Survivors of traumatic events like school shootings can feel a complex blend of emotions for a long time. The reactions of significant others can further complicate the process. In Please Pay Attention Jamie Sumner sensitively and poignantly portrays the journey of a young survivor from terror to hope.
Bea is a sixth grader who changes her hair color whenever her mother, Max, who is also her school nurse lets her. She loves her little, the kindergartener she's been paired with. She gets in trouble for drawing on her desk. She hates standardized tests. And because she has cerebral palsy she uses a wheelchair...
...which means that when her class hears the shots and the teacher tells them to move she can't. She later learns that the teacher was one of the victims.
Afterwards she has nightmares. Fearful of sleeping in her room she beds down on the porch at night. She experiences survivors guilt.
But help, in the form of equestrian therapy, is on the horizon.
Sumner's choice of free verse, cutting out excess verbiage, gets right to the heart of a preteen who has lived through what no child should have to experience.
She was inspired to write Please Pay Attention by the death of one of her friends, the head of the school, in a school shooting. It reflects not only her grief, but her anger that gun laws haven't been changed enough...
..."School should be a space safe from the dangers of the outside world, where children can learn and open their minds to ideas that will shape them into the future leaders of this society. They should not have to be vigilant for the best place to shelter from an active shooter."...
...and her determination to fight for stricter gun laws.
On a purrrsonal note, yesterday was full of special moments. Eugene and I had breakfast at Governors. You know I love me some Governors food. When Eugene and I went grocery shopping 🛍 🛒 he popped a big 🐸 Squishmallow into the child's seat of the cart. You know who that was for. Later he took me to Goodwill. I found not only what I needed (a black top and leggings for my tonight's performance) but really cool surprises: a cute cat shirt, a denim jacket to decorate, a little 🐧 Squishmallow with a 🎅 hat, and the most purrrfect baby winter pajamas featuring snowflakes, elaborate cocoa cup people wearing scarves or earnmuffs and topped with whipped cream or marshmallows, and 💕 made out of smiling marshmallows. I wore them last night and they were as comfy as they are adorable. The best surprise, though, was an afternoon so sunny 🌞 and warm I could spend it outside near my 💐. The one thing I did not like was turning the clock back. Now it gets dark too damn early.
A great big shout out goes out to the one and only Eugene.
Jules Hathaway
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
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