Strong At The Heart

Just now I opened a puffy envelope from McMillan, the company that now owns my publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Inside, amazing, four copies of Strong at the Heart in Japanese!

This edition has two new interviews, one at the beginning and one at the end of the book. Each is with a young Japanese woman. I can’t wait to take it to one of my Japanese speaking friends so I can hear what these new people say!

The translator, or perhaps the author of the Japanese material is, Atsuko Konishi. I haven’t found her on line yet, but I’ll let you know when I do. On Japanese Amazon, it is being marketed with a book called Stand. The cover of Stand has a photograph that is also used in one of the new chapters—an intriguing looking photographer looking out at the reader with her camera covering one eye—a little like the half face of Akaya on the cover of the American edition.

It’s really quite wonderful to realize that this book will reach a whole new audience of child sexual abuse survivors and their supporters, to see the photos and to know that eleven amazing survivors’ stories are in front of me (nine of which I know so well) in a text I cannot yet read!

This weekend I’ll be headed for Davis, California, to receive the Friend of the Child Award from young child abuse advocates.

The Courageous Kids’ Network is a group of young adults who speak out about their experiences being placed with abusive parents by family courts. Now that they are out of abuseve homes, they are speaking out to help other kids. I’ve heard a lot about them but this will be my first chance to meet them in person.

The conference is the 14th Annual Child Sexual Abuse Awareness Conference put on by the California Protective Parents Association.

Jessica Hendry, who played Dejar in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine will speak at the conference about her memoir How Yo Cook Your Daughter, and what it was like when she confronted the famous father who abused her.

more news

Later this month, on April 24, I’ll be speaking at the Downstate Conference on Child Abuse in Southern Illinois.

I’ll present a plenary session on STRONG AT THE HEART and lead a workshop in Overcoming the Stigma of Abuse.

I just heard from Mindy, one of the Cybils organizers, about a new interactive book site for children’s and young adult literature.

And Strong at the Heart has its own page there.

At the Tandem Library Books site you can bring up four separate lists of recommended book in Texas state reading programs. (Strong at the Heart is on the Tayshas list for high school students.) Scroll down the column of book jackets and click to open a graphic that looks like a book with “pages” you can turn for a book description, author bio, and list of related books.

There’s even a way to rate the books you’ve read.

The books listed for the Tayshas include five I’ve written about on this blog and/or presented at literature conferences. Look for Sold by Patricia McCormick, Inexcusable by Chris Lynch, and Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin.

This is a fine way to learn about the latest and best books. And the different lists cover books for all ages.

This just in: I just opened a copy of the March issue of Play Therapy, a magazine for mental health professionals who work with children and teens.

There, on page 32, is a great review of Strong at the Heart in which a therapist describes using the book with her young teen clients.

With the author and publisher’s permission, I’m pasting the review in full below.

Jenner, Sheena, Tammy, Jonathan and all—when you read this, you’ll see the far reaching impact of telling your story!

the review
STRONG AT THE HEART: How It Feels to Heal from Sexual Abuse
By Carolyn Lehman, MA
Reviewed by Terry Abell, MEd, LMHC

This five star book is a pleasant surprise, easily read, and displays survivor photos. Chapters are written by survivors. This book presents diverse populations, including males, females, Euro, Latino, Native, and African American cultures, and discusses variations of abuses, including rape, abduction abuse by a priest, and scenarios involving family, date rape, and males abused by females.

Narratives include initial abuse, effects on survivors, and resolution. Sometimes, help was accessible immediately, sometimes not. Sad experiences were offered regarding pre-recovery. Disclosures of substance abuse, suicidal ideation and denial are presented honestly.

When I used this book with clients, I asked to read them a story, stopping to process at intervals. I first used this book with a female ninth grader recently assaulted by an adult male. I selected appropriate stores, which helped her finally acknowledge that the assault was not her fault. I also used this with a 12 year-old with a lifelong history of on-going abuse. We read stories and talked about ways these matched her story. It provided exposure to others who survived, moved on to heal and reach out. She is now in a safe, nurturing environment, making strides and ready for group work. This book provides a stepping-stone towards group.

I intend to use this with survivor groups in the future. Many of our clients are exposed to abuse, directly or indirectly. This book is a great tool and should be added to any counselor’s arsenal.

Bloggers who are fans of children’s YA literature have started a new award, the Cybil. Check it out and nominate your favorite book from the past year.

I am honored to serve on the Middle Grade/YA Non-fiction award committee. And, no, Strong at the Heart is not eligible.

Westhaven

Closer to home, I’m speaking at the Westhaven Center for the Arts, in Westhaven, California, this Saturday from 3-4:30 p.m. The event is co-sponsored by the Emma Center, a local nonprofit that supports women who are healing from the mental and physical effects of childhood trauma.

I’ll be showing photos from the book and other behind-the-scene shots. What I’m hoping is that we’ll have a discussion of what we can do in our community to better support survivors and to help prevent abuse.

The event will be at 501 S Westhaven Drive in Westhaven. To find out more, see the article in today’s Times Standard.

If you’re local, do come!

Check this out: Cynthia Smith just posted an interview with me on her weblog Cynsations.

Cynthia is a wonderful interviewer. She asked the kind of questions that brought out stories about the book, the writing of it, and the responses of individual readers. It’s the best interview on the book yet.

If you are at all into books for young readers, her blog and website are well worth bookmarking. Cynthia puts up two or three author interviews each month and posts news and opinions about books for kids and young adults. Her website is full of goodies including an archive of her author interviews. I hope mine will be there soon, too.

She’s also a wonderful author herself and has written several books that circulate from my bookshelves and are listed in my bibliographies of recommended books.

kentucky bluegrass

To my absolute delight, Strong at the Heart has been listed for the 2007 Kentucky Bluegrass Award, Master List for grades 9-12. High school students throughout Kentucky will have the chance to read from this list of fifteen books and then vote for their favorite. Right now I have a very warm spot in my heart for Kentucky!

I just learned that Strong at the Heart has been listed in the 2006 “Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People.” This is a publication of the National Council for the Social Studies and goes to social studies teachers all over the US.

On their website, the list is described like this: “The selection committee looks for books that emphasize human relations, represent a diversity of groups and are sensitive to a broad range of cultural experiences, present an original theme or a fresh slant on a traditional topic, are easily readable and of high literary quality, and have a pleasing format and, when appropriate, illustrations that enrich the text.”

Lists from former years are downloadable, but 2006 is available to members only right now.

It’s a wonderful honor and will help Strong reach young readers. Thank you to the selection committe and the Children’s Book Council!

this saturday

On Saturday, June 17th, I’ll be the featured speaker the Humboldt County Library Authors in the Afternoon series. The event will be held at 2 pm in the at the Main Library in Eureka, California. I’ll show photos from the making of the book, tell how and why it all came to be, and share the backstories of some of the people in the book. If you are in the area, I hope you come by and say, “Howdy.”

Strong at the Heart received three honors this spring. Now they are all up with links.

Every year the Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street College selects a short list of recommended books for teens. Strong is one of the books honored this year. The committee was founded over ninety years ago to help parents, librarians and teachers select good books for young readers.

Strong at the Heart was also chosen for the New York Public Library’s Books for the Teen Age. This is an annual listing of recommended books that you can download as a pdf. It’s also a published in hard copy and available at New York public libraries.

I already posted about the Skipping Stone Honor Book award, but now you can see the official announcement at their website.

Here’s their description of the award: “Twenty-five honored books… encourage understanding of world’s diverse cultures, nature and ecological richness. They promote cooperation, nonviolence, respect for differing viewpoints, and close relationships in human societies. Together, the honored titles offer a great variety of learning experiences for all ages.” Good company to be in!

blog link

If your interest is in children’s and young adult books, you really should know about Cynthia Leitich Smith’s site. I’ve followed it for years and it rocks. She has great annotated lists of recommended books, information for writers, and thoughtful articles on aspects of children’s and young adult literature.

Her blog is a lively place with author interviews and other news. On her May 9th entry she linked to this site. Thanks, Cynthia!

Well, this is cool. I have an email from FSG, my publisher, that Strong at the Heart was chosen as a Skipping Stone Honor Book. Every year this multicultural children’s magazine choses roughly ten books to honor and Strong at the Heart is one of them this year. The links aren’t up yet, and I don’t have more information, but when I do I’ll post it here.

Yesterday’s event in Cambridge went so well despite the PowerPoint projector not showing up. A diverse audience came and after the presentation/discussion most of the audience stayed on for an open and engaging conversation that continued for another two hours. Discussion ranged from how race and class play into survivor experience to the corrosive effects of the pressure to “forgive.” There was humor, insight, disclosure, and a warm respect in the room. And something else, too, a sense of the strength and cohesion. This was despite the wide range of our experiences and viewpoints or maybe because of that and because people took risks to ask tough questions and to answer with candor.

There’s something very powerful that happens when we get together face-to-face.

One woman, at the very threshold of healing, rocked us with her humor and her strength. Mike Lew, author of two excellent books for men on healing from sexual abuse, deepened the conversation with insights from his many years in the field. (If you don’t know his books, check them out in the self-help section of my recommended books page or on his website. Titles: Victims No Longer, Leaping upon the Mountains.)

All in all a good event and a wonderful way to end the Boston Tour. Afterwards I had the pleasure of dinner with Annemarie Munn and today I’m staying with my dear friends in Framingham. Home soon.

vagina warriors

For those of you who’ve asked for more about the Vagina Warrior Awards, here is part of Sarah Page’s introductory remarks from Tuesday night:

“Welcome and thank you all for coming. Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues, writes, ‘Being a Vagina Warrior means developing the spiritual muscle to enter and survive the grief that violence brings and, in that dangerous space of stunned unknowing, inviting the deeper wisdom.’

“The three women we honor tonight, Cassie Burgess, Carolyn Lehman and Fox Olsen, embody what it means to be a Vagina Warrior. . . . The Vagina Warriors are integral members of our community, women working to end violence, striving to shed light upon a quiet darkness.

“The theme for our 2006 Vagina Warriors is ‘The New Revolution.’ The phrase, ‘New Revolution’ means that these women have a tireless and creative commitment to ending violence against all people. It means that they show their commitment to ending violence in our community in new and transformative ways.

“Another aspect our Vagina Warriors all have in common is their efforts to help young women and children. Every woman on this panel has helped give voices to young people, voices that might not have been heard had it not been for their efforts and dedication. Be it through novels and interviews and the written word, to being a homeless advocate and AIDS and HIV educator, to coordinating a sexual assault response team and being available for survivor support and welfare, these women are teaching and encouraging new generations of Vagina Warriors. They are watering seeds of change in our community and we are honored to have them here this evening to teach us more about their important and transformative work.”

What followed was an intimate and moving discussion of what it means to do social change activism in our community. Cassie was awesome talking about how she developed the SART team and what it is like to be with children, men, and women as they go through post assault forensic exams. She brought me and several others to tears. Fox is a tough and tender leader bringing families out of homelessness. You should have been there.

blog change

Now that I know that the registration process was a show stopper (thanks to those who told me!) I’ve changed the blog set up so that you can add your comments and see them right away without registering.

The reason for the registration was to filter out spam and creeps, but I was pretty much only hearing from people off-blog, so let’s try this and see how it goes.

Let me know what you think.

BTW, if you’ve never posted a comment on a blog before, you just click the “comments” button below this entry, then scroll down, and a box will appear where you can write what you want to say. Easy.