Author Guest Post: Anna Levine, Author of Freefall

Anna Levine's Freefall takes place in Isreal, where all teens complete mandatory military service. I was intrigued by this setting and this culture, so I asked Ms. Levine to explain her choice to set her book in this locale. Here's what she had to say:

Israel is my inspiration. I’ve lived here for years, but still don’t get it. When I wander through the streets of Jerusalem (inevitably getting lost because the roads twist and turn on each other) I am overwhelmed by the sights, sounds, smells and commotion. I love the way the populations mix and go about their business in the most normal way possible. I guess I want to capture the magic of this city which gets a lot of bad press, but if you live here you realize how the people, the culture and the flavors all blend together.  

I use Israel as my setting because I live here and want to capture the pulse of the country, but in truth, I write about characters, about teens struggling to find themselves, assert their individuality, find love and acceptance among their friends and family, like teens do everywhere.

Author Guest Post: Catherine Ryan Hyde

For this author guest post, I asked Catherine Ryan Hyde to write about her choice of including a trangered character in her novel Jumpstart the World.  Here's what she had to say:

As some of you may know already, I grew up with a transgender sibling.  When I was about 13 or 14, I had to learn to call my sister my brother and switch from “she” to “he.”

I managed.  I don’t mean to make it sound like the trouble was all mine.  Sometimes I think people make too much of their own discomfort as a friend or relative of someone in transition.  Really you are not being asked to do anything but accept change.  Maybe I’m lucky, because I got a good early lesson in acceptance.  That’s the kind of lesson that comes in handy as life unfolds.

This is actually not the first time I’ve included a transgender character in one of my books. Pay It Forward---yes, Pay It Forward—contains the character of a transgender teen.  Gordy is his name.  He’s a teenage boy with a female gender expression, not really in transition yet, but presenting himself as female whenever he can get around his angry stepfather.  Unfortunately, his character never made it into the movie, so most people don’t know about Gordy.  See, that’s another good reason to read the book instead of just seeing the movie, for those interested in LGBT characters in fiction.

I knew why I wrote him into that book, too.  I was so outraged by the violence and abuse faced by transgender people.  The way someone will cross over from the other side of the street to start trouble.  To get in their faces, push them.  Ask them, “What are you?” (Uh, a human being?)  Call them “it.” When it happens to someone you care about, it’s pretty damned unbearable.  So I wanted to make that point.  Okay, it seems strange to you, fine.  Walk the other way.  Why would you even take it on as a personal problem?  You’re a total stranger.  What’s your point of engagement?  Why do you even care?

Not too long after I wrote Pay It Forward I met my friend Doug (I dedicated the book to him).  I read an article about a local transgender man (female to male) in the newspaper. I was so impressed by the courage it takes to come out like that in a small-town setting.  I didn’t know him at all, but I knew he’d just done a radio interview with a guy I know, so I got his email address and sent him a note of support.  I wanted to applaud him for that article.  In case he got any other, less supportive, notes.  He wrote back, and we’ve been friends ever since.

One thing has been experienced in common by both these transgender people in my life:  the fear and helplessness involved in a hospital stay.  When you read Jumpstart the World, if you do, you’ll see how that came into play.

I think I’m pretty disturbed by how much misunderstanding remains around the subject of transgender.  And I want to make a small contribution to clearing it up.  It’s hard for me to believe that many people still think it’s a mental illness, but there are those who still do.  Transgender people are not so disturbed that they don’t know what gender they are.  Transgender people are not so disturbed that they don’t know what gender they are.  A transgender person is someone whose insides don’t match their outsides.  It could have happened to you.  As it turns out, it didn’t.  But if it had, you’d understand, and you’d wish others would be open to understanding.  Or at least accepting.

So that’s why I wrote about the subject on more than one occasion.   Because I know from experience that when you know a transgender person, acceptance is not hard.  So, after this, maybe you’ll know Frank (from Jumpstart the World).  And maybe that will help just a little.  Maybe that will add a little understanding and acceptance to the issue.  I hope so.  I think it’s overdue.

Thanks to Catherine Ryan Hyde for visiting this blog and for writing such amazing books!

Character Interview & Auction: Swati Avasthi's Split

Recently, I had the opportunity to interview one of the most realistic characters I've ever met. His name is Jace, and his story is told in Swati Avasthi's novel Split. It's a fantastic read. It's a must-read.


I am an English teacher and students sometimes use writing assignments as a place to open up about their troubles. If a teacher were paying close attention to you, would they suspect that something was going on at home? Did you give off signs that others missed? 

Probably not.  I was pretty decent at hiding it. Practice makes silent. The what-happens-at-home-stays-at-home policy wasn’t just to protect my dad; it was a survival strategy for me, too.  Schoolbecame a sort of sanctuary for me.  For hours upon hours, I was a regular kid.  

Could my teachers have figured it out if I wrote something about it?  Well, there's the rub.  I would never written anything about it.  If I did, I’d have shredded it.

So, maybe that’s how they could have figured it out -- from what was not there.

Suspicious Absence:  I never took a picture of my parents, my houses (not even when we moved), or a self-portrait.

Your father is a judge, which is an interesting profession for someone who is so violent and controlling. Do you think that your experiences with you father have colored your relationship with authority figures?

Colored?  Too mild.  Try damaged. Authority figures who think that they've earned my respect because they are in a black robe, carry a badge, or even just stand in front of a blackboard, aren't the ones I'm wild about.

 Authority figures who don't inspire mouthy comments are the ones who have earned my respect.  Christian is sort of an 'authority figure'.’  I listen to what he has to say because he's got good judgment and gets me.   He doesn't force me to accept rules, anymore.  Instead, he explains why. Like I call him if I'm going to be late; I get that he worries if I'm not home.  That’s the kind of authority figure that works for me -- the kind that works with me.

What would you say are the warning signs that a girl should look for when dating a boy or man who is a potential abuser? What clues should your girlfriend or your mother have taken as a sign to get help?

I wish my mom had paid attention early.  When my mom and dad started dating, she'd never have put up with his crap. No one starts out as a victim; they are groomed into it.

Insults graduated to name-calling graduated to a fight where he grabbed her arm.  When she tried to call him out on it, he'd call her his very own, little drama queen, all affectionately.  He could charm and demean her all at once.

He eroded her barriers slowly.  Like how he got her to quit her friends.  He would sulk when they were with her friends and turn on the charm around his. She got the message.  You want the happy version?  Hang out with him in his style with his friends. And one day when she was mad at Lindsay, he told her Lindsay was never good enough for her anyway.  So...

Warning Sign No. 1:  He wants you all to himself -- to the point of isolating you from friends and your family.

Warning Sign No. 2:   He controls things that have nothing to do with him.

Do a mother-check.  If someone told your mom what to wear on her date, or that she should be less this or more that, wouldn’t you tell that creep he  should go … (PG-version) jump off a cliff?

Warning Sign No. 3:  He wants to know where you are all the time.

I used to walk Lauren from one class to another, saying she deserved the royal treatment.  It was actually an excuse to make sure she wasn't flirting with other guys. If he can’t let you out of his sight, it’s not romantic.  It’s creepy.

Warning Sign No. 4:  You start excusing his behavior.

He’s got you groomed.  He’s erased those boundaries, the lines in the sand.

My advice:  you're no one's cure.  And why should you be?   I get that it's great to be needed, but you can be needed in better ways -- ways that are about who you are, not who you aren't.  
  
Is there help for you? Do you feel like you're doomed to be an abuser if you grow up in a home like yours or are you able to change?

God, I hope so.  Deeply, deeply hope so.

Whenever I get discouraged and start thinking I am doomed, that I'm genetically pre-conditioned into repeating my dad's *&$& ups, I remember Christian.  He didn't come out of my house with his fists raised.  It would be easy just say, "Yes, I'm doomed," and let my fists find their home.  Saying I'm doomed is just another way of letting me off the hook.

I'm not doomed.  I may have to work hard -- maybe all my life -- to control my temper.  But I choose what I do.

And if it means that all my life I am vigilant – they’re worse things.  I've seen them.  Hell, I've been them.  Vigilance is an easy price for what I get in return. 

I am moved your story and imagine that there are many other readers who feel similarly. What can we do to help end domestic violence and teen dating violence?

If anyone tells you they know the answer to this, check that you have your wallet.

We can start talking to guys.  It’s up to us guys to tell other guys that hitting someone you love is seriously messed up. We need guys like Christian. Remember that argument between him and Mirriam, the one eavesdropped on?  Christian didn't back down; he backed away.  Backing away and starting clean -- that's not unmanly.  That's manning up.

Now not all abusers are guys and not all victims are girls.  Which is another reason we need to talk to guys.  Face it; it’s hard as a guy to admit anyone is beating on you, much less his girlfriend. So, we've gotta talk to guys about that, too.

*     *     *

I have to admit that I got a little emotional just reading Jace's answers to these questions. It was hard for me to write these questions; I did not take this task lightly. If this were another book, another subject, I would've had some fun and played around a little. I could not do that here. And, Jace wouldn't have wanted me to. I've read this book twice, and know Jace. He's serious. He's angry. He's not someone you want to joke with. So, I spend a week or two thinking up these questions. And, Jace answered them. His voice and his character are present in these answers. If you are at all curious about this book, please read it. If you are a secondary teacher, please make this book available to your students. And, if you or someone you know is being abused, please find help.

 Ms. Avasthi is raising money for the Family Violence Prevention Fund. Here are two of the amazing items that are being auctioned through this project:

From Andrew Karre: Critique of 2000 words of manuscript

From Tina Ferraro: Personalized, signed copies of all 3 of her novels  

Bid on something you're interested in, donate a few dollars (or more), spread the word.
However you help, please help!

Armchair BEA: Interview of Me for Me

I am work, work, working so hard this time of year to finish off the school year in a productive fashion that I cannot realistically give as much attention to the Armchair BEA assignments that I would like. So, rather than seek another blogger to interview, I'm going to interview myself. This will be much more time-effective for me and maybe some of you will stop by and leave off your blog addresses. I am giving final exams soon and would love to explore your writings about your readings!


Question 1: Why are you blogging, anyway?

Well. I've actually been blogging for about ten or eleven years in some capacity. I started an official blog for my classroom/ teaching a little over two years ago and have loved it. But, I outgrew my classroom blog because I did not want to clutter it up with all of the book reviews, thoughts, observations, and activities that I was participating in. So, DeRaps Reads was born and I love it!

Question 2: How much do you read?

I read daily. I guess my total time reading depends on the day, the weather, my mood, and how distracted I am. I have a touch of ADD, so that keeps me from getting as much done as I could. I probably read at least one hour a day. Most days I probably average 2 hours.

Question 3: What do you read?

In short--EVERYTHING! I love to read and always carry a book or magazine with me. Always. I belong to 5 book clubs and read tons of YA for my classroom. I also teach English (9-12th grade) and read all day in school. It's a pretty awesome gig. My loves are vast and wide. I'm not too picky about genres, though Westerns and romance novels are probably my least favorite.

Question 4: What else do you do?

I am involved in a lot of clubs and volunteer my time a lot. I love to garden, to cook, to run, kayak, bike, and to spend time with my uber-handsome husband and dog. I live on a mountain in the middle of the woods, so there are no fancy shopping adventures or city lights to distract me from lots of simple pleasures.

Question 5: Any random facts that you'd like to share?

I am weird. I have lots of crazy allergies, but tend to test the limits (like, I am allergic to shellfish, but eat clams every year to make sure that I still am. And, turns out every year that I am. Lots of grossness follows.) I have a favorite number and believe in astrology. My biggest pet peeve is people who chew on/ bite their nails. Drives me insane!