Confusion is Nothing New

• Confusion is Nothing New by Paul Acampora on Amazon

In Time After Time, Cyndi Lauper's got it right when she sings, "Caught up in circles, confusion is nothing new..."

In a first-person account from fourteen year old Ellie's perspective, this middle school chapter book tells an important story about family, friends, community, and continuity. The narrative shows kids can be healthy in less than stereotypical family configurations: Ellie with a single dad; Daniel, a single mom; Anya adopted from a distant country and culture by her American-born dad and Polish-born mom. Confusion Is Nothing New also demonstrates how shared religion can help place individuals within a generations-long and wide common history.

My best guess is Paul Acampora probably set Confusion Is Nothing New in central Massachusetts; my second guesses would be elsewhere in New England or in New York State. This is a college town, with Roman Catholic elementary and high schools clearly feeding into church-related Trinity College. It seems as if everyone in the book has gone to school together or at least gone to the same school as everyone else, though school and religion aren't so much organizing principals as they are parts of the scenery.

Music weaves in and out of every chapter in wonderful ways that absolutely will interest the generation not born until the twenty-first century in all that awesome older music older folks still love (like Cyndi Lauper). BTW, I agree tribute bands or groups *should* not include the name of the original musician, especially not in a manner that could be deceptive. Along with music, parents, and friends, the real story tells about Ellie finally starting to search for the mom she never met after learning about the death of that unknown parent. Taking such a long time in this world of wide-open search and find possibilities is surprising, but maybe she feared what she might learn in the process?

High marks to the author for his easy to read writing style; he doesn't use common clichés—he doesn't even repeat and replay his own favorite phrases. Acampora gets even higher grades for finessing social and emotional connections between and among the book's characters, for not attempting to make outcomes unambiguous and unequivocal. Even the smoothest journey cannot be explained in simple sentences; people of all ages encounter difficult challenges, many of which won't conclude wrapped up and ready to archive, some of which they later discover weren't really over when they thought they were, because Confusion Never Has Been Anything New.

I'd (excitedly!) welcome a sequel to Confusion Is Nothing New, but even more than that, Paul Acampora is on my list of authors to watch and read again.

• My Amazon Review: Acampora is an Author to Watch and Read Again