Very
few opening lines have more potential to grab a detainee’s attention
than one that places the reader in media res while the narrator is
making a guilty plea to a judge. Fred W.’s “Loose Cannon” does just
that, taking the reader from the courtroom to a secure detention
facility (Goshen), and on to an outpatient drug treatment program.
Natasha Santos’ “Bum-rushed by the Past” follows with a similarly
strong opening: “This is the story of a girl born in the projects,
neglected by her parents, and tormented by memories of families she is
no longer a part of. It’s about how I spent six years in foster care
and got adopted.” While the collection’s diversity of perspectives may
make it difficult for reluctant and developing readers to consume cover
to cover, the topical themes will motivate more sophisticated readers to
explore the panoply of voices in these seventeen stories. Notably, all
of the seventeen were written by teens and they are complemented by an
end interview with Toni Heineman, therapist, who discusses healthy and
unhealthy ways to express anger. ELA teachers looking for personal
essays as well as bridges between short stories and memoirs will want to
check this out. Social workers will want to have a copy of Rage on hand to direct students to piecemeal. ---Jessica Fenster-Sparber
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment