What to Read and Write
Because of my school job, I'm made aware of child abuse and neglect cases almost daily. Understandably, I'm on a short fuse about child abuse and neglect. In real life, evil people harm children, use dogs to fight each other and hurt the elderly. These issues push me beyond the edge of ugliness, but that is another vigilante kind of story, for another day.
When done properly, using
bad situations in fiction can give a voice to certain issues and
could be beneficial to society.
Off the top of my head, a couple of
books that include a child murder (and or abuse) are:
- The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
- Where are the Children by Mary Higgins Clark
A few stories (of mine) that
deal with sensitive content and vulnerable populations are cover:
- A dog who dies,
- A serial killer of teenagers (sci fi),
- A child who decides to disobey parent rules and is abducted, and
- A child who kills another accidently, but grows up to (possibly) kill again.
There are plenty of tense or sad
moments in those stories, but nothing graphic or torturous
against these populations.
What do you think? Have you read
The Lovely Bones or Where are the Children and what
do you think about the content? If you are a
writer, what are your limits on dealing with sensitive subjects?
If you need more reading,
don't forget about The Ruralhood where there are new stories posted every
150 years or so. 😎 I promise.
T.
Comments
However hiding from ugliness doesn't make it go away. I believe that things hidden in the dark fester and grow.
I have read The Lovely Bones. And other books which explore child abuse. Heart breaking and sometimes a powerful lesson.
But I do think that books have the ability to heal, too, and that tough subject matter, well-written, can help others feel they're not alone.