Rid of My Disgrace

Holcomb, Justin and Lindsey Holcomb. Rid of My Disgrace: Hope and Healing for Victims of Sexual Assault. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011.

I have been searching for a good, solid Christian book about recovery from sexual abuse. The Christian community has spent far too much time ignoring this problem or attempting to wish it away with Romans 8:28.  A survivor of sexual abuse does not need platitudes, guilt trips, or more shame. 

Because the church as a whole has been unwilling to face the reality of this problem, many survivors are forced to seek help outside the church.  I can recommend several very good secular books for survivors, but it is difficult, if not impossible, to find a Christian book that is helpful instead filled with superficial saccharine.

The fact is that sexual assault of any kind leaves some very real scars and that these issues need to be addressed.  These issues simply cannot be solved with a "Take two Psalms and call me in the morning" approach. 

This book is a refreshing change.  Finally a book has been written from a Christian perspective and addresses the real issues that survivors face. Consistent biblical advice and counsel is given in appropriate measure.  If I were to speak with a survivor today, I would recommend this book in conjunction with several others. 

If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual abuse or assault, I would recommend that you read this book.  Also consider visiting the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network's website.  You are not alone.

Weapons of Mass Instruction

Gatto, John Taylor. Weapons of Mass Instruction. Canada: New Society Publishers, 2009.

I used to be an English teacher.  Actually, I used to be a fairly decent teacher; my students usually enjoyed my class, and it seemed to me that they were learning a lot.  I had good feedback on my observations from the administration and good test results from my students; I felt pretty successful.  However, there was always a nagging thought at the back of my mind:

When are these students going to use this information in real life?

I completely understand the real-life applications of strong writing skills or reading comprehension skills, but what about the more technical aspects of grammar?  If you are in a profession other than education or linguistics, has anyone ever, ever asked you to underline all the adjectives in a sentence?  Has your supervisor stopped by your desk and requested that you recite the characteristics of American Romanticism? Somehow I doubt it. 

Gatto, himself a former English teacher, questions not only the material covered in schools, but the methodology of schooling itself.  He posits that children who have been in school for 12+ years have not been educated, but rather trained into passivity and consumerism.  And I think he has a point. 

This book is fascinating, thought-provoking, and a bit discouraging.  I am so glad I was not reading this book while I was in a classroom, although it doubtless would have changed the methods I used.  I do agree with Gatto that school as we know it is not working.  The countless programs and dollars and methods and books thrown at schools every year - with little to no change in results - is evidence of that. There isn't a quick or easy answer to this problem, but it definitely is a problem that warrants addressing.

If you are an educator, a parent, or a student, I strongly recommend you pick up this book.  It is well worth your time.

Chanda's Wars

Stratton, Allan. Chanda's Wars. New York: Harper Teen, 2008.

Ever since Chanda's mother died of AIDS, she has been tasked with raising her younger brother and sister and taking care of their African home.  Her dreams of finishing high school and winning a scholarship are put on hold for the time being as she works as a teacher at the local elementary school, cleans the house in the evenings, and makes sure her brother and sister get to school on time.

All of this changes when a rebel general enters the country and begins wreaking havoc everywhere he goes.  Suddenly the job of caring for two little ones in addition to herself becomes a battle for survival.  Chanda has to track down the rebel general and his army of child soldiers and rescue her brother and sister.

I enjoyed this story. Stratton was able to create a realistic cast of characters, and I was rooting for Chanda as she tracked the rebel general through the bush, avoiding alligators, hippos, and other dangers.  I was so glad that she was able to rescue her brother and sister.  I also appreciated the author's treatment of their adjustment to "normal life."  Chanda's little brother and sister experience many difficulties returning to living in a house, attending school, etc.  Only when they are able to talk to Chanda's friend, whose face is scarred due to an attack/rape that she endured years before, are they willing to adjust to normalcy once more.  The children see Esther's scars and her ability to face the morning sun every day and begin to open up about what happened while they were in the rebel army.  Their healing begins when they are willing to bare their scars and share their burden with their family.

Alis

Rich, Naomi. Alis. New York: Viking, 2010.

Alis lives in a very strict, very secluded religious community.  When her parents inform her that she has been pledged to marry the 50-year old leader of the community, Alis decides she must flee.  She escapes to the city where she finds her brother and manages to survive for months by joining his gang of thieves.  When disaster strikes, Alis decides to return to the community and find Luke, the boy she would have chosen to marry had the choice been hers.  Upon her discovery that Luke has died, Alis is convinced that she is being punished for her disobedience, returns to her parents, and begins her preparations for marriage.

I've said this before: strict religious sects are in vogue right now.  I cannot tell you how many books about the FLDS church, the Amish, or other strict religious societies grace the shelves of the library I frequent.  I've yet to determine exactly why these stories are so popular. 

Nonetheless, this story did capture my interest.  The descriptions of this religious community are intentionally generic, so we never discover exactly what strict sect Alis is disappearing from.  I appreciated the careful line the author walked between describing the community Alis was living in and condemning it.  As in all other religious communities, Alis's home was populated by both "good guys" and "bad guys." 

I cheered for Alis when she managed to escape to the city.  I was glad when she took up thievery as her occupation, rather than the multitude of other options available for a young girl who is in desperate need of money. I was sad when she chose to return to her house, knowing she would soon be married to someone three times her age.  And the ending of the story was satisfying, if predictable.  As far as books of this genre are concerned, I did not mind this one at all.

Dreamhunter

Knox, Elizabeth. Dreamhunter. New York: Square Fish, 2005.

Laura's parents are dreamhunters, and she is determined that she will become a dreamhunter as well as soon as she is old enough to do so.  Dreamhunters are tasked with entering the Place and collecting dreams which they bring back with them and share with those around them.  Dreamhunters are able to share their dreams with those who are in the same building or same neighborhood and are asleep at the same time as they are.

Before Laura is able to become a dreamhunter, though, her father disappears, leaving her a cryptic message and a sandman servant.  Laura must unravel the mystery of her father's disappearance and the disturbing dream he discovered, and time is running out.

I enjoyed this story.  It took me a while to get into the story itself, but once I did, I understood the sharing of dreams to be similar to the Giver sharing memories with Jonas in Lois Lowry's classic work.  I figured the dream Laura's dad had found was a disturbing one in that it told the future and that people needed to receive the warning from this dream.  I was excited when Laura was successful in returning to the Place, finding the dream her father had found, and sneaking into the Rainbow Opera to share this dream with the hundreds of patrons there.  But then the novel stopped.

There was no explanation of what the dream meant, what would happen next, how the government officials reacted, what Laura planned to do, etc. etc.  The story ended with more loose ends than a Part 1 normally has, and the plethora of questions now running through my head do not entice me to pick up Part 2 of this book.  The concept is really neat, and I enjoyed the fantasy aspect of this story, but I was too frustrated by the ending to choose to do that to myself a second time with the sequel.