it down. (And don't worry: it's anything but depressing.)

Jul 23, Mass transit, race, and inequality

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 19:43:43 -0400
More than half a century after Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama, prompting an 11-month boycott that led to integration of that city's bus system, African Americans and Latinos are still struggling with an unequal transit system. “Back of the Bus: mass transit, race, and inequality,” an hour-long NPR show by Transportation Nation is a sobering study of how mass transit systems not only isolate and destroy minority communities, but work against low-income people in general. The story looks at mass transit projects in St. Paul, Atlanta, Washington, Denver, and Oakland. Take a look at it:

Jun 14, Rape: it’s too, too common

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 13:17:47 -0400
Rape is a nasty word . . . and a despicable act. But it’s all the news these days . . . what with the allegation that Dominique Strauss-Kahn tried to rape a maid in a fancy New York hotel. (Before this incident, this guy was a big-time hot-shot: head of the International Monetary Fund, and odds-on favorite to be the next president of France.) The shocking fact is that rape is all too common. Not only that, most rapists get away with it. Look at these figures—from Marianne Mollmann, women’s rights advocacy director at Human Rights Watch (in the Los Angeles Times, June 7, 2011):

In the U.S. someone is sexually assaulted every TWO MINUTES.

Only an estimated 40 percent of the victims report the assault.

Nationally, police arrest a suspect in only half the sexual assault cases filed.

After “justice is served,” only an estimated one of 16 rapists spends time in jail.
No wonder Flor Hardwick agonized over what to do in Soda Springs. Report it? Why risk community disgrace . . . only to have the criminal go free? And no wonder Odell Andrews shrugged her off. Here’s his mocking response: “Odell laughed. ‘You’re a cocktease, gal. No one rapes a cocktease. I came to the church to help you fix the youth problem. You invited me home. Made coffee. Fed me. Kissed me. One thing led to another. Consensual sex, as they say. Besides, who you gonna tell? . . . Chief Zeigler? He’s got a whore in Mexican town. And who would believe you over the football coach? Especially when there’s been no harm done, nothing broken or bruised. Sorry, gal . . . thanks for that delicious taste of paradise.’”
—from Soda Springs: Love, Sex, and Civil Rights What to do if you or a loved one has been raped? No easy answer. We can only be thankful that the New York maid has the courage to stand up to power. And that women like Flor Hardwick will risk reputation to fight for justice.

Jun 13, Relationships Today

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 13:58:43 -0400
This page poses key questions about relationships, love, teen sex, dating, and rape in Soda Springs, and relates them to our lives today.

Jun 1, Civil Rights Today – Current Events

Wed, 1 Jun 2011 00:08:41 -0400
Civil Rights Today bridges the nearly half-century since 1963, The civil rights movement has made great progress yet, much still remains to be done. This page to raises current issues.

May 25, Reliving a time and place in history

Wed, 25 May 2011 16:39:12 -0400
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Soda Springs. It brought back memories of the times we were in during the civil rights days of the 60s, but I hadn’t focused