An Active Handprint Book Review

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

by Ishmael Beah 

It's haunting. It's disturbing. It's necessary. 

Juxtaposed against the backdrop of childhood innocence, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier is a harrowing tale of a twelve year old boy as he fights daily to survive in a tumultuous Sierra Leone. This haunting coming-of-age novel highlights the instinct to survive and the psychological tortures that come with it. 

Ishmael's heart-wrenching tale questions the very root of human nature yet explains the light within each of us. A light that even when extinguished by the heaviest downpour glows red, waiting to be reignited by a single spark of hope. 

A Long Way Gone drags readers though the decline into violence: explaining how boys as young as seven were molded into soldiers, justifying hauntingly gruesome scenes, and portraying murder, near-death experiences, heartbreak and rehabilitation. 

The writing is raw. The descriptions are as honest and objective as possible. The memories are painful. Yet the language retains a lyrically whimsical, tribal quality that floats readers through even the most sickening moments. 

If you have ever felt that you have done something that is unforgivable, this is the book for you. 

If you have ever thought that you are beyond help, this is the book for you.

If you believe in the redemptive nature of humanity, if you believe that innocence needs to be protected, if you believe that there is always hope,  this is the book for you. 

(alongwaygone.com)

Click HERE for more information or to purchase. 

Review by Brittany Slusarczyk

©ActiveHandprint 2012

Homelessness in America

Home--for many of us the word conjures up a slideshow of images. Sometimes we may think of our caring parents, loving siblings and warm dinners. Sometimes we may think of arguing with our parents, annoying siblings or dinners that were disgusting. Whatever the memories, good or bad, the fact is that we have memories of home.

Unfortunately, tonight in America,  over 600,000 people will not have a home to sleep in.


According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness,

"By the numbers:

-There are 643,067 people experiencing homelessness on any given night in the United States.
-Of that number, 238,110 are people in families, and
-404,957 are individuals.
-17 percent of the homeless population is considered 'chronically homeless,' and
-12 percent of the homeless population - 67,000 - are veterans." Read More

Get Involved:

Volunteer in a local shelter 

Organize a donation of supplies to a local shelter (canned food, paper goods, toiletries, books)

Volunteer at a local soup kitchen to serve the homeless

Advocate for the homeless by calling 202-46204822 or e-mailing info@nationalhomeless.org

Make posters to place around your school/community to help peers who may be homeless

Donate your used clothes and shoes to a local shelter

Get more ideas

Read More:

Read a collection of stories about homeless teens overcoming their obstacles in

       The Struggle to Be Strong: True Stories by Teens About Overcoming Tough Times 
       Edited by Al Desetta M.A. (Editor), Sybil Wolin Ph.D. (Editor)

Read about a homeless teen in NYC in

       Street Life: My Story (E-book) by Wayne Kernochan

Read about the daily lives of homeless women in the D.C. area in

       Tell Them Who I Am: The Lives of Homeless Women by Elliot Liebow

For children, read about a child living out of his car in

       A Shelter in Our Car by Monica Gunning

If you need help:

If you are under age 20, call 1-800-323-GROW

Click here to find a homeless shelter by you. 

Know that you are not alone and that there are many people willing and able to help!

Child Abuse

Childhood, [chahyld-hood]
n. a time to play, laugh, sing, dance, ask questions, explore, enjoy
n. a stage of life classified by innocence and purity


Unfortunately for an estimated 6 million children1 in America, childhood is not filled with blocks, dolls and smiles. Instead, these children are stripped of their innocence, beaten into learning the cruelest edges of humanity.


What constitutes child abuse? 
Child abuse is legally defied as an act, or failure to act, that results in the death, serious emotional or physical harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation of a child or which places the child in an immediate risk of serious danger. 2



Every 10 seconds a report of child abuse is made. 1

Shockingly, nearly 5 children die from child abuse each day in America.1 


About 80% of those children who die from abuse are under the age of 4. 1

Roughly 50%-60% of the child fatalities that occur as a result of maltreatment are not recorded on death certificates. 1

Artist: J. Sanchez

Get Involved
-Local high school students suggest:
-TALK ABOUT IT--the more people who hear about it, the more people who can help fight it
-Post/Tweet projects about stopping child abuse
-Post/Tweet shocking statistics about child abuse
-Find a charity that supports ending child abuse
-Create a club or organization that supports ending child abuse
-Report any suspicious activity to DYFS, a teacher, a police officer, a counselor, an administrator or a school nurse
-Create posters to hang around school with stats, info and pics
-Wear a blue ribbon
-Create a petition and have students pledge that if they SEE something to TELL someone
-Create a bulletin board in your classroom
-Volunteer at a shelter or home for abused children
-Hold a fundraiser to raise money or gather supplies to send to a local shelter

Scene from They Cage the Animals at Night
Artist: A. Glowka

Read more:
-Check out They Cage the Animals at Night or A Child Called It to get a first hand perspective on the topic
-Read personal stories from those who have faced abuse
-Look up more statistics about the topic




If you are being abused:
-Know that you are not alone and that there are people who can help!
-Tell a friend, teacher, administrator, police officer, counselor, nurse
-Call 1(800)4-A-CHILD the National Child Abuse Hotline
Remember: You are important, and you deserve to be safe!

Posters by: M. Ross & G. Saidian

1. http://www.childhelp.org/pages/statistics#abuse-conseq
2. definition modified from  (42 U.S.C.A. § 5106g).

Childhood Poverty in America

"Oh my God! I'm starving!" 
"If I don't eat, I'm gonna die."

How often do we spew out these words? How often do we whine and complain because our lunch plans have been delayed an hour or so? We many times proclaim that we are "starving," "ravenous," "dying of hunger."

But what does it really mean to be starving? To go to sleep hungry? To not know if the next meal will come, and if it does, what it will even be?

Ask the 19.8% of school-age American children who are living below the poverty line.

If you break that statistic down, it means that 1 in 5 American school children are considered poor. (This does not even factor in the "working poor" and those struggling to make ends meet).

Get Involved:
-Volunteer at a local soup kitchen or food bank
-Hold a food drive and collect non-perishable items
-Talk to local restaurants about collecting unused food and donating it

Read More:
-Learn about Child Hunger in your community
-Check out New Ideas to help make a difference
-Read My Mother's Car to hear one child's story of poverty
-Read Hope for Children in Poverty: Profiles and Possibilities





Phrases of Action:
What is the poverty line?
Currently in the US, it is an income of $22,314 per year for a family of four.

Bullying

Recent studies show that 13% of teens admit to bullying.
An additional 6% of teens admit to bullying and being bullied.
In all, there are about 19% of teens bullying.
19%.*


So, about 1 out of 5 students will bully another student.


Well we could stop there. 


Or we can turn to the rest. To the 81%. 
The 4 out of 5 students who know bullying is happening.
The 4 out of 5 students who are not bullied.
The 4 out of 5 students who are watching.
The 4 out of 5 who could be leaving an Active Handprint.


The number of students who can stop bullying far outweighs the number of bullies. So why are students not standing up for each other? 


Many are afraid the bully will turn on them. Many are afraid of being associated with the person being bullied. Many are afraid of what their friends will think if they stand up for another person (it takes a lot to stand up to a bully; it takes even more to stand up to your own friends). And then there are many teens who want to help but don't know how...

First ask yourself: 

How would I feel if that were me? Would I be okay with everyone walking by? Would I want someone to stand up for me? Would I want help? 

Get involved:
The number of non-bullied students outnumbers the bullies. SO DO SOMETHING!


Local students suggested:
-Tell a teacher, guidance counselor, parent, principal if you see bullying
-Inform students about reporting bullying incidents
-Have an assembly to talk about standing up for others
-Learn what it is like to be bullied 
-Challenge your friends to stand up to bullying too
-Don't use derogatory terms towards your enemies OR your friends  
-Don't joke about bullying
-Follow @StopBullying on twitter
-Write your own story about bullying
-Make a poster like the one below to bring awareness to the topic

Read More:
-Learn more about bullying 
-Read stories of those who have been there and those who want to stop it
-Read Dear Bully-- a collection of short stories where authors tell about their experiences with bullying  
    

"First They Came for the Jews" 

By Pastor Niemoller 

First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.

http://www.rkdn.org/u-r-next.asp

Women's Education

Sophomore year. For most American high school students the year means nothing. No special attention like freshmen. No prom like the juniors and seniors. No graduation. No ring ceremony. Nothing.

So why is sophomore year so significant for women?

Greg Mortensen, author of Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan, reveals the facts:

"According to Yale economist Paul T. Schultz, an extra year of secondary school may raise [a] girl's lifetime wages by an additional 15 to 25 percent" (12). *


Who knew sophomore year was actually so important?



Get involved: 
-Visit Mortenson's site to learn more about the schools he is establishing and their benefits
-Visit the Central Asia Institute's site to learn more about their cause and contributions
-Visit Pennies for Peace a site established for school children to learn how a penny can make a difference


Read about it:
-Pick up a copy of Stones into Schools




* Mortenson, Greg. Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan. New York: Penguin Group, 2009. Print.