Hope in Patience

Hope in Patience by Beth Fehlbaum (WestSide Books) ISBN: 978-1-934813-41-6

Plot Summary

Escaping the sexual abuse of her step-father Charlie, Ashley Asher is beginning her first year of school in Patience, TX after having moved in with her biological father and spending the summer in her step mother's summer English class where the students read the Chris Crutcher novel Ironman.  After a backlash over the use of the book from parents, Ashley's stepmother Bev is having to step a bit more lightly, and finds that even selecting a book from the curriculum (Farewell to Manzanar) is enough to trigger the wrath of Coach Griffin.  Ashley has to face her stepfather as part of their court case.  Worse, she has to face her mother and grandparents who don't believe that Charlie has done anything wrong.  Ashley also struggles and fails to live life as a normal teen: running on the cross country team with her best friend Z.Z. and exploring her feelings for Joshua.  She blows up at Z.Z. in school.  She freaks out at the haunted house when a costumed ghoul rushes towards her (she has to be picked up by a Search and Rescue team).

Critical Evaluation

The book tends more toward instructive or therapeutic purposes than any other book I've yet read for the class (the inclusion of the RAINN hotline's number at the back of the book suggests this even more strongly).  While the book does follow a typical plot structure for a YA novel -- one that could be mapped onto Freytag's Pyramid (exposition --> rising action --> climax --> falling action --> denouement), this all feels somewhat beside the point.  It's the inner narration of Ashley as she ruminates/obsesses or the scenes of her and her psychologist Dr. Matt that seem like the real point of the book.  It feels like a tool to be used to overcome trauma.  The story trappings feel much more like devices to explore issues like developing trust or accepting realities.  The deus ex machina that takes care of Charlie might feel like a shabby (or if we look at it more positively: a kind of brutally naturalistic) narrative turn.  But that's only if we look at the book as attempting something literary.  Reading the book as a coping tool paints his death in an entirely different light: it is there to show that we can't change others.  Ashley's mother is not going to realize that Charlie was a rapist (even though he's capable of breaking her daughter's arm or hospitalizing her because of his drunk driving, which incidentally causes his death).  The obstacles in the book feel like therapeutic tests.  By presenting the work as a novel perhaps Fehlbaum reaches a broader audience.  This has the upshot of spreading awareness about violence against women.

Reader’s Annotation

Ashley's mother doesn't believe that her step father Charlie raped her.  She struggles with how to convince her mother and win her love back.  All the while, she has to deal with all the other difficulties of being a teen: backbiting, crushes, friendships, mood swings, and school work.

Information about the author

From the author's webpage: 

In addition to writing Young Adult Contemporary Fiction, Beth Fehlbaum is an experienced English teacher who frequently draws on her experience as an educator to write her books. She has a B.A. in English, Minor in Secondary Education, and an M.Ed. in Reading.

Beth is the author of the forthcoming Big Fat Disaster (Merit Press/F+W Media, March 2014); Courage in Patience (Kunati Books, 2008); and Hope in Patience (WestSide Books, 2010). Hope in Patience was named a 2011 YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers. Truth in Patience, which rounds out The Patience Trilogy, is as yet unpublished.

Beth has a following in the young adult literature world and also among survivors of sexual abuse because of her work with victims' advocacy groups. She has been the keynote speaker at the National Crime Victims' Week Commemoration Ceremony at the Hall of State in Dallas, Texas and a presenter for Greater Texas Community Partners, where she addressed a group of social workers and foster children on the subject of "Hope".

Beth is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, like Ashley in The Patience Trilogy, and the day-to-day manager of an eating disorder much like Colby's in Big Fat Disaster. These life experiences give her a unique perspective, and she writes her characters' stories in a way meant to inspire hope.

Beth lives with her family in the woods of East Texas. (Fehlbaum, 2013).

Genre

Problem novel/Rape/Teen coming of age

Curriculum Ties

The book might not be part of a regular curriculum, but would be especially useful for a teen who had experienced some form of abuse or trauma.

Booktalking Ideas

1) The book would be particularly appropriate for clinical use.
2) Ashely's inner monologue might connect broadly with teens who often feel like outsiders.

Reading Level/Interest Age

There is frank discussion of sexual abuse and some strong language.  But given the topic, I think it would appeal to any one who's experienced abuse. 6th grade and up.

Challenge Issues

The book deals with rape and includes some foul language and a gay character.

I would openly greet any patron who presented a challenge to the work, giving them ample time to detail their complaint.  I would listen attentively.  To respond to these challenges I would have some reviews of the work on hand.   I would be prepared to explain that as a public institution libraries "cannot limit access on the basis of age or other characteristics" (ALA, 1999).  I would have copies of the library's collection policy on hand.  I would be prepared to politely discuss that parents can control what their children are exposed to by coming to the library with them and examining books they check out.  If the Teen Advisory Group had written reviews of the book I'd have them handy.  While it may be of little comfort to certain parents, I would also be prepared to discuss my staunch support of intellectual freedom and abhorrence of censorship.  As a last resort, I would be sure to keep copies or a reconsideration form on hand.

Why did you include this book in the titles you selected?

The book was assigned for the course.

References

American Library Association. (1999). Strategies and tips for dealing with challenges to library materials. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/challengeslibrarymaterials/copingwithchallenges/strategiestips

Fehlbaum, B. (2013). Bio. Retrieved from http://www.bethfehlbaumbooks.com/bio.html