Who's Responsible? It's Not President Biden!

On January 20, 2021 (the date of Joe Biden's inauguration as President), the national average cost for a gallon of regular gasoline was $2.38; prices peaked in June 2022 at $4.92; the average price today (December 31, 2022) is $3.21 per gallon. 

Author's note: Gasoline prices in Utah are generally higher than the national average. I'm told it has something to do with how far they have to transport fuel from the refineries to Utah cities. Hint: the refineries are in North Salt Lake City, UT. Go figure. 

As the prices climbed in early 2022, I began seeing stickers on the pumps with a caricature of President Biden pointing to the price saying " I did that." A retailer I know pretty well complained the stickers would re-appear as fast as he cleaned them off. Which set me to wondering. . . 

Are people finally giving up Facebook and Instagram long enough to drive around and post false information on gas pumps? Are they part of the "Deep State" government we have been repeatedly warned about? Or could it be Antifa, trying to destabilize the government? Perhaps it is college students, upset about not having to pay student loans during the pandemic? Nah, it's probably those west coast elite socialist liberals upset that Bernie isn't President of the United States. 

Or maybe just maybe Saudi Aramco based in Texas; Marathon Petroleum in Texas, Louisiana, and California; Exxon Mobile in Texas and Louisiana; BP Products North America in Indiana; PDV America (Citgo) in Louisiana, and Chevron in Mississippi all decided to make record profits and gouge American consumers pent up from being in lockdown? Being really smart businessmen, and knowing how gullible the American public in general can be, they hired a bunch of grass smoking hippies to drive around in Volkswagon vans to put stickers on the gas pumps and deflect criticism from the Big Oil profits to President Joe Biden.

Of course, if it's not Big Oil, then those responsible good citizens who put stickers on the pumps blaming President Biden when the prices went up should now be putting stickers on the pumps thanking President Biden for the prices falling back down. 

Ain't gonna happen! 

Happy New Year, everybody!

Thanks for reading; as always, your comments are welcome and appreciated. Just click the pencil in the white box below. 

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

A Good Idea Gone Bad

 What happens if you have a really good idea but don't have all the money you need to make it a reality? You get yourself listed on the NYSE and raise money the good old fashioned American way. 

The only problem is those pesky things known as shareholders. They want the value of the stock they own to continue to go up, and dividends to be there every quarter. But we'll come back to dividends a little later in the broadcast. The initial IPO for Southwest Airlines stock was $11.00 on June 8, 1978 when it went public. The stock peaked at $64.82 on January 2, 2018. (It closed on December 29th at $33.88). If you had invested $100 in the IPO on June 8, 1978, and re-invested your dividends until today, your account would be worth $99,065!!! WOW  (This includes stock splits. All of these figures are my calculations, and may be off a little; I'm not a stock trader, and that math kind of confuses me.)

Talk about a return on your investment! But what creates those dividends and that great share value? It doesn't happen overnight, nor does it happen by accident. The founders of Southwest Airlines, Herb Kelleher and Rollin King, stated in their business plan a goal to pay a dividend to shareholders every quarter. Probably, they did this to attract shareholders who could put up a lot of money for the IPO. Management then and now has kept that promise-but at what cost? 

Well, the week just ending has been possibly the worst airline business failure in the history of American aviation. Winter storm Elliott, a bomb cyclone, hit on December 21st causing flight delays for all airlines. Southwest, however, had some bigger issues; Elliott was just the straw that broke the camel's back. 

Southwest Airlines has not upgraded its computer systems (reservations, equipment and staffing) for many years; and there were not enough people on staff at headquarters to even answer phone calls from crew members asking for their assignments. The old computer system could not handle the complicated ballet of crews, equipment, and weather all at once. Management did not have an emergency plan in place to cover this contingency; Southwest was not sure where it's planes were, where it's crews were and where the luggage was. It was a total systemic meltdown, and the fault lies with a management team that has been more focused on shareholder value, and Wall Street opinion, than on planning, upkeep and system maintenance.         

Now, where was I? Oh, yes a good idea. Southwest Airlines was, and still may be, a good idea. But an even better idea would be to remember why you are in business; in this case, flying airplanes and transporting customers to their desired destinations, on time and safely. Take good care of your customers, and the stock value will take care of itself. Investments in employees, equipment and infrastructure that enables you to take good care of customers will pay off, in more ways than one. Sadly, Southwest is not the only major company that cares more about share value then customers, but it is one of the most visible cases in recent history. There are a couple of "big box" home improvement stores, and some chain drug stores, that also show signs of the same ailment. 

I hope management of Southwest learns a lesson from this failure and brings the airline back to its old self, a low-cost no-frills airline that provided good customer service. But it will be a long time before I fly Southwest again. 

Thanks for reading, as always, your comments are welcome, just click the pencil in the white box below! 

And, have a Happy New Year!

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

A Great Speech, A Great Moment In Our Time

 On December 22, 2022, Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a moving and powerful speech to the the United States Congress, and to the citizens of the United States of America.  I found this act to be one of considerable bravery, as he has been targeted by Russia for assassination since February of this year. That it was a timed event, politically, I have no doubt, as the visit to the United States and the speech before the joint session of Congress came as Congress is debating additional funding for the Ukrainian defense against Russia. Admitting the above, it was still an incredible event; President Zelenskyy has not been out of Ukraine in the 300-plus days of this war. 

And it is a war, no matter how Russian Federation President Putin wants to frame it as a "special military operation." It is a war against an independent nation, a nation the Russian Federation had recognized formally by signing the Budapest Memorandum on December 5, 1994 along with the United States and the United Kingdom. The Memorandum specifically prohibits the Russian Federation, The United States, and the United Kingdom from using military force or economic coercion against the three "break-away" republics-Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. 

I was reminded, listening to President Zelesnkyy's speech, of other great wartime speeches I have read. Certainly President Roosevelt's speech to Congress on December 8, 1941, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill's speech to Parliament on June 4, 1940 were excellent examples of the power of well-written speeches to lift up and empower people in times of great darkness. For the citizens of Ukraine, President Zelenskyy's speech certainly should have much the same effect. 

The majority of the congressmen in attendance at the speech were generous with their applause and shouts of affirmation, as they well should be. Should we fail to assist Ukraine in defeating the Russian menace now, America will be dragged into a large devastating war that will sap our citizens, our financial institutions and our very way of life. 

Senator Ben Sasse, R-NE, provided a response that, frankly, sums up what I believe should be the response of every member of Congress:

"President Zelensky just addressed the congress and the United States. Every mom and dad with discretion for the little ones should watch that video with their families. Everyone knows who President Zelensky is. Everyone knows who Putin is. He believes in murdering women and children. What Zelensky asked Congress to do is whether we have the courage of our conviction. Ukrainian freedom fighters need to win. We do not need them to lose more slowly. To win, they need to kill Russians. To kill Russians they need more weapons. The burden of proof should be on us, on why we do not supply everything they need. They need more ammo, they need more stingers, they need more airplanes. They need more of everything and they're fighting not just for their kids and their future, they are fighting for the free world. Zelensky has the courage of his conviction. The question asked the U.S. Government is do we have the courage of ours. "

Sadly, seven members of Congress chose to remain seated through most of the speech, even as the vast majority were giving President Zelenskyy standing ovations. Those seven member are: Lauren Boebert (R-CO) Michael Cloud (R-TX), Andrew Clyde (R-GA) Warren Davidson (R-OH), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Dianne Harshbarger (R-TN), and Jim Jordan (R-OH).  These seven did stand for ovations during the final parts of the speech. I hope their constituents remember their actions from this event and vote accordingly in the 2024 elections. 

Thank you for your time, and remember, your thoughts and comments are always welcome. Just click on the pencil in the white box below to send a comment. 

R. M. "Bob" Hartman

History Repeats Itself

 As a student of history, I have often wondered what would happen if an Adolph Hitler-type personality arose again on the world stage. Would the American public insist on waiting, as it foolishly did in the run-up to World War II, for an attack to occur on American soil? Would we join the Neville Chamberlain appeaseniks and accept a dictator's lie that he will steal no more territory? 

Is there is our political mass a leader who can say, as Roosevelt did, America will be the arsenal of Democracy? Are there leaders in Congress who can look past the last election, the next election, and make the hard decisions to do the right thing for the world?

I afforded myself the great pleasure of listening to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the 6th President of Ukraine (at 44!) present to Congress one of the most incredible speeches I have heard in recent years. In his historic address, the President of Ukraine spelled out in very clear terms to anyone who wanted to listen, his appreciation for the financial and military aid the United States of America has provided to his country, and the need of more financial, military, medical and logistic aid to his war-ravaged country.  

It is a need we should not, and can not, deny. The world has, in the person of Russian President Putin, one who wants to be a combination of Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin. Mr. Putin illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 and the world did little of anything to punish him. In February of 2022, he began a military assault on the whole of Ukraine. But you know that story, I'm not going to go into it now. Historically, this looks a lot like Hitler's actions in the early phases of WWII. 

This time, let America stand for freedom, let us stand for democracy, let us stand against criminal international aggression. Don't wait for a large-scale (world) war to break out. 

It's December 23rd, and Congress has passed a spending bill that includes $45 Billion in aid to Ukraine and our NATO allies, money well spent, in my opinion. Utah Senator Mitt Romney supported the bill, Utah Senator Mike Lee opposed the bill. President Biden has stated he will sign the bill when it is on his desk. 

Sadly, however, there are those in both houses of Congress who say we have spent enough on Ukraine, and they are promising in the next year to "provide oversight" for all the money sent to Ukraine. In plain Olde English, they want to stop any more aid going to the war in Ukraine.  I am not sure what they expect to happen, should they succeed. Do they expect Ukraine to give up democracy and become a Russian puppet state, as so many did between the end of WWII and the fall of the Soviet Union? Is is in their minds that Russia will stop the war and the slaughter of civilians if we stop providing aid to Ukraine? What country, if not the United States, is anywhere close to a position to provide aid in the depth required to Ukraine? Do they really think Putin will stop at Ukraine? 

To those isolationists in Congress, including Mike Lee, I say: Put your sons and daughters, your grandchildren, in uniform and send them to Ukraine. Let them die for your foolishness.  

For the rest of Congress, including Mitt Romney, I thank you for supporting Ukraine and the war against criminal international aggression.

Thank you for reading my thoughts on this matter. I invite your comments, just click on the pencil in the white box below. 

R. M. "Bob" Hartman   

Lies Verses Issues

 "If you tell a lie big enough, and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it." Joseph Goebbels, Reichsminister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, March 14, 1933 to April 30, 1945.

In Germany, before and during WWII, the Reichsministery of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda controlled all print, radio, television, and movie content. It was nearly impossible, and in fact illegal, to listen to news from any other country. The Nazi party gave away free radios to anyone who needed one; they were designed to only receive one station, which was the state-owned media.

One would reasonably believe that in this day, with the internet and 24 hour 7 day news cycle, it would be difficult if not impossible for anyone to pull a major scam over on the citizens of the United States of America.

Like this one: In December 2021, the Midland Public Schools school board heard testimony that litter boxes had been installed in bathroom stalls for children who identified as cats. The school board replied that this statement was totally false. That should have been the end of the story.

But wait, there's more, as they like to say on the television commercials. This outright fabrication was picked up and repeated by the co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party, and then posted on the Twitter account "Libs of Tik Tok", a right-leaning account owned by Chaya Raichik, who has several hundred thousand followers.

Well, the cat is out of the bag, so to speak. This outright lie has been repeated by no less than 35 politicians either in office, or running for office; the offices include senators and representatives to Congress, state and local elected officials, and school board member in 29 states. Podcaster Joe Rogan and Christian talk show host Bill Cunningham both promoted the falsehood on their shows.

So, why does this matter? It matters for a few reasons; the first is a little something called truth. This cat poop has been fact-checked, and found to be false, repeatedly. In every instance where a school, or a school district, has been named it has been found to be an outright lie. When a politician, podcaster, or talk show host repeats this big lie, it gives one more veneer of respectability to the falsehood; and if Goebbels was correct, more people will believe it. (Sadly, Goebbels has been proven to be correct in this statement.) As is usually the case, truth is not as exciting to talk about as fiction. No one gets excited about not putting litter boxes in schools, in fact, no one talks about it.

Second, rumors like this cast a cloud of uncertainty around the operation of our schools, both public and private. As schools, the curriculum they teach, and the costs associated with schools fall under more and more scrutiny, cat poop like this wastes valuable time and resources; time and resources that could be spent solving the true crisis's in our schools, which include a lack of qualified teachers and contentious issues regarding actual curriculum.

Have our politicians become so slothful they would rather lie about litterboxes than present an actual policy or position on the many issues facing our country? We need discussions on women's rights, racial equality, the economy, trade issues, firearm regulation, and the threat Russia is presenting to the world.

Real issues. No cat poop.

Thanks for reading, as always your thoughts and comments are appreciated.

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

Too Weird to Believe

 You have got to be kidding me. I mean, you can't make stuff like this up. It's just too weird to believe. How desperate can some people be? You re-read the story, then you check the sources, and yes, it happened. It really did happen. Right here in good old Utah, United States of America. 

High school sports. It is like the most important thing that ever happens in the world. Millions upon millions of dollars are waged on high school sports, especially girls high school sports. (Just kidding)

It seems that a female high school athlete right here in good old "we love everybody" Utah (just kidding again) beat two other female high school athletes "by such a wide margin" that the two sets of defeated parents went to the school and complained that their daughters could not have been beat unless the winner was unfairly competing by being transgender. So the school officials checked the winners high school record and found she had always registered as female, and used female pronouns. Not good enough for the parents! No, Siree! There has to more to it. They called Utah High School Activities Association and demanded further investigation. So the USAA and the school went all the way back to the winner's kindergarten records and found that. . . wait for it. . . yes, the winner had always identified as female, and always used female pronouns. All of which they did, by the way, without ever informing the winner, or her parents, they were investigating the female athlete. 

I am struggling to find the right terms to describe these parents. Self-centered, privileged snobs that spend way too much time listening to fear-based infotainment radio and podcasts featuring blathering commentators doing their level worst to convince the public that "the left" is working to destroy "our way of life" even down to high school sports by forcing (according to some commentators) schools to allow transgender athletes to play girls sports. 

This has reached such a fever pitch in Utah that our legislature, always willing to write a law that will eventually be found unconstitutional, wrote and passed over the governor's veto a bill that outlaws transgender girls from playing in Utah high school sports. 

So, high school sports, by no fault of the students who play them with fever and zeal, has now become a football in the grand area of fear based politics, and fodder for talk radio commentators. 

What is this country becoming? 

Thanks for reading, as always, your comments are welcome. Click the pencil in the white box below. 

R. M. "Bob" Hartman

The Dialogue, Part 3

 I live in a reality based world.

In this reality, September 2, 1945 marked the official end of WWII, Harry Truman was President. Neil Armstrong walked onto the moon on July 21, 1969 when Richard Nixon was President.

Mabel McFiggin of Rochester New York received the first food stamps in 1939, which she redeemed at Joseph Mutolo's grocery store; Franklin Roosevelt was the President.

The Holocaust happened, as did Little Boy and Fat Man, all three in WWII. The United States Presidents were Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman, respectively.

What do all of these statements have in common? They are FACTS. One of Webster's definitions of fact is: the quality of being actual. That's right, they all happened, regardless of the naysayers of any or all of the above. It doesn't matter who said it, or why it happened, or even if it should have happened, the fact is, all of the above happened. All the denial in the world cannot change reality.

Which brings us to the present day. More people were present at Barack Obama's inauguration than at Donald Trump's. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in 2016, and Donald Trump won the Electoral College vote, which made him President. Donald Trump lost both the popular and Electoral College votes in 2020, which made Joe Biden President. Despite the counterclaims, lawsuits and recounts, the results still stand. There have been less the 50 proven cases of voter fraud relative to the 2020 election, and they are split about evenly.

I weigh more now than I did when I was 20. My car consumes gasoline; my truck loves diesel, and you cannot cross-fuel them.

Currently, it's raining right at my house, the leaves are green and the grass is growing.

All are FACTS: the quality of being actual.

It's reality.

Thank you for reading; as always, your thoughts, comments, and opinions are welcome. Please click on the pencil below and let me know what you think!

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

The Dialogue, Part 2

 Ok, let's talk about abortion. Put down the gun and pitchfork, let's just talk. Here's some facts: Abortion peaked in 1990 with 1.6 million abortions legally performed. In 2019 (the latest year complete data is available) the number was between 630,000 and 890,000, depending upon who you ask- the CDC or the Guttmaker Institute. Either way, the number is down 50%. The raw number is down, even as the population continues to increase. To me, that shows the effectiveness of sex education, the availability of contraceptives, and the involvement of both partners. That's all good news.

The bad news, in my opinion, is all of this talk about "right to life" and "protecting unborn children" that comes from the mouths of Republican politicians is so much bull byproduct as to make one puke. The Republicans are no more interested in right to life than they can fly; if you want evidence look at all the attempts to destroy the Affordable Care Act. You are likely to suffer greatly from the lack of medication or die a from easily preventable disease if you don't have insurance. Review the Republican efforts to keep the minimum wage artificially low; if you can't afford to buy food and pay the rent, well, that's too bad for you. If you are a veteran of the U.S. Armed Services (thank you for your service), only 1 Republican Senator (Marco Rubio-FL) has your back-all the rest are against the Honoring Our PACT Act, relative to the damage caused by burn pits. Right to life, indeed. One plan discussed by Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) would cut benefits to Social Security by 1/3, raise the eligibility age, and threaten Social Security with defunding every five years. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) fearing the wrath of Senior Citizen Voters, took that page out of the bill.

Right To Life?

I'll skip the fine print and go right to the heart of the matter: in 2022, there have been 218 mass shootings, with a sad total of 221 dead and 831 wounded but survived. This data covers January 1, 2022 to May 29, 2022, and include the shooter if wounded or killed. Congress moans, prays, and sends condolences; but nothing of value happens. Congress could act, but no, this is not abortion we are talking about here. It's only 221 living people -you know, the ones already born- dead because Congress won't do it's part.

My point? Abortion is not a right to life matter for the hypocritical morons in Congress; it is much more important than that. It is a control issue; the mostly white, mostly male congress demands to control what a woman does, or does not do, with her own body. Please don't bother to mention religion in reference to this issue, the 1st Amendment to the Constitution takes that off the table. Don't try to tell me that a woman cannot be responsible for her own choices; women are no more or less responsible actors that males.

No, it is a control issue; and as long as the voters elect these same sad Republican congressmen hypocrites, they will continue to demand control over a woman's body, and the right to make her own choices. Now that Roe vs Wade is in danger of being overturned, the choice of our Congressmen will become more important than ever.

Personally, I don't want Congressmen hypocrites making decisions for my wife, children, and grandchildren. They are smart enough to make their own decisions.

Thank you for reading; as always, your comments, thoughts and opinions are welcome. Please click on the pencil below to make a comment.

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

The Dialogue, Part 1

 In our lives there are times, events, and phenomena which, while we may understand why they occur, cannot be reconciled with any aspect of truth or even reality. They are of such magnitude and depth that comprehension is impossible.

Events like these destroy our underlying beliefs in a number of ways; the shattering of norms, of concepts of human dignity and compassion; an abrupt changing in the rules of law we have come to accept and adopt as human rights.

Perhaps it is our own fault, for we have come to believe and trust in an America where right prevails over might; where the individual matters; where we celebrate freedom of thought and action (violence towards others not included).

America's system of government, slow, laborious, and time-consuming as it is, works as well or better than any other; yet it is a relative newcomer to the world stage. If it is viewed on a timeline progressing towards Jefferson's "more perfect union", we can see progress; not so much on a daily or even yearly basis, but as an overall effort, moving inexorably toward a time and place where all mankind will be equal, one toward another.

Our current elected officials, on every level of government, are failing us; the violence, hatred, and fear consume every news cycle, the senseless killing continues unabated. No, there is no one size fits all, one bill will fix everything solution; the problems are of great magnitude and will require great statesmen to begin the process of correction.

With minute exception, "our" elected senators and congressmen are not ours, they are owned lock, stock, and opinion by the despicably wealthy donors they have courted. This, in and of itself, is more than adequate reason to void the Supreme Court's ruling on Citizens United; an action that can only be undertaken by Congress itself. But, that is a discussion I will hold for another post.

The murder of 21 human beings in Uvalde, Texas has brought out the best, I suppose, in our public leaders. They have all offered sympathy, condolences, prayers, and tears. But, and it is a big BUTT, that is all they are going to do. Until such time as voters make Senators, Representatives and Governors feel the danger of not moving gun control forward, nothing will change.

So, you might ask, why won't voters make congressmen take action? Three words, alphabetically:

Abortion

God

Guns

These three immovable planks of the Republican party are the great dog whistles of our times. The mere mention of any of the holy trinity of politics will rile up the base; get them out and voting, not for any one candidate in particular, but against "them;" the ones who will put an abortion clinic on every corner, abolish all religion, and take away your guns. The Republican party has been very adapt at focusing American voters on fear, without ever using the word; they provide on our television screen, a dismal picture of the future if we elect "them."

Short of the reversal of Citizen's United, it will take a strong, principled, self-funded Republican to stand up to the gun lobbies millions and do the hard work demanded to pass meaningful gun control regulation in the United States of America. Frankly, I don't see Congress wiling to take on Citizen's United in the near future; and I am not holding out for a true statesman to come forward from the Republican party.

The most demanding work in politics is always left to the American voter, that is, you and I. Only by studious attention to detail and records, can we filter out the good from the spoils. We must decide what we want America to look like, not only to the world, but to our children and grandchildren and then act in accordance to our decisions. We must decide how many more human beings we want sacrificed on the alter of "gun rights"; how many more lives we can afford to lose as a poor example to the world of American Greatness, as an example of democracy at work.

Thank you for reading; as always, your comments, opinions, and thoughts are welcome. Click on the pencil below to leave a comments.

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

Book Banning in Utah

 "I think we know the things that are most egregious" said Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan (Utah), as he introduced at bill in the Utah Legislature to ban any books containing pornographic or indecent content from Utah schools, both in the library and classroom. 

Wow, just Wow. Where to begin? Well, Mr. Ivory (I don't like to use the term representative for someone who only represents his own interests), who is the "we" you speak of so knowingly? It's obvious you are not referring to educators on the legislative committee that have degrees in such matters, like the former teacher, Rep. Elizabeth Weight D-West Valley City; or the associate professor Rep. Karen Kwan D-Murray; they both voted against your bill. By "we", are you referencing the leaders of the LDS church? Or is "we" the legislative simpletons like yourself you do not understand the value of an educated, diversified culture? 

Are you going to ban Shakespeare, Chaucer and Freud? What about Dickens and Twain? 

Mr, Ivory, you have a law degree from California Western University. Certainly you know the ill effects of book banning (see Germany, 1930-1945) and the failure of prohibiting access (see the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution); I therefore cannot in all fairness assign your sponsorship of this bill to ignorance. (Although I did refer to you as a simpleton in my second paragraph.) I can only deduce you are pandering to the uneducated, frightened but vocal minority of citizens (see Utah Parents United) who want to put this country back to the 1950's, a time of repression, segregation, and discrimination. 

The United States of America has come a long way since then; one might even say we are starting to grow up as a country. We are learning the value of diversification in our culture and our population. We cannot, however, say we have been even remotely successful in reaching the American ideal of equal rights and equal responsibility under the law. The materials discussed in the books you seek to ban are not evil, nor do these ideas require censorship by the government. If parents do not want their children to read these books, fine, then let them guide their own children away from them.  

Don't even pretend you are doing this for the good of the children. If you were truly looking out for our students, you would support increased funding for public education, smaller classrooms, and more well-paid teachers. Reality? You are doing this to grovel in front of the right-wing donors who fund your elections. 

It's not a pretty sight. 

Thank you for reading! Your comments are always welcome, and please share this blog with those that might find it of interest. 

Have an opposing view? Those comments are welcome also. 

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

The books Utah Parents United are trying to ban include the following: 

The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison; Gender Queer, Maia Kobabe; Beyond Magenta, Susan Kuklin; l8r,g8r, Lauren Myracle; Lawn Boy, Jonathan Evison; Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov; Monday's Not Coming, Tiffany Jackson; The Opposite of Innocent, Sonya Sones; and Out of Darkness, Ashley Hope Perez