"Child Abuse" edited by Louise I. Gerdes

This Opposing Viewpoints book edited by Louise I. Gerdes and authored by a variety of skilled writers covers many aspects and perspectives to the pressing issue of Child Abuse, as suggests the title. The book consists of 4 chapters and many different view points throughout the chapters. Gerdes fashioned this book to display almost everything you need to know about child abuse in which she also suggests how to take action. The editor does this by choosing the best articles and showing many aspects in contrast with each other.

The first chapter, "What Causes Child Abuse?" Answers the title's question with many articles such as "multiple factors contribute to child abuse" and "substance-abusing parents are more likely to abuse their children." To prove their points the authors primarily use anecdotes and statistics. For example,  writer, Joseph a. Califano Jr. proves his point and shocks readers with facts such as, " The number of reported abused and neglected children who have been killed has climbed from 798 in 1985 to 1,185 in 1996; the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect sets the actual number much higher, at 2,000, a rate of more than five deaths a day. " Clearly this is a most shocking fact and that was nearly 20 years ago. Child abuse hasn't gotten better. In another article also in the first chapter, the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform uses true stories of neglect in poor families and the injust lengths child protective services took. " In Los Angeles, the pipes in a grandmother's rented house burst, flooding the basement and making the home a health hazard. Instead of helping the family find another place to live, child protective workers take away the granddaughter and place her in foster care. She dies there, allegedly killed by her foster mother. The child welfare agency that would spend nothing to move the family offers $5,000 for the funeral." This story really shocks and hits a person quite hard and makes you think about how bad child abuse really is. 

In the fourth chapter, authors cover "How  Can Child Abuse be Reduced?" Leading the editor to end the book making readers think not only about how the government could help children but about what they can do to make a change. Authors like Susan Orr talk about Family Preservation Programs and how they leave a child in an abusive household. The author also cover the underfunding of child protection agency's and how if people just donated money instead of getting, for example, a manicure every week or new items in general, then the country could be improved and even happier. For example, " Half of the 1,500 children killed by their parents throughout the country each year are already known to the child welfare system. They are victims of not only underfunding but of a more fundamental scandal: a 'family preservation' policy that the federal government and 30 states have carried. " this more than anything makes a person want to take action. Policies forcing kids to remain with unjust parents and underfunding! To end the motivation to help along with the masterfully structured book, Gerdes adds an article by Okey Chigbo describing what is and isn't okay in terms of punishing a child. This article is truly the Cherie on top making all parents aware of they are or are not abusive. 

Overall, the Opposing Viewpoints book, Child Abuse is masterfully edited and ordered to the most appropriate format, informing and concerning readers to making them want to take action and prevent abuse at all costs. The reality is children aren't just being hurt, they are dying because of a faulty protective system and a lack of support. 

Blog Review: My Kind of Blog.

 One blog that interested me was Katie Heaton's blog in class 804. One post that particularly caught my eye was her book review on the novel “Sold". It was clear to me that Katie had a good understanding of the book and it’s events. I to have read the book and i find that Katie’s description was very accurate. She had relevant background info, took the route of describing who’s perspective was missing and also noted how the book was written in verse with the perspective of solely the main character.

 I agree with Katie that many perspectives were missing but i think that added more mystery to the story. This is because the whole story is based on this girls life in the city and the girl, Lakshmi is clueless as to whats going on and is basically experiencing everything in the book for the first time. She is correct when she writes "This is common when writing in verse because it is hard to get multiple peoples perspectives in when trying to deeply understand one character’s emotions. It would feel crowded and the main point of view, Lakshmi's, would be drowned by others views." since one perspective is the easiest to follow. It's still hard to believe the events that took place in this novel and by writing Lakshmi's emotions and opinions in verse, the author made the book even more intriguing. She also adds that some character who were not as "highlighted" may have added to the story if their important stories were written.

 When Katie puts forth her want of more dialogue between characters like Lakshmi and her step father i couldn't agree more with her. If only Lakshmi protested and spoke her opinion more in the book, I would feel more knowledgable when reading it. It would be very interesting to see a different book written in another perspective. When expressing this opinion, Katie uses some thought provoking vocabulary. For example, when she talks about wanting to be more informed about certain character's "motives" for their actions.

One thing that Katie talks about is the concern the book gives you in the end. This is simply because it is one big cliffhanger and you never know if the main character died or not. The American that Katie mentioned in her review is also not a "highlighted" character and perhaps his story would have eased the concern for Lakshmi's well being.

Overall her Blog Post was very well written, properly addressed the perspective issue in the book and used thought provoking vocabulary that convinced readers that they needed just a little more in this already wonderful book.

"Please Don't Let Them Kill Or Abuse More Children" By Christine Adamec

The Article "Please Don't Let Them Kill Or Abuse More Children" By Christine Adamec covers the social issue of child abuse and ways we can prevent it. This well written and informative article informs and inspires readers to help abusive situations in anyway they can. Adamec does this by including a couple of shocking child abuse stories and some facts that really show how horrible this issue is. For example, Adamec writes about young Mary Ellen Wilson, one of the first reported child abuse cases in America. She "was severely abused back in 1874, there were no protective laws for children. Only when the New York Society for the Prevention Of Cruelty to Animals intervened was Mary Ellen at last protected." Clearly this story is quite melancholy since Mary Ellen was saved but only by an Animal Cruelty Society. This shows how bad Child Abuse was before and that it only escalated from there. The issue is even more noted upon when Adamec includes facts such as, "A federal law requires that a permanent plan should should be made for every foster child after 18 months in care. But few states comply, so we have a revolving door of kids entering foster care, going back to abusive parents, re-entering foster care and so on." This facts shines light on how complex child abuse situations get.

Adamec's main goal when writing this, however was to show her opinions on how America can prevent child abuse and help the children in these terrible situations. For example she adds opinion when she states, "Action must be taken to  help the abused kids, both those who never even enter the foster care system until they've received a death sentence as well as the thousands of children entrapped and warehoused for years in the foster-care system." This shows how much anger Adamec has toward the foster care system and that there must be an answer, which she provides, to helping the poor children abused then "entrapped" in the system. Adamec's solution to this ever growing problem is. "My answer is to give abusive parents chances, but also give them a firm time limit. If after two years, the parents cannot or will not take action to recover from their alcoholism, drug abuse or whatever the problem is that led them to abuse their children, then I think their parental rights should be terminated. I think these psychologically enslaved children should be freed to be adopted by screened and loving adoptive parents." Clearly Adamec has a big plan for the Child Welfare System and kids all around America.

After reading this article and Adamec's plan for abused children across the country I find her ideas to be very achievable, hopeful, and well thought out. Terminating parental rights would help prevent kids from falling back into the hands of abusive parents who have no remorse . However, Adamec's hope for these children to all be adopted is impractical because there are not enough loving adoptive parents out there and this would just leave the thousands of kids trapped in foster care with people who might not always be better than their parents were. Also, Adamec left out certain cases where poverty might have been the reason for Child Abuse involving neglect and poverty can't just be fixed. Therefore if you terminate these loving people's parental rights after only two years then they may never get to see their children again. Overall I am convinced that foster care and child abuse are complex and flawed but I don't believe most of Adamec's plan would cause more good than bad.

"Still Life with Woodpecker" by Tom Robbins

"Still Life with Woodpecker" by Tom Robbins, is a book that I would most definitely suggest to other readers. It is very well thought out and extremely complex. Although it is a fantastic read it is definitely one for adults. Not because of it's content but solely because it is very philosophical and hard to grasp. In reading this very poetic and thought provoking book you may find yourself to be confused but it is ultimately an extremely enjoyable novel. The book is placed in the 1980's and features a deposed European royal family. The daughter, Leigh-Cheri is living now with her family in Seattle, but dreams of making the world a better place. Leigh-Cheri, a former cheerleader who got pregnant in high school, recently had a miscarriage and promised not togged pregnant again. She is a redheaded, vegetarian who travels all the way to Hawaii in order to partake in "Care Fest". Along the way she meets Bernard, a pyromaniac who is also known as "The Woodpecker". He is a self-proclaimed outlaw and the two almost immediately fall in love. When they return together back to Seattle, Bernard is finally caught by the police and Leigh-Cheri is distraught. So she locks herself in her attic in order to further connect herself to Bernard. In the attic she does a lot of thinking. With her pack of Camel cigarettes, Leigh-Cheri thinks about things such as aliens, consumerism, being redheaded, building bombs, the moon, her cigarette pack, conspiracy theories with pyramids and redheads and Thomas Jefferson, along with the repeatedly asked question of "How to make love stay". This book brings many social issues together, in making them a couple, through an act of love, and even through karma.

 First of all, when Robbins pairs Leigh-Cheri and Bernard together, many issues are mentioned or even just present. With Leigh-Cheri breaking her celibacy pact and them addressing anti-pregnancy methods that is just one half of the social issues. "The first time that she spread her legs for him it had been like opening her jaws for the dentist." Clearly, breaking her pact to god must have been hard for Leigh-Cheri but if she found herself in a situation where she felt loved then she could have broken that pact with almost anyone. This shows that even back then teen pregnancy was a problem and so was underage sex. With her present struggle it also suggests that because Bernard was older than her she was very uncomfortable at first. On the other hand, Bernard, who is wanted in all fifty states of America considers himself not a petty criminal but an out law. He most definitely takes pride in that. "Sharks are the criminals of the sea. Dolphins are the outlaws." This comparison shows how he imagines himself as a graceful beautiful creature, so to speak, whom everyone wants to watch but not all can find, versus a shark who no one wants to come into contact with or even just look at sometimes. It also shows how he separates himself from who he considers is petty, like regular criminals. Another way he shows himself as superior even though he has done considerably horrible things, mainly involving explosives and the death of innocents, is comparing petty cops and criminals to an infestation. "Society had a crime problem. It hired cops to attack crime. Now society has a cop problem." Clearly even when he got caught, Bernard is somewhat insane. He puts cops beneath him when they are the ones who protect people like his beloved Leigh-Cheri and the ones who have now successfully imprisoned him. This shows people's arrogance and inconsideration in the world, even if they are just a little mental

Secondly, Leigh-Cheri's act of love portrays the lengths people will go to in order to have love. It also reveals a bunch of theories and the thoughts other people can place in your head. When she locks herself away with only a hard mattress, a chamberpot, and a pack of cigarettes, Leigh-Cheri doesn't feel regretful and she starts to think. "I'll follow him to the ends of the earth,' she sobbed. Yes, darling. But the earth doesn't have any ends. Columbus fixed that." This shows how far people will go for something such as love. It also kind of shows how naive people really are. Just because you would go so far for someone doesn't mean they would go that far for you. Another way she felt during this experience is somewhat satisfied, like she didn't need to be with Bernard just connected to him somehow. "Funny how we think of romance as always involving two, when the romance of solitude can be ever so much more delicious and intense." Clearly, just thinking about Bernard and if he was doing as she was, made Leigh-Cheri feel good. Perhaps it was just the endless possibilities of thought but no one really thinks of love in this manner. This is an interesting perspective on how to feel because even though she was isolated, Leigh-Cheri definitely didn't feel isolated.

 Lastly, by incorporating Karma and ironic situations, Robbins addresses even more issues that really are present in the world. For example, Gulietta who was the former royal family's sort of caretaker went on strike after discovering cocaine and realizing if the family didn't start paying her for her work she couldn't get more. During her strike the families house was in peril without her help but they still refused to pay her. Sometime after Gulietta was found to be a secret heir and inherited a fortune. This shows how we should always treat people with a kind-hearted attitude because even if they are addicted to something like cocaine, they may be able to help us in the future. This story also shows that drugs are an ever present problem in the world and no one seems to really care about their recreational use. In terms of an ironic situation throughout the book, Leigh-Cheri so often "asks about how to make love stay". This is ironic because throughout the book she so often loses love even though she has already found someone that would stay in love with her until their demise.

 Overall, Tom Robbins so effortlessly adds in many social issues throughout this complex novel. He addresses love, drugs, outlaws, redheads and many more hidden topics. His characters are very original and complicated, all representing different social issues (Leigh-Cheri= sex/pregnancy, Bernard= Outlaw/pyromaniac, etc.) This book really makes you think about the kinds of people out there and how perspective really is everything. Can you make love stay?

YA Literature Argument Essay

All over the world, teens aged 11-17 are reading shockingly gruesome “Young Adult Fiction Books” or YA books. These books cover a vast range of topics and ideas. Some examples include self-harm, sexual abuse, and homicide, but it doesn't stop there. The endless amount of gory topics could even merit an “R” rating for a movie. So, the question is, do we want to allow teens expose themselves to these YA books? This has been an ongoing debate throughout society for years. Critics and authors have been battling it out in articles and live banning debates in schools and libraries across the nation. YA literature should be limited, like in movies, by enforcing age restrictions for purchase or library checkouts, because of graphic content, loss of innocence within teens, and the negative influences it presents.

First of all, most YA literature is much too graphic for certain age groups. There is always going to be those younger kids who desire to do what the older kids can, so naturally they'll read the same books, even if they are too graphic. However, being so immature for example, pre-teens, these books should not be in their hands let alone their minds. “Reading about homicide isn't going to make a man a murderer; reading about cheating on exams won't make a kid break the honor code. It has to do with a child's happiness, moral development, and tenderness of heart. Entertainment does not merely gratify taste, after all, but creates it.” Clearly, a single story is not going to make a person who they are, but by reading gruesome YA books, one after another, teens and even younger kids will grow callous and maybe even become depressed. Obviously no one can work up a truly genuine smile after reading of something like a gory death or graphic rape, especially not younger adults. Even younger children may be trying to get their hands on these books, which, in the long run, are bad for their development, and can adversely affect how kind and selfless they could grow up to be. Another thing it affects is children's taste. People who read graphic content grow to have YA fiction as their only reading preference. For example, mystery murder stories, or tales solely about homicide and finding the killer. No worries for the grieving family, no mention of any funeral. If this grows into a “child's taste” in literature then what can we expect them to become as adults? This graphic material must be restricted because of these long term negative effects.

Secondly, YA books introduce teens to new concepts or ideas that cause a loss of innocence. After being exposed to gruesome topics, teens aren’t just going to forget them. The stories will linger in their minds and once read, they can't be untold. “(In) the latest novel by 'this generation's Judy Blume,' otherwise known as Lauren Myracle, a close friend of the victim, is herself yet to recover from a sexual assault in eighth grade; assorted locals, meanwhile, reveal themselves to be in the grip of homophobia, booze and crystal meths.” and “Acquaints us with the concept of 'bag fags,' heterosexuals who engage in gay sex for drugs”. After reading this, you can experience how twisted books have become. It is known that sexual abuse is a realistic problem in the world and that Myracle's book tackles recovering from it, but in the eighth grade? No one desires to read about a twelve or thirteen year old being raped. It's sickening, depraved, uncommon, and younger readers should not be subjected to read such material. Also the concept of “bag fags” is not only offensive to some but also opens up new ideas and a pathway for obtaining drugs. Selling yourself suggests new ways for teens to get what they want when that shouldn't even be an option. Obtaining drugs also shouldn't be viewed as a normal everyday thing to do, as portrayed in Myracle’s book. It also can’t be that hard for teens to hold off on reading  the really graphic stuff. “Adolescence is brief; it comes to each of us only once, so whether the debate has raged for eons doesn't, on a personal level, really signify”. This shows that in the short time teens are at that age of innocence, they don't need to be exposed for, only a few short years of their life to YA literature and that they can wait until they mature individually. As teens, most have not experienced the horrible things in life and still hold that certain awe of innocence. Some may argue that most teens are already aware of these topics. However, if they already know such pain and sorrow why should we allow them to be exposed to even further? Also if they aren't aware, why should we allow them to be like the others just to have that youthful innocence taken away from them? By practically handing them these books, their dark contents will haunt them and linger in their memories forever.

Some may say that YA books give teens solutions for their problems, however the solved problems portrayed in stories negatively influence them. For example, “The cover [of the novel, “Scars”] shows a horribly scarred forearm- might trigger a sufferer's relapse.” Now the “horribly scarred forearm” is just a picture, but if only a cover of a book has the potential to make a teen cut their own wrists or “self-mutilate” then you can only imagine what the contents of such a book might make them do. One glance of a picture and a week reading, which might influence them more? Obviously teens could face images just like this in the world, but why should we make that possibility even greater? These books should not be in open to teens because the consequences are likely greater than the lessons that might be learned. No one wants teens, or even children to be influenced to foolishly harm themselves over some fictional story with fictional characters, so the only solution is to limit those stories. Another example of negative influence is, “Books focusing on pathologies help normalize them and, in the case of self harm, may even spread their plausibility and likelihood to young people who might otherwise never have imagined such extreme measures.” If tens, because of YA books, regard things like cutting and drugs as casual or normal then that shows they see themselves doing the same even if they learned someone else's solution. We don't want them to take that first step into something that can harm them, therefore limitation, till a proper age, is necessary.

Overall, YA books for younger teens should hold an age limit because of its long-term consequences. Without their child-like innocence and being exposed to graphic content that gives off negative vibes, teens could become a stiff, unkind, scarred generation, whose childhood was taken away from them. Unforgettable images, and graphic words are powerful, sometimes too powerful for teens and children to take in properly. It is every one's job to protect them from that. We don't want our future generation running the world with misperceptions and bad ideas embedded in their mind. It is little things like harsh literature that can change the future of the world because the children are the future.

"Obsessive Genius" by Barbara Goldsmith

 In "Obsessive Genius: the inner world of Marie Curie" by Barbara Goldsmith, the author teaches not only of Mme. Curie's career and accomplishments but also of her hardships and personal experience in a time where she wasn't considered equal. Goldsmith helps the reader really understand who Marie Curie was as an individual and takes us on her journey from birth till even after her death with her hard research and great description of Curie's feelings or actions. One thing the author does is quote Marie's relatives on stories shared within the family. For example her granddaughter, Helene Langevin-Joliot tells how Curie was extremely depressed after she lost her husband, Pierre. She also describes where the Curie's performed experiments and the equipment they used in the process for the reader to better understand the process to discover polonium and radium.

In doing so, Goldsmith hopes to make the reader empathize for and get to know Curie. She also wants to persuade the reader that even through discrimination, you can succeed. One way Goldsmith does this is simply by using the facts. For example, when Pierre met Marie he didn't want to marry her because he thought, as a scientist, she would just get in the way of his work but Marie ended up being the complete opposite of a distraction. "All my mind was centered on my studies. I divided my time between courses, experimental work, and study in the library. In the evening I worked in my room, sometimes very late into the night...the world of science, I was at last permitted to know in all liberty." This quote was intended for readers to really understand how dedicated she was to learning and succeeding in science. Clearly she, unlike women were labeled, was hardworking and would only help advancements in technology and other forms of study. One way she makes readers see the other side of Mme. Curie, however, is by showing her struggles, making her job sound unbearable and making Curie extremely relevant in this time of age. "Marie found herself coping with heavy workload and child care. This major problem has been ignored or glossed over in many Curie biographies. At lunch time and in the evenings Marie would rush home to nurse Irene [Her daughter]. When she could not yield enough mile to satisfy her crying baby, though finances were strained, she was forced to hire a wet nurse, an act which gave her a feeling of failure." In writing this Goldsmith not only makes readers understand Curie’s struggle but really lets them empathize and connect to her, whether that's because of a sense of failure, pressure, or even motherhood. Another thing Goldsmith sneaks in is that her biography is different than most because of her honesty to portray Curie as just another person with problems of their own, not particularly special even if she did win a Nobel peace prize.

This well written complex book has made it so that I can clearly see that no matter any one's accomplishment, everyone has been through some tough times and is, at it's simplest, human. This makes me think that if I can relate to someone as iconic as Marie Curie, then essentially I can relate to almost anyone. Whether that's celebrities, people of third-world countries, or anyone one from a different socio-economic background.

"Has Young Adult Fiction Become to Dark?" By Mary Elizabeth Williams

 In, "Has Young Adult Fiction Become to Dark?" By Mary Elizabeth Williams, the author wants us to know that YA books, unlike Meghan Cox Gurdon suggests, hold an essential position in society and should not, in any way be banned or limited by schools or libraries. Williams states that YA books can't be compared with the past to prove a point, that although YA books have grim topics, misery is already presented in teens' lives and that they are named young adult books for a reason whether that's to experience complicated situations safely or to learn about the reality of society.  To prove her points, Williams quotes Gurdon and counters her opinions with Gurdon's mistakes. For example, she quotes Gordon saying that some YA fiction is suitable for teens and that no book can drastically change a person, then faults her for saying that all YA literature should be banned. Williams go so far as to say that Gordon's only valid point is that YA books don't contain desirable topics, Another thing she does is, unlike Gordon, include the perspectives of actual young adult. For example she quotes one of her daughters who explains that they are not called children books, but young adult books for a reason. Williams also quotes teen blogger, Emma, who explains that books are the only safe way for young adults to feel and experience otherwise dangerous situations. Williams' examples show that Gurdon's plea to ban YA books is invalidly supported and that these books have a useful and already limited-to-inappropriate-age-groups position in the world.
                     
 Williams strives to persuade readers that Gurdon's argument is invalid and that YA books present more good than bad, therefore have no colossal reason to be banned because of their ability to suggest solutions and bring comfort to already suffering teens. One way she achieves this is by using condescending language to show Gurdon as naïve or inexperienced, For example, " Do we really have to have this argument again? All right, fine. Here goes. Contemporary literature has too much sex violence, and our kids need to be protected from its depravity. So says critic Meghan Cox Gurdon, in a scorching Saturday editorial about Young Adult lit for the Wall Street Journal titled "Darkness Too Visible." Let's roll up our sleeves and get to it, shall we?" This opening is intended to show readers that the controversy of YA books is something the author is well versed in and that by Gurdon writing another negative article about the books just adds to the endless amount of articles. This suggests that Gurdon is beneath Williams and she is foolish to present an argument that is so easily refutted that responding just becomes busy work. She also persuades readers by selectively quoting teens to show the perspectives of who these books would effect. For example teen blogger, Emma, expresses reading YA lit as it ripping apart all the private parts of us and then stitching them all back together again before w even realize they aren't talking about us. This shows that the people being affected by these books are eloquent understanding teens who just want to feel and experience. This gives Williams an advantage because most everyone can relate or empathize for this teen's wants and feelings.

Mary Elizabeth Williams' article has made it so that I feel as if even some of the best critics leave mistakes in their work and anyone can argue with them. It also has made me feel that YA books actually have a slight positive effect on teens because the ones Williams quoted seem more realistic and well-spoken. One thing i'd like to see however is more pro-YA book adult perspectives so that I can get a feel for how past YA books affected other adults and what they think certain topics are useful for (i.e. a former cutting character can help a still suffering teen cutter). Overall Williams really disproves Gurdon and succeeds in persuading me that YA books have a useful purpose for teens.