Take Me With You When You Go

YA fiction 

     "Dear Bea,

     I am not mad at you.  I don't blame you.  But I think you owe me an explanation.

     I know you're gone.  We all know you're gone."

     Ezra and his older sister, Bea, were growing up in survival mode.  Their mom, Anne, was very self centered and negligent, often resenting the responsibilities of parenting.  Their stepfather, Darren, was cruel, unpredictable, and physically and psychologically abusive.  We're talking about a family who should have had children's protective services called on them.

     But it didn't happen.  Not surprisingly, one day Bea is missing, her neatly made bed a testimony to the permanence of her absence.  Anne and Darren go into full interrogation mode, questioning Ezra and Bea's boyfriend, Joe.  Bea has left no note explaining her disappearance.  But in one of the places where he hides stuff Ezra finds an email address intended for his eyes only.

     David Levithan and Jennifer Niven's Take Me With You When You Go is written in an unusual format.  The narrative unfolds as a series of emails.  As Bea struggles to survive in a new city without income or connections and Ezra couch surfs trying to avoid Anne and Darren, especially Darren, the siblings share thoughts about the past, present, and future.  Can they ever be more than the failures they were taught they were by the people who were supposed to love and nurture them?

     The author's note includes a wealth of resources for young people trapped in abusive households.  It is prefaced by this message:

     "Too many young people are struggling in silence.  If you or someone you love is suffering from abuse, please reach out, speak up.  You matter and you are not alone.  Help is out there."

On a purrrsonal note, I did my very first hackathon.  It was at the Foster Center.  I got my supervisor to let me claim the time I was engaged in it in my internship hours because it was directly relevant--intensive experience in brainstorming.  It was also so much fun.  There were three teams.  I was on Tamra's team working on a campus mutual aid society to help students and staff members struggling financially.  We worked on our ideas in stages interspersed with relevant power points.  It was two days, four hours each.  At the end of the second day we gave our presentations and answered questions.  There was lots of good feedback.  And they fed us very well.  (Jules)

She brought back some good food.  I especially love the Thai food.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to all who participated in the hackathon.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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