Sunday, September 19, 2010

UnSPEAKable

You must read this. Now.

Silence is not an option.

42 comments:

Summer Ross said...

You are right- it must be read. I'm all for speaking out!

Jemi Fraser said...

Summer - me too. I've seen too many people suffer. It's not okay to not help.

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

I linked there from Janet Reid's blog. Janet's post was eloquent, CJ's was gut-wrenching.
Thanks for posting. I think everyone should shout out about this. Laurie Halse Anderson spells out what happened on her blog. We can't be silent.

Mary@GigglesandGuns said...

Needs to be read and talked about by girls and women everywhere.

Jemi Fraser said...

Tricia - Totally agree. I haven't seen Janet Reid's post yet. I'll have to check it out. Thanks.

Jemi Fraser said...

Mary - exactly. I discuss this in class - not in specifics, but in generalities because it's happened to kids in many of my classes and they need to know there are places to get help.

Old Kitty said...

Thanks for the link. It's a harrowing subject matter and wanting to silence books and people who speak about such realities does little good and more harm to the survivors.

Take care
x

Jemi Fraser said...

Old Kitty - so true. It's horrific when the aftermath is worse than the event. We have to keep talking about it. CJ is so brave.

Julie Dao said...

Thank you so much for the link. Definitely reading this!

Jemi Fraser said...

Julie - it's well worth it. Janet Reid has a great post about this topic as well.

Private said...

Oh, that's terrible. I think rape should have the same punishment as murder, because it pretty much kills a person. and I read somewhere that only 20% of rapes (in Norway, at least) are reported. That's just macabre. Too tragic.

Jemi Fraser said...

Alexandra - definitely. The stats worldwide are pretty low. Most people don't report. It's horrific. We've got to do more to help!

Charmaine Clancy said...

Thanks for the link - very strong post.

Jemi Fraser said...

Charmaine - CJ's amazing. It must have been an incredibly difficult post to write. I'm so humbled by her courage.

Julie said...

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I'm really glad I read it.

Jemi Fraser said...

Julie - you're welcome. It's horrific, but needs to be discussed openly. So hard.

Mason Canyon said...

Thanks for sharing this link. Very inspiring post and the word does need to be shared.

Mason
Thoughts in Progress

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I read it earlier!

Jemi Fraser said...

Mason - it is and it does. Silence creates even more troubles for people who should be getting extra TLC and assistance.

Jemi Fraser said...

Alex - it sure is a memorable post. I know I'm not likely to forget it.

Buttercup said...

Courage beyond measure.

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

I read it and made a comment , I HOPE IT HELPS.

Yvonne.

Jemi Fraser said...

Buttercup - so very, very true.

Jemi Fraser said...

Yvonne - thank you. I think any additional awareness, any more conversation helps.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

There's been a lot of talk in the blogsphere over this issue. Awareness is crucial. Thanks :)
Lyn

Jemi Fraser said...

Lynda - I'm so glad the conversation is happening. It's vital if we're ever going to stop this hideous type of action.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

People use religion so often to cover up their own fears and promote their own agendas. Incest and rape have too long been hidden and kept secret. We must all speak up at every opportunity and watch out for each other and espcecially those who need us to watch out for them.

Jemi Fraser said...

Susan - excellent point. Kids shouldn't have to protect themselves. They shouldn't have to lose their childhoods, their innocence or their joy to these creeps.

VR Barkowski said...

Thank you for this, Jemi. CJ's courageous post broke my heart. That any child should have to endure such torture is an abomination.

You put it beautifully: Silence is not an option.

Jemi Fraser said...

VR - I thought CJ was wonderful before I read her post today. Now I know she's all that and so much more.

Kids should be safe. Always.

Unknown said...

Thanks for alerting us, Jemi.

Silence, indeed is not an option.

Well said.

Jemi Fraser said...

Wendy - thanks. It's too important to be quiet. Too many kids suffer in silence because they fear the aftermath. Awful.

Margo Berendsen said...

What wonderful courage! I am so thankful she shared her story. Speak's author shared an amazing poem she put together that compiles some of the heart of the thousands of letters she received as a result of the book at http://misfitsalon.blogspot.com/2010/09/listen.html

Jemi Fraser said...

Margo - I agree. She's amazing - she spoke with such courage and grace.

Thanks for the link - unforgettable. Heartbreaking.

Unknown said...

You may have said only 10 words, but that's ten words spoken against silence, and that's immeasurable.

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Beth. We really have to stop atrocities like this happening. Kids have to be safe. It's our best hope for this world.

Anonymous said...

How courageous to share her story. How inspiring that she kept her faith through it all. There are books and movies in the Christian genre that deal with drugs, rape, suicide, teen-pregnancy, cutting, bullying, and others issues of teens. To not allow books that deal with these issues, Christian or not, leads to isolation. Teens need to feel connected. Bravo to her for not being silent. And thanks for spreading the news, Jemi.

Natasha said...

Thank you for linking it, Jemi. You are right- silence is not an option. Girls need to know they are not the only ones, however ghastly it may sound to someone who is lucky enough to have a beautiful family.
Thank you.

Jemi Fraser said...

Lynn - I agree completely! CJ is amazing. The only way to encourage kids in this situation to speak up and reach out for help is to let them know they're not alone and it's not their fault.

Jemi Fraser said...

Rayna - there is so much power and strength in knowing you are not alone. I've taught too many kids who've suffered torments silently for too many years. I hope these stories will help others.

Dawn Simon said...

SPEAK is such a great book! My daughter recommended it to me because she thought it was awesome, and I read it and loved it, too. I'm glad bloggers are making people aware. Thanks, Jemi.

Jemi Fraser said...

Dawn - I've had it in my classroom for a few years, but I haven't read it yet. I'm so glad people are speaking up - it's such an important issue!