Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson - Talking About A Banned Book with Velshi and Author

A COMMENT ABOUT CENSORSHIP - By the Author - These are scary days in which to raise teenagers. I know. I’ve had four of them. Part of the problem is that we have a generation that has been exposed to unprecedented amounts of sexual behavior in the media and on the Internet. They see it, they talk about it, their hormones react, and a lot of kids wind up in painful situations.

Literature is the safe and traditional vehicle through which we learn about the world and pass on values from one generation to the next. Books save lives. Contemporary young adult literature surprises some people, because it is an accurate reflection of the way today’s teenagers talk, think, and behave. But these books must be honest in order to connect to the teen reader. America’s teens are desperate for responsible, trustworthy adults to create situations in which they can discuss the issues that are of the highest concern for them. Reading and discussing books is one of the most effective ways to get teens to think through and learn about the challenges of adolescence. Most of the censorship I see is fear-driven. I respect that. The world is a very scary place. It is a terrifying place in which to raise children, and in particular, teenagers. It is human nature to nurture and protect children as they grow into adulthood. But censoring books that deal with difficult, adolescent issues does not protect anybody. Quite the opposite. It leaves kids in darkness and makes them vulnerable. Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance. Our children cannot afford to have the truth of the world withheld from them. They need us to be brave enough to give them great books so they can learn how to grow up into the men and women we want them to be.--Included in the book, Speak (along with discussion guide, sexual assault survivor kit resources.

U.S. Department of Justice, 44 percent of rape victims are under the age of 18 and 46 percent of those victims are between the ages of 12–15. It makes adults uncomfortable to acknowledge this, but our inability to speak clearly and openly about sexual issues endangers our children. It is immoral not to discuss this with them.

Whenever I get a chance, I watch Velshi's Banned Book Club, hosted on MSNBC. This morning it discussed The Lord of the Flies, but I was more interested and had bought the last book discussed which was Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. The book was originally published in 2011, has sold over 2.5M copies, has received awards, made into a movie, and has now been featured in The Philadelphia Citizen. An interesting interview should be heard first, as the author laments that her book(s) continue to be viewed as worthy of being...banned...

Laurie Halse Anderson’s YA novel Speak poignantly explores the immediate aftermath and emotional repercussions of sexual assault, along with the concept of consent. It is among the first young adult works to explore this reality. Speak has appeared on the American Library Association’s “Top 100 Most Banned and Challenged Books” since its publication in 1999 — climbing higher on the list each year. Read on at

As I've mentioned before, the right of choice, for me, is always immediately associated with rape/incest... Thus the actions of the Supreme Court, whose members are now controlled by the far-right republicans, as well as republican leaders all over the United States are quickly now being responded to by action by women and men all over the country, who are working to ensure these rights that were arbitrarily lost by, we all know, purely by political actions, are to be reinstated.

Statements like, "Don't Say Gay," are similar in intent to incite fear and/or anger, just as much as those who are presently running for congress who claim that they will force abortion to be banned across the nation. And, further, and most important, that they will make no exceptions! Not for the mother's life, not for rape...and not for incest! Even the elimination of birth control is being discussed... 

I am a Christian; I do not condone abortion as a means of birth control, which many often claim is the "primary" way abortion is being used. However, I very much believe that child birth is known to be a dangerous situation, and I believe that the health care before, during, and after birth is a period during which many choices might need to be made, for valid, personal reasons. To return to a point where we no longer can feel secure in proper and effective medical care during pregnancies is totally unacceptable... and, to show a parallel of its importance.  Consider the Afghan women who are now being forced to wear the full-body clothing, as well as having loss of loss of their rights to education! Forced upon them by tyrannical, domineering men!

It appears that Trump has ultimately incited...and indeed allowed misogyny to break free to those men who do not feel a need to have a "partner" in their relationships. Rather, they prefer to be the dominating individual in any relationship. This certainly is not based upon God's love, yet it is being puched down our throats by those republicans now in office who have started what is being considered a catastrophe by the majority of women...and many men... in our country.

CODE BREAKING 

Hairwoman has been buying new earrings. One pair hangs all the way down to her shoulders. Another has bells in them like the pair Heather gave me at Christmas. I guess I can’t wear mine anymore. There should be a law. 

It’s Nathaniel Hawthorne Month in English. Poor Nathaniel. Does he know what they’ve done to him? We are reading The Scarlet Letter one sentence at a time, tearing it up and chewing on its bones.

It’s all about SYMBOLISM, says Hairwoman. Every word chosen by Nathaniel, every comma, every paragraph break—these were all done on purpose. To get a decent grade in her class, we have to figure out what he was really trying to say. Why couldn’t he just say what he meant? Would they pin scarlet letters on his chest? B for blunt, S for straightforward? I can’t whine too much. Some of it is fun. It’s like a code, breaking into his head and finding the key to his secrets. 

Like the whole guilt thing. Of course you know the minister feels guilty and Hester feels guilty, but Nathaniel wants us to know this is a big deal. If he kept repeating, “She felt guilty, she felt guilty, she felt guilty,” it would be a boring book and no one would buy it. So he planted SYMBOLS, like the weather, and the whole light and dark thing, to show us how poor Hester feels. I wonder if Hester tried to say no. She’s kind of quiet. We would get along. I can see us, living in the woods, her wearing that A, me with an S maybe, S for silent, for stupid, for scared. S for silly. For shame. So the code-breaking part was fun for the first lesson, but a little of it goes a long way. 

Hairwoman is hammering it to death. Hairwoman: “The description of the house with bits of glass embedded in the walls—what does it mean?” Utter silence from the class. A fly left over from fall buzzes against the cold window. A locker slams in the hall. Hairwoman answers her own question. “Think of what that would look like, a wall with glass embedded in it. It would … reflect? Sparkle? Shine on sunny days  maybe. Come on, people, I shouldn’t have to do this by myself. Glass in the wall. We use that on top of prison walls nowadays. Hawthorne is showing us that the house is a prison, or a dangerous place maybe. It is hurtful. Now, I asked you to find some examples of the use of color. Who can list a few pages where color is described?” 

The fly buzzes a farewell buzz and dies.

~~~

Note from Gabby: If I had Hairwoman for a teacher, 

I'd be saying the same as Melinda! Boooring...

Melinda is the main character of Speak. The book is written somewhat like a diary--as if, she writes there only when she has something important to say... Such as when her English teacher forces the entire class to explore, analyze, and discuss the selected book for this year,.. and determines that it should be read and digested...one sentence at a time... Can you even imagine this? No wonder Melinda had flashes of being a good student...and then, just ignoring the whole class topic scene...

Of course, after she was raped, at age 13, and didn't tell anybody, she had a lot to think about besides school, parents, and friends. Like, how she really hated the fact that she didn't scream and get him off of her... how she didn't know how to share this, after, when she came back to the beach party, crying, her best friend slapped her in the face for calling the cops... And, especially, just how did she think she could ever tell her parents, especially since they didn't know she had been at a party, drank enough beer to be considered drunk, and that, at first, thought it was cool that a senior thought her cute enough to ask her to go for a walk with him... And that, when he asked, she didn't realize what he was asking and by the time she did and started speaking, that he held his hand over her mouth and proceeded...

Melinda decided that, since she didn't immediately speak to the police and parents, that she just wouldn't say anything...And she began to not "speak" any more than she had to. Her parents at one point even took her to a doctor, with whom she wouldn't speak, of course. Little by little she began to return to her usual activities, most of the time being alone. She even had discovered a rarely used closet at school, where she smuggled in a blanket and had several books and pictures, one of Maya Angelou (which the librarian had to take down, because one of her books was being banned), and others which she was creating herself in the one class, Art, for which she had some personal connection. Fortunately the teacher was empathetic and chose to spend a little more time in clarifying what the meaning of art could mean to her personally.

But then, her supposed friend--the one that had slapped her on the night of her rape and had spoiled the party calling the cops, began to date the senior who had raped her... She felt she had to tell her, but could she?

Since Anderson has written the books, thousands of teens have contacted her sharing how much her book meant to her. She was gratified that it included boys, and so she wrote a book, Twisted, hoping she could have sufficient knowledge and empathy to have it respond to boys needs... Apparently it has... Yet many continue to call for a banning of her books!

I found myself reliving my early "me too" situations--ones that I've never shared. Thankfully, none led to rape, but, even so, they were of incestuous actions which were traumatic in a different way from that of a rape by a stranger, I think, but just as destructive of a young girl's ability to...trust...

If I had a daughter, I would make an effort to share with her. As the author clearly states, it is immoral not to...

Too bad, many men do not see anything wrong with rape, including incest... If they only knew--and took the time to learn about their potential girlfriends before they even think about having sex...  One of the results would have been that a court case would never had been needed to determine that a girl/ woman always must have complete control of her own body.

Make sure you get the latest edition of this book, including the additional supporting materials... Get it for yourself...and then another copy for any young teen that you love and have enough concern about her future to initiate a discussion on this very important subject...

Annaleigh Taylor Presents A Cozy-Mystery Series Steeped in Christian Growth Steps - Celebrate! - He is Risen!Fi

Let us all Trust that Evil is Always Vanquished!

Jesus Christ Died that All May Live!

May the Truth Be Known Across the World!

It is the Time of His Death and His Rising! If we only can Believe. If we can only turn our eyes to Jesus. He who died, descended into Hell, and Arose on the Third Day...

To Celebrate, I'm choosing to share excerpts showing the steps taken as the two main characters work to solve the mystery... of accepting Christ as Savior...by just...believing... Then, learning to trust in all things...

In an unique cozy-type mystery series, Annaleigh Taylor presents something that is important to today's readers... While presenting a murder to be solved by amateur detectives, Taylor is actually providing a chance for each of us to consider our role as a Christian. Beginning in the first book, we meet two main characters who continue throughout the short books, normally readable in about an hour. Yet each contains the stages we may go through as we turn to Christ as our Savior...

Rachel Russell has already become a Christian, but is still learning. She has been selected for a number of adventurous events that has led her into danger. Jacob Andrews was one of the team that was sent to participate in a research project in Antarctica. Jacob stood up for Rachel as she was being ridiculed for speaking in her new role as a Christian. And Rachel did respond to him, then...and more so in each book...  Some of us may remember how our lives were changed... Some of us may have forgotten...and little by little we begin to say, "Yes, But, Lord..." 

Years pass and by the time the book ends, they are engaged, looking toward a future that was literally put into their hands...

If you want to know more, or if you need a rejuvenation of your earlier commitment, then this series is a wonderful way to begin. The mysteries are interesting, although not complex. But then, the two main characters are in their teens when the series starts, and are trusting to respond to each of the requests, the assignments, that are being made for their action. There is an overall life plan for Rachel and Jacob... Curious to see what happens by just letting go and trusting? 

A touch of the supernatural, God's words through dreams, and meeting and learning from others who believe are woven into what can happen if we only believe... and become a child...of a Risen King!

First in Series

“God got us here safely,” Rachel told Matt. 

“God is—” Matt waved his hands in the air. “Cool it with that religious routine, Rachel. I've told you once and I'm telling you again: I don't believe in your God or your Jesus.” Matt looked at Rachel. “I thought you were really cool, you know? But ever since you let those religious nuts brainwash you...” He shrugged his shoulders. “I don't know...it seems like you've changed into a zombie.” 

Rachel looked at the thick white gloves covering her hands. “Jesus saved me, Matt. He can save you, too. I was dead, but now I'm alive.” 

“Saved you? From what?” Matt asked in a cynical voice. “Rachel, you're the most honest, kind, noble person I know. What did you need to be saved from?” 

“My sins,” Rachel answered in a sincere voice. She raised her eyes to look at Matt. “While I was dead in my sins, Jesus died for me. We have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.” 

“There she blows!” yelled a twenty-year-old red-headed guy named Fred Walker. He pretended that streams of water were coming from his mouth. “Rachel is preaching again, ladies and gentlemen! Let's all get down on our knees and listen to her brainwash us!” 

“Knock it off, Fred,” Jacob Andrews said, slapping his friend on the back of the head. “Rachel has the right to believe what she wants. Just because we're not Christians, we don’t have the right to discriminate against her.”

~~~

Second in Series

Rachel wasn't sure how to answer Jacob. She was still a new Christian herself and she was struggling in her daily walk with Jesus. How could she explain the mysteries of a loving God who loved justice to a person who had attended church only once? “I guess in time God will reveal to you what I feel He has been whispering to my heart.” 

“I think God brought us together,” Jacob told Rachel, smiling into her eyes. “I think God controls our destiny and that we're meant to be together. I...felt that we belonged together the first day I saw you. I remember you were wearing a pink dress...you knocked me for a loop. Your hair was in a ponytail and you were wearing a perfume that smelled like roses...and...fresh rain.” 

“You remember all of that?” Rachel asked, amazed. 

Jacob nodded. “Yeah, I do. I know...I'm a hopeless romantic, right? I resemble a linebacker and can get a date with any girl I want, but when I'm alone I listen to sappy love songs and think about what love...well...could be, I guess.” Rachel listened to Jacob talk with a heart that was quickly falling more in love. “My parents divorced when I was a kid,” Jacob explained. He shook his head slightly. “My mom passed me off to my dad and disappeared for a while. I didn't mind. I liked our farm. The only thing I did mind was seeing my dad date one woman after another. He never remarried or even got engaged...he just drifted from one short-term relationship to another.” 

“And that's what you're afraid of, isn't it?” Rachel asked, squeezing Jacob’s hand. 

“Yeah, I guess I am,” Jacob confessed. He stared into Rachel's beautiful, caring eyes. “Rachel, I want more than what my dad gave himself. I want more than what my mom gave herself. I want...everything offered by all those songs I listen to. Man, that sounds sappy.” 

Rachel smiled. “No, it doesn't,” she promised. “But Jacob, the love you're searching for must begin with God. God must be your first love. Then and only then can a man love a woman the way he is supposed to. When you make God your first love, that's when you truly fall in love and find real love. I hope that makes sense.” 

“Not really,” Jacob confessed. “How can I make God my first love? I mean, that sounds kinda...sissy.” 

“Was Jesus a sissy when He died on the cross?” 

“No way,” Jacob answered immediately. 

“Exactly,” Rachel told Jacob. She squeezed his hand again. Jacob stared at Rachel. His heart slowly began to understand what she was trying to relay to him. “I...think I get it.” “Good...”

~~~ 

Third in Series

Jacob looked down at his hands and spotted leftover worm goo on his fingers. “The kid with the tangled-up line...he told me that his dad used to beat him with a stick.” 

“Henry Bates is his name,” Rachel told Jacob. “Henry's dad is currently serving a very long prison sentence for child abuse, terrorist threats, assault and battery, and attempted murder...all against his son.” 

“That's heavy.”

“Yes, it is,” Rachel agreed. “But Henry is a good kid. He's living in a foster home with a family that takes in a lot of kids, which makes the home more of a swinging door than a residence of stability.” 

“Yeah.” Jacob sighed, spotting the administrative cabin. Sheriff Lansbury and Mrs. Turner were nowhere in sight. “Poor kid.” 

“God will work miracles for these children, Jacob. I'm sure of that. You saw Henry. He wasn't standing around feeling sorry for himself. He was laughing and joking with the other children.” 

“True,” Jacob said, walking Rachel up to the cabin. “Still, I wish that kid was mine. I'd spoil him rotten.”

“I know.” Rachel smiled into Jacob's eyes. She saw goodness there. “You're going to make a really great dad someday.”

 “Someday,” Jacob emphasized. “Not now. I'm still learning to pray, remember?”

~~~

Fourth in Series

Rachel walked her eyes around the jungle. The sun was beginning to lower in the sky. 

“Mr. Chan—” 

“Call me Lei,” Lei insisted. 

Rachel smiled. “Lei, I have something for you.” Rachel handed her walking stick to Jacob, reached her right hand into her left pocket, and retrieved a white envelope. “This is the check Mr. Davidson sent us to give you.” 

Lei stared at the white envelope. “Glory to God,” he said as tears began falling from his eyes. “The people in my village will be so happy. The days of their sorrows are quickly coming to end.” 

Jacob shifted from one foot to the other. He didn't know what to say or do. He had never seen a grown man cry out of nowhere before. In his past, most of the guys he hung out with had been tough. “Uh...yeah,” he managed to say in an uneasy voice. 

“Jacob is a new Christian, Lei. He's learning to walk...but right now, he and I are both still crawling.” 

“When one learns to walk too quickly, he falls,” Lei told Rachel. He took the check from her. “I learned that truth the very hard way when I first became a Christian. I wanted to start preaching and leading people to Jesus.  I was on fire for the Lord. The only problem was...I didn't have an understanding of the scriptures and I ended up falling flat on my face.” 

“What do you mean?” Jacob asked. “You were just doing what the Bible tells us to do, right?” 

“In a way, yes,” Lei explained. “But I failed to be taught by a Christian man who was taking his meat and walking on firm legs. I was sipping from a baby bottle.” Lei shook his head. “I thought I had all the answers and knew everything. And then I got into a debate with an atheist who knew the Bible better than I did. The guy tore me up. A preacher was standing nearby and watched me get kicked into the street. That preacher took me under his wing and began helping me learn the truth. So, let me advise you both to walk when the Lord orders you to walk; otherwise, you will fall.” 

“Thank you, Lei,” Rachel said in a grateful voice. “That's wonderful advice.” 

Jacob nodded. “Sometimes it's easier to think we can do things on our own. I've always been like that.” 

Rachel took back her walking stick from Jacob and smiled into his eyes. “I think you're coming along just fine.” 

Lei saw love shining in Rachel's eyes. He looked into Jacob's eyes and saw a special love—one that soaked into Rachel's heart. He smiled. 

“The village isn't far. You two must be hungry.” “Starving,” Jacob admitted. “What's for dinner?” 

“Snail guts and snake brains,” Lei said. Jacob's face turned pale. He swallowed. “Really?”

 “No.” Lei laughed and slapped Jacob on the shoulder. “For dinner, we’re having canned beans and fried bread.” 

“Better,” Jacob said. He laughed. “Much better.”

~~~

Final in Series

Jacob stared into Rachel's sweet and beautiful eyes. “Well,” he finally said, “if God did bring us to Pine Willow, I'll trust in His Will and wait and see what our Heavenly Father wants us to do.” “I knew you were going to say that.” Rachel beamed. “It's just hard for me to accept that Esther was telling the truth about her dream. I guess my old carnal mind wants to believe the woman is a liar...but my heart knows to trust in God.” Jacob reached across the table and touched Rachel's engagement ring with his right pointer finger. “I did see the angel in the jungle, Rachel. The angel spoke to me. But it's so easy to forget...to let the old flesh take hold again.” “I know.”...

“Doesn't seem fair, does it?” Rachel asked.

“Are you doubting God?” Jacob asked, shocked. 

“No,” Rachel replied in a calm voice. She turned and looked at Jacob. “It doesn't seem fair that the heart gets so tangled up within itself when God makes His Ways so clear to us. If we just acted according to His Holy Word, we wouldn't make terrible mistakes.” 

“I know.” 

“There's so much hate in this world, Jacob. Take the children at Camp Sunflower, for instance.” Rachel grew silent and listened to the heavy sleet attack the Jeep. “Those children, so precious, come to Camp Sunflower to escape the hate.” 

“Only to be thrown right back into the fire.”

 Rachel sighed. “I know what you mean, Jacob, but we can't save the world.” 

“Maybe we can save a few children,” Jacob said. “Rachel, I've been thinking that if God does allow us to have Camp Sunflower, maybe we could turn the camp into a place for children to live year-round.” 

Rachel stared into Jacob's eyes. “Really?” 

“Really.” Jacob smiled. “It's not fair to give a kid a sample of ice cream, then send him home hungry. God is a God of love, and I know our purpose is to own and manage Camp Sunflower for His Glory. Right now God is teaching us how to walk in faith because we're sure going to hit a lot of hard times at the camp. If we're not taught faith right now, we might fail.” 

“I never thought about that.” Jacob touched the tip of Rachel's nose. 

“That's why I'm here,” he said. 

“I'm very grateful you're here,” Rachel said, hugging him...

~~~

Got Time for More Then EnJoy~ more or skip to Last!