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Boston author Jane Roper’s new novel, ‘The Society of Shame,’ digs into cancel culture and social media activism – The Boston Globe

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Boston author Jane Roper’s new novel, ‘The Society of Shame,’ digs into cancel culture and social media activism – The Boston Globe


As Twitter descends into its personal (vile) interpretation of the sequence of it occasions, the viral #YesWeBleed motion begins, calling for folks with durations to cease hiding the pure course of. By this, Kathleen stumbles upon The Society of Disgrace — a secret society that encourages her to remodel into Kat Anderson Held, a feminist warrior and face of the motion.

Roper — a contract copywriter, artistic director, and model strategist by commerce — can be at The Lightkeeper’s Home in Cohasset on Could 11. She joined a Zoom name with the Globe to debate the #YesWeBleed motion, her personal center college bleed by, and Kathleen’s private rebrand.

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Q. How did you give you the thought behind #YesWeBleed?

A. I wished to do one thing the place the principle character’s supply of humiliation and embarrassment might flip into one thing actually constructive and empowering. Since a interval accident is commonly some of the embarrassing issues that ladies can expertise — it shouldn’t be however it’s — and Kathleen’s accident occurs on a worldwide stage, it appeared like a good selection. It additionally dovetails with the very fact that there’s a lot of activism round durations and menstrual justice and destigmatization and attempting to alleviate interval poverty, so it felt like one thing that would realistically flip right into a mass motion. And it was a enjoyable hashtag.

Q. Was there anybody particular you had been desirous about while you created Kathleen’s character?

A. No person particular. I simply knew I wished to create a personality who was very attention-averse, and for whom turning into an Web superstar after which turning into actually an icon, a figurehead for a complete motion, would simply be depressing.

Q. What does “The Society of Disgrace” say about passive activism?

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A. It speaks to the truth that mass actions and Web activism generally is a actual, essential supply for change. Quite a lot of instances, past the core of actual activists, you have got the individuals who suppose that retweeting one thing or slapping a body round their avatar someway that’s equal. [But] these issues, in some instances, turn into an excuse for folks to not take the time or vitality to dive deeper.

Additionally, within the guide, a few of the activists begin taking issues to a barely ridiculous excessive. It’s nearly as if the memes and the hashtags tackle a lifetime of their very own. Let’s simply say it was these elements the place, abruptly, you have got folks dressing up as tampons.

Q. Inform me about Kathleen’s daughter Aggie and the opposite younger ladies’ involvement within the motion.

A. Aggie is that this very earnest 12-year-old with a variety of convictions and cares loads about social causes. So I wished to have her dedication and keenness function somewhat little bit of a distinction to Kathleen’s lack of ardour, particularly as at first she appears like she’s thrust into the highlight for this motion.

As a mother of two 16-year-olds [myself], their attitudes round durations are a lot extra frank and open. Aggie and her mates begin to see that there are folks leaping on the bandwagon. There’s a scene the place they’ve a rally and all these youngsters have left college early to be on this menstrual rights rally, and half of them don’t give a crap, they’re simply there to get out of sophistication early. It turns into this mini model of what’s taking place on a bigger scale.

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Q. Have you ever skilled a clumsy public bleed by?

A. There was one time in center college; I didn’t notice it till after the very fact, and I got here residence and noticed the spot on the again of my white pants. The worst half was I spotted I’d been in math class that day with the boy I had a serious crush on and all I might suppose was, “Did you see that?”

Q. #AllBloodMatters jogged my memory of All Lives Matter which surfaced throughout Black Lives Matter protests. Why did you mirror this concept in your novel?

A. That was very a lot intentional. This factor typically occurs with actions, particularly in instances the place of us who’re extra privileged really feel like, “Wait, why isn’t this about me?”

Q. What are your ideas on cancel tradition?

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A. The factor I see most about cancel tradition is the dearth of nuance. There’s little or no room to speak about what persons are being referred to as out for or how their actions have affected different folks with any measure of nuance or better context. Typically I want everybody would decelerate and suppose past what’s in a single tweet.

Q. How does the protagonist’s rebrand from Kathleen Held to Kat Anderson Held change her self-image and the way others understand her?

A. She undoubtedly begins to see herself, and it’s cool that different folks see her, as extra assured, extra trendy, the quantity turned up on who she is. Kathleen’s meteoric rise in her getting new hair, a brand new wardrobe, and a cooler, catchier title distracts her from the extra essential private development that she must endure. She in the end has to undergo that journey to determine, “Am I Kat, am I Kathleen, or am I someplace in between?”

“The Society of Disgrace” by Jane Roper. Anchor

This interview has been edited and condensed for size and readability.

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Espresso with the Authors that includes Julie Gerstenblatt, Jane Roper, and Katherine A. Sherbrooke. Could 11, 10 a.m. The Lightkeeper’s Home, 15 Lighthouse Lane, Cohasset. buttonwoodbooksandtoys.com


Maddie Browning could be reached at maddie.browning@globe.com.



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Boston, MA

Boston doctor Derrick Todd accused of sexually assaulting 200 patients charged with rape

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Boston doctor Derrick Todd accused of sexually assaulting 200 patients charged with rape


A prominent Boston-area doctor accused in several lawsuits of sexually assaulting more than 200 former patients was indicted by a grand jury on rape charges.

Dr. Derrick Todd allegedly assaulted two women during examinations in December 2022 and June 2023 at the Charles River Medical Associates in Framingham, Mass., the Middlesex County District Attorney announced Thursday.

Todd, a rheumatologist, appeared in Middlesex Superior Court Friday after he handed himself over to police the previous night.

Dr. Derrick Todd is arraigned in Middlesex County Superior Court after he was indicted on rape charges on Jan. 17, 2025. AP

The two women had either a pelvic exam or pap smear with the doctor when the alleged assault occurred, NBC Boston reported.

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The patients alleged the exams went beyond “normal.”

One of the women endured enough pain for her to scream at Todd to stop but the doctor didn’t listen and continued the exam.

The second patient alleged she didn’t give Todd consent to perform the specific examination but the doctor went ahead despite the rejection, the outlet reported.

Todd pleaded not guilty to the two rape charges.

He was held on a $10,000 bail.

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Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital in Boston, where Todd worked for 14 years. Google Maps

A judge ordered Todd to surrender his passport, not have any contact with his alleged victims, and give up all medical licenses.

Claims of abuse from Todd date back to 2010 but only surfaced in 2023 after Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital received anonymous complaints.

Todd is the former chief of clinical rheumatology at the Boston hospital but resigned after 14 years in 2023 when two other physicians questioned the appropriateness of pelvis exams for his rheumatology patients, the Boston Globe reported.

Over 200 of Todd’s former patients accused him of performing unnecessary pelvic floor therapy, breast examinations, testicular examinations, and rectal examinations.

The accusers include over 200 women and several men between teenagers and 60-year-olds.

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Attorneys for 180 of the former patients say the two rape charges are just the start of the doctor’s legal battle.

“It’s just the beginning of the criminal case against Dr. Todd, but it does help validate the civil claims that Lubin & Meyer is pursuing on behalf of so many of his former patients,” Attorney William Thompson said. “Fundamentally, it’s about a doctor abusing his position. And taking advantage of patients who put their trust in him for his own personal sexual gratification.”

Over 200 of Todd’s former patients accused him of performing unnecessary pelvic floor therapy, breast examinations, testicular examinations, and rectal examinations. LinkedIn

Todd voluntarily ceased his medical practice in Massachusetts in September 2023.

The announcement was made in a letter to the Board of Registration in Medicine.

The class-action lawsuit against Todd also listed the hospital as a defendant for allegedly knowing about the abuse and failing to stop it.

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Todd was fired from the hospital in July 2024.

With Post wires



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O’shae Brissett, part of Boston Celtics championship, reportedly signs with Long Island Nets

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O’shae Brissett, part of Boston Celtics championship, reportedly signs with Long Island Nets


O’shae Brissett, who won a championship with the Boston Celtics in June but hasn’t played professionally since, has reportedly signed an NBA G-League level contract with the Brooklyn Nets G League team, the Long Island Nets.

Bobby Manning was first with the news Friday morning…

The 6’7” 26-year-old Brissett, a defensive specialist, will join Long Island having last played for the Boston Celtics as a part of the NBA Championship squad last year.

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In his defining moment of the title run, Brissett was inserted as a small ball center by Boston coach Joe Mazzulla in Game 2 of the Celtics-Pacers conference title series. It was his first playoff minutes, but he played a critical role defensively, picking up three steals and finishing a +15 in his 12 minutes on the court.

“Just his presence, his energy, his athleticism,” Mazzulla said after that game. “Just gave us, I think he had a dunk, got a steal, got us out in transition with a couple [of] rebounds. So just, he plays with such a high level of intensity and energy. It’s big for us.”

In his 55 games with the Celtics in the 2023-24 season, Brissett started just one and played roughly 11.5 minutes per game. He averaged 3.7 points per game, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.8 assists. He shot 44.4% from the field, 27.3% from beyond the arc. He adds yet another NBA veteran presence to the young Long Island Nets team with .

Brissett played three years with the Indiana Pacers, his best year coming in 2021-22 when he played 67 games, 25 starts, averaging 9.1 points and 5.3 rebounds.

However, he hasn’t played since the NBA Finals. Brissett, who turned 26 years old in June, declined a $2.5 million dollar player option with Boston at the end of June. He hoped that he could get more by testing the free-agent market. Similarly, the Toronto native dropped out of the Canadian national team, coached by Jordi Fernandez, to focus his free agency. However, offers or at least offers he liked never materialized and he remained a free agent until Friday.

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Brissett’s rebounding and size will give Long Island some added depth, and in Long Island’s case, a potential starter. Brissett always intended to pursue a return to the NBA, and his signing with the Long Island Nets is a first step to getting back to that dream.

Brissett also re-unites with Kendall Brown who had been his Indiana Pacers teammate two years ago.





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Magic Look to Bounce Back With More Energy at Celtics

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Magic Look to Bounce Back With More Energy at Celtics


BOSTON – Over two weeks ago, after the Orlando Magic’s latest rally fell short in a loss to the Detroit Pistons, fourth-year guard Jalen Suggs called out a worrying trend among his team in hopes of nipping it in the bud.

“We’re putting ourselves in these holes and spotting teams leads, then having to fight, scratch, claw just to get back in the game and give ourselves a chance,” Suggs said on New Year’s Day.

The Magic had developed a resilience that meant they were never out of games, no matter the score. Complimentary, energy-filled basketball helped Orlando do the fighting, scratching and clawing to get back into those games.

Did it always result in a victory? Not quite. But the relentless attitude and constant effort – especially for a team so handicapped by its shrinking list of healthy players – was commendable, and has been embedded in the Magic’s DNA.

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In the rare occasions when it doesn’t show face, though, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley says it’s “glaring.” That was the case when the Milwaukee Bucks delivered a 29-point shellacking to Orlando, marking the most lopsided loss for the Magic this year.

“There was an energy and effort issue,” said Mosley postgame.

Wendell Carter Jr. would later say his team was “out-physicaled” and made life too easy for their opponent.

Then, in the locker room, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope told reporters Orlando got its “a– whooped,” and Paolo Banchero told reporters, “[A]s a group top to bottom, we’ve got to be more ready to play. We’re down a lot of bodies, but we can’t make excuses and we’ve just got to come out and play for each other.”

To Banchero’s point, the Magic’s 124 missed games from players due to injury or illness haven’t been a catch-all, safety-net excuse when the team is struggling. Instead, their aforementioned resilience built an identity that helped them generate results throughout the entire first half of the season, regardless of available contributors.

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It justifies Mosley’s claims that the lackluster performance vs. the Bucks “wasn’t Orlando Magic basketball. Not even close.” Because although that was the case in Game 42, through the first 41 games, it wasn’t.

“It’s something that you can learn from, and you have to be able to bounce back, which this group has always done,” Mosley said.

With a national audience watching along, Orlando (0-4 in national TV games this season) pays its only visit to TD Garden Friday evening, squaring off with the defending champion Boston Celtics for the second of three matchups this season. The Magic host the 18-time champs once more in April to close the Kia Center’s regular season slate.

Boston has dropped three of their last five outings, including an uncharacteristic loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night in Scotiabank Arena. The Celtics were without Jayson Tatum due to a last-minute spat with an illness in the Magic’s Dec. 23 home win, but Orlando was shorthanded as well. Of their top four scorers, only Suggs was available.

“We beat them last time at home, so I’m sure they haven’t forgot that,” Paolo Banchero said in Orlando’s locker room Wednesday. “They have a hell of a home atmosphere [and] home crowd, so they’ll be ready to play in front of their fans.”

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Heading into Friday’s tilt, where both teams are eager to wipe the slate clean from their mid-week malaise, Boston reports a clean bill of health. Now, only Banchero is available of the Magic’s top scorers, and other key reserves are unavailable as well.

MORE: Magic-Celtics Injury Report

Those who are available, however, say they shouldn’t have any issue getting back to their standard.

“Playing against teams like this is what hoopers get up for,” Anthony Black said. “Definitely getting up for this game. It’s always fun playing against some good hoopers, so I think we’re up and I think we’ll be ready to bring energy come game time.”

“You don’t like losing games, especially when you get your butt kicked,” Mosley said, “but you also have to know you have to bounce back, can’t hang your head, be ready to go and move on the next game.”

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