I absolutely hated Gone with the Wind. I loved it too; it was fascinating beyond explanation…but that book broke my heart. And now, every time I think about it, it still makes me sad. What’s the point of that?! Books are supposed to make you happy and want to go out and conquer the world once you put them down.

This issue is of more than theoretical interest to me, as it is a big part of what I actually do, and teach, and write about - we already have 2 books out on Community Engagement, and it will be a big part of the one I am writing now.

And what it becomes is the difference between telling a story in a way that encourages people to take action, and telling it in a way that shocks people into either thinking there is nothing they can do, thinking, “oh it can’t really be that bad, this is just an isolated case” - or worse, telling it in a way that makes us want to curl up and die, and never think about it again.

When we first built the Diaper Bank in Tucson, the stories we heard were so horrible - about babies being in the same diaper all day long, or for 2 or 3 days, about elder abuse due to incontinence, about child abuse, about horror after horror I won’t describe here. We realized quickly that if we wanted to engage folks in a solution, we had to inspire and encourage them, not scare the wits out of them.

So we came up with an acronym - FUG - Fun, Upbeat, and Goofy. We talked about poop and pee and made people laugh. And then we would tell a story that was real - that would indeed make them feel something they may not want to face. But then we would share what they could do to help, and the fact that they could indeed work to build a community that didn’t include such horror stories. An we would end poignant and funny. And rather than recoiling in horror, they would sign on to help.

When my brother first saw our website, years ago, he said, “It’s not like child abuse sites and other sites I stay away from. I never have to be afraid of what I’ll see at the Diaper Bank’s site.”

So I think it’s about knowing the fine art of telling the story so it engages and inspires people to action, rather than just shocking - because I think really all those writers are indeed well-intentioned. I think they just don’t know a different way to engage folks in wanting to do something to find an answer, so they figure if they just tell the story, folks will take action. Unfortunately, the action they take is to pull the covers over their eyes, stick their fingers in their ears and say la-la-la so they don’t have to know anymore.

But then again, this is such a big piece of what I do for a living - I may just be biased.

Sorry so long - I have to get the hang of this blogging stuff!

Hildy

I missed so many great discussions here at your blog this week, Robin!

Now, as for the topic at hand, the only way I can really relate to this is Holocaust books (which we were forced to read at least two of in eighth grade Lit). I know the Holocaust is in the past and everything, but I have to say that I’m terrified that it might happen again, especially now that Muslims and others are trying to wipe it out of history.

The thing with the Holocaust books, though, is that they have the unique ability to get away with whole chapters just for the purpose of showing how bad a situation is…but I feel like some authors go way overboard with that, and it turns into a fest of gratuitous suffering that I’d just as soon not read, you know?

Lady T, I felt the way you did about The Kiss–based on the author interviews, no thanks. That’s not the kind of thing I want romanticized.

I feel passionate about the impact we can make as writers. Like Diana said, the right book treated the right way can affect not only the kids reading it, but also their parents.

There’s this notion of a person’s Circle of Influence. You concentrate your efforts with the people you know, really taking a stand for things you believe in, and just by virtue of your passion, that Circle becomes ever wider.

Writers can have a larger Circle of Influence than the average person on the street. What we choose to do with that is up to each of us. You can write an issue book just to be scandalous, or you can write one because you want to do your part to effect change.

It really is a personal choice, though. Not everyone wants the responsibility of being the point man/woman for some controversial issue.