by Robin Roe
[spoiler alert here, but since no one who reads this would ever read that, I'll go ahead]
Unsettling, upsetting, and magnificent. I wish I hadn't read it, but I wish a lot of other people would. It's all about the saving power of friendship--shoot, call it love. It's not an easy thing to be a friend, says the cliche, and I dare to repeat it. When you have a happy home, plenty to eat, and a gang of buddies who have your back, why would you need to reach out to someone who has none of these? Why waste time, risk boredom, and being bummed out by a kid with obvious problems? It's so much easier just to look down at your phone and pass him by.
Her Adam character is especially heroic--I want to hug him. I want to hug almost everybody. Good writing, Ms. Roe!
By the way, has anyone ever written a "social work success story"? Some one has to have, but lately everything I've been reading about foster care or social work has been a lot more bad than good. I need to seek out some success stories because this stuff is getting me down.
I was griping lately about Content Warnings. In general, they're stupid. I would never expect a teacher in a classroom to warn people that he was going to discuss disagreeable material. If he's a grade-school teacher he should keep it age appropriate, that's all--it's his job. For announcers on the radio, content warnings might make sense, because you never know who might be listening. Movies have warnings--ratings and keywords like 'fantasy violence'; music has 'Parental advisory' labels. But what should we have for books?
Nothing, I think. I don't know. But parts of the bad stuff here were pretty graphic, and I wonder if she could have told the story equally well with a little less detail. If the book had gone on another twenty or so chapters to describe the healing process, then the detail might have been helpful in understanding what the rescuers had to deal with. On its own, it was voyeristic, almost sensational. Maybe she was trying to get kids' attention--look! If you see a kid who might have problems at home, it may not be something as simple as a parent who gets drunk and slaps them around from time to time. It might be a whole lot worse.
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