MOVIE REVIEW
White Oleander
Reviewed by Alison Masciovecchio

BOOK REVIEW
Without Reservations, Travels of an Independent Woman by Alice Steinbach
Reviewed by Milagros Garrido

MOVIE REVIEW

White Oleander
by Alison Masciovecchio

I just recently saw the new movie, "White Oleander." Based on the book by author Janet Fitch, this movie about young Astrid's journey through the L.A. foster care system portrays women in many ways. Astrid's mother, Ingrid, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, is imprisoned for the murder of her boyfriend who left her. As a result, 15 year-old Astrid is forced to spend the next three years in foster care.

She survives an alcoholic foster mother who winds up shooting her (actress Robin Wright Penn), one that commits suicide (actress Renee Zellwigger) and another that forces her to collect garbage to make a living. Through her different experiences, Astrid is forced to grow up, as well as let go of her mother, who still has a powerful force over her even from prison. This movie takes a look at all types of women, including their strengths and weaknesses. It is great for women of all ages and teaches us an important message about letting go.

There were 588,000 children in foster care in the United States as of March, 2001. During the second half of 2000, 146,000 children entered foster care and 124,000 children exited. Additionally, during this time, the average age of children in foster care was 10.1 years. Of those children entering the foster care system, the average age was 8.8 years. The age of those leaving averaged 10.1 years.

Of the 588,000 children in foster care:

35% were white
38% were black
15% were Hispanic
1% were Asian

Children in foster care were 52% male and 48% female. The highest category of child abuse suffered among children in foster care is neglect, followed by physical abuse and sexual abuse. Deaths were associated more with neglect than with any other type of abuse.

Movies often deal with real life issues. Perhaps, if you go to see White Oleander, after reading this article, you will remember the information you have read about children in foster care. This may make a difference in how intently you process the content of the films. Movies, after all, have social implications, while still fulfilling their entertainment role.

Click here for more information about foster care.

Without Reservations, Travels of an Independent Woman by Alice Steinbach
Reviewed by Milagros Garrido

What would it be like to leave your routine and busy life to embark on a fascinating adventure to some of the most exciting places in the world? Imagine also having the time to devote to thinking about who you are and to start defining yourself, not in terms of how you appear to others and what they expect of you, but in terms of who you really are as an independent woman.

That experience is exactly the one Alice Steinbach had as she traveled throughout Europe attempting to truly understand what it means to be a woman in the middle phase of life. As she explains in her book, Without Reservations, Travels of an Independent Woman, before the trip, she spent most of her time focused on other people's lives. Her failure to examine her own life as a journalist and a single mother caused her to ignore many things she considered important. She finally came to the realization that she had to become a different woman entirely - one who would seek adventure and independence. She would seek to find the girl she had once been, the girl who fearlessly tackled whatever new experience lurked around the corner.

In her travels, she experienced a freedom that she had never known. She found she could do whatever she wanted to do. She went places she had always dreamed about for years, spent her money on what she wanted to (including a wonderful massage and expensive body lotions), and met new people. Alice candidly discloses that she had affairs and would wake up in the morning with someone next to her in bed feeling absolutely free, without any reservations or sense of obligation.

"Without Reservations" takes you on a whirlwind tour to fascinating places such as Paris, Venice, and London. The book allows you to enjoy Alice Steinbach's funny and spontaneous adventures and experiences. Gorgeous color illustrations of European prints and postcards, as well as small details such as reproductions of international stamps, are included in the book. This unique illustration style is a terrific counterpoint to the more serious nature of the story. In addition, the postcards Steinbach sent herself from each place she visited - both as a souvenir and a reminder of every detail - enabled her to relate every aspect of her wonderful odyssey.