The Road to After

The Road to After

Juvenile fiction
"Suddenly, my grandmother comes upstairs,
rushing past the men to give Mama a hug.
But Memere isn't supposed to be here.
Daddy said she's not allowed.
If Daddy comes back now--
The thought fills me with fear."
There's only one thing better than a juvenile novel in verse
tackling a difficult issue through a well written, truly engaging
narrative. It's two. Recall last week we looked at Ellen Hopkins'
poignant and powerful What About Will? Today we're going to look at
another source of trauma, domestic violence, through the lens of
Rebekah Lowell's The Road to After.
For all her life Lacey, Lowell's protagonist, and her four-year-
old (and still nonverbal) little sister, Jenna, and their mother have
been living a very restricted life. Most of the time they had to stay
inside their house with windows covered to keep out the light. They
were not allowed outside unless accompanied by her father. In public
he knew enough to be charming. But back at home he was despotic,
negligent, manipulative, and abusive.
One day Lacey's world is turned abruptly upside down. Her
father is at work. Her mother tells her that her grandparents have
arrived to help them move. Men with badges are stampeding through the
house and confiscating her father's guns. Lacey is unable to take
beloved family dog, Mac, whom she is sure her dad will treat cruelly.
"Now my daddy's in jail.
I just want to know
why we couldn't have
just talked to him
to get him to change."
After staying awhile with her grandparents Lacey, Jenna, and
their mom move into a place of their own, an apartment in a place for
other moms and kids fleeing abuse. The girls have therapy. Many new
experiences, like a first library visit, are thrilling and exciting.
But sometimes new experiences are too loud, confusing, or
frightening. Despite her new safety and freedom sometimes Lacey
wishes that her family had stayed the same.
"Daddy went to jail because Mama told the police.
If she never told on him,
we would all still be together,
with Mac.
Sometimes this makes me really angry."
Delicate pencil drawings really help to bring Lacey and her
family's journey toward healing to life.
The narrative is so vivid and authentic I wasn't the least bit
surprised to learn in the author's note that, although the story isn't
an autobiography, it was inspired by Lowell's experiences surviving
domestic abuse.
"I wrote this book to send a message of hope. Sometimes we have
to go through some tough stuff to make it to the other side. That's
what happened to me--and to the family in my book..."
Domestic abuse is more pervasive that we'd like to think. It
takes many forms, not all of them visible. Abusers can be masters of
deception. So I believe this fine book belongs in all school and
public libraries.
On a purrrsonal note, my Wednesday was just too perfect. I had the
day off from work to help the Green Team with a clothing swap. We had
lots of people happily find treasures. I spent much of the time going
around the union and outside and telling everyone I saw about the
swap. My theory is: go where the people are; don't assume they'll
find you. I also spent time talking to Green Team people about some
pretty deep topics. At the end they were telling me that I'm awesome
and that I need to join their group fall semester. (Jules)
And she got home early which made my day. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to the Green Team for the many
worthwhile projects they do on campus.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway





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