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Celebrate Disability Pride Month: The Space You Left Behind and Stronger

16 Jul

The Space You Left Behind
by Ona Gritz
Some of our Hoboken residents may remember Ona Gritz, who, back in the early 2000’s, was the YA Librarian here at the Hoboken Public Library and helped me run the library’s first Writers Group. Now Gritz is writing full time; The Space You Left Behind was one of two Young Adult novels she had published in 2024 along with Take a Sad Song. In The Space You Left Behind, Cara a sixteen year old who has cerebral palsy works to overcome her self-consciousness about her disability. She and her crush bond over a mystery podcast and then decide to to look into Cara’s own mystery about who her biological father is. Though the novel is fiction, Gritz is able to use her own experience with having cerebral palsy to give authenticity to Cara’s depiction and her outlook of the world. You can also checkout Gritz’s short autobiographical work, On the Whole which details her experience as a new mother with a physical disability, which I had previously blogged about.

Stronger
We screened Stronger as our Monthly Library Movie for Adults back in April , which is Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Jeff Bauman who lost both his legs during the Boston Marathon bombing and was instrumental in helping get a description of the bomber so he could be found. At first Bauman struggles to adjust to his loss of limbs but with the support of his girlfriend, family, and friends, he learns to use prosthetics and works through his PTSD. The movie came out in 2017 and despite not having huge success on the big screen, I think it is one that should not be overlooked if you enjoy biographical films about real life perseverance. The film was directed by David Gordon Green and written by John Pollono, based on the memoir by Jeff Bauman and Bret Witter. Gyllenhaal, gives a stunning performance as the lead and Tatiana Maslany, Miranda Richardson, Carlos Sanz, and Clancy Brown also are excellent in the supporting cast. Having lived in Boston for two years, I felt they gave an authentic look at the resilient blue collar community that resides there.

For our July Movie Screening we will be showing Les Miserables in honor of Bastille Day (French Independence Day) at 10:30am on July 11.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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Hustlers: An Overlooked Cinematic Gem

22 Jan

Its awards season once again, and for me,  it’s hard not to reflect on films that were unjustly overlooked in years past…
 Hustlers (2019), directed by Lorene Scafaria and inspired by true events, stands as a prime example. Though it enjoyed critical acclaim and box office success, it didn’t receive the awards recognition it deserved—a true oversight considering its impeccable performances, sharp writing, and undeniable cultural resonance.

“This whole country is a strip club. You’ve got people tossing the money, and people doing the dance.” – Jennifer Lopez as Ramona.

At the heart of Hustlers is Jennifer Lopez’s spellbinding performance as Ramona, the charismatic ringleader of a group of women who devise an audacious and treacherous plan to take on their wealthy, mean spirited Wall Street clients in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Lopez doesn’t just play Ramona; she inhabits her with a captivating blend of strength, vulnerability, and charisma. Her iconic entrance in the film (a dance to Fiona Apple’s “Criminal”) is a masterclass in presence, setting the tone for a performance that is equal parts commanding and tender while showing (not telling) the audience why Ramona is the club’s undisputed headliner. It’s a career-best turn for Lopez, and one that should have earned her the accolades she so clearly deserved.

While Lopez undeniably anchors the film, she’s surrounded by an exceptional ensemble cast. Constance Wu’s portrayal of Destiny, the film’s protagonist and emotional core, is nuanced and empathetic, while Keke Palmer and Lili Reinhart inject humor and warmth into the narrative. Julia Stiles, a reporter who is trying to piece together the why and how for our ragtag group of strippers crime spree acts almost like an audience proxy asking questions that we the viewers are hoping to get answered. Together, these performers create a team of love, connection, ambition, and survival that rivals the likes of Goodfellas.

Hustlers may be a bit glitzy for some, but Scafaria crafts a narrative that is just as glamorous as it is gritty, juxtaposing the glitz of nightclub life with the stark realities of financial hardship and systemic inequality. The film doesn’t shy away from moral ambiguity, presenting its characters flaws but highlighting that these are people navigating a world that has left them with limited choices (and its clear they make some bad ones). It’s a story that resonates far beyond the confines of its genre, offering a poignant critique of power, greed, and resilience.

If you haven’t yet experienced Hustlers, there’s no better time than now. It’s a film that’s as entertaining as it is thought-provoking, and a reminder of how the industry sometimes misses true cinematic brilliance during awards season. Don’t you make the same mistake—watch Hustlers (available on BluRay at the HPL main branch) and let its brilliance speak for itself.

Written by:
Tyler Riley
Information and Digital Services Assistant

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