You Too? is a book that received a STARRED REVIEW from School Library Journal. It's a necessary addition to library shelves. It is a hard hitting book that contains a repeating message. Kids continue to be mentally and physically abused, and they haven't been able to talk about it.
The stories inside YOU TOO show us where we've been as a society and where we still need to make changes.
It's not an easy book emotionally. It's written for young adults, but contains mature subject matter. It's a book that contains triggers. It's also a book that many, many young people need, because they've been through experiences like this. Or they know someone who has. There are numbers to call, places to go to, for people who need to find help, or a voice to hear their own story.
YOU TOO is a book that libraries NEED to bring in for young adults, and for older adults who are still dealing with things that happened when THEY were young.
You Too is a collection of 25 essays about #metoo incidents that happened to the writer's when they were kids. It may take a while for readers to get through it. And that's okay. It doesn't have to be read all at once.
It is meant to stir up uncomfortable emotions, it is meant to spark change. Here is the starred review.
So why exactly do we need these to share these stories with kids?
We need to keep talking about what has happened in the past. We hope things are getting better, but we KNOW there are still kids who are being hurt. And we need to talk about the hard things. We need to teach our children to do better. We need to reach people who need to hear the message that they are OKAY, no matter what happened to them. That it WASN'T their fault. We need to continue to look at where we have been as a society, in order to get to the place where we want to be. A world where children, especially children who identify as female, are safe.
The world is a changing and evolving place. There has been progress since the METOO movement first blew up on the Internet. There's been so much happening. There's been so many changes in the world. Some of them are positive changes. Black Lives Matter and the unravelling of systemic racism is incredible to watch in this lifetime. Huge things like the discovery of unmarked graves of Indigineous children in Canada have brought more awareness to the VERY BAD things we, as human beings have done.
I see the normalization of gay marriages. Transgender rights. Young children are being brought up to be kinder and more open to different shades and gender issues. We are making progress.
But we are not there. We still need to do work. We still need to look at the stories, like those in YOU TOO that demonstrate how prevalent #metoo issues still are.
I urge librarians to order copies of YOU TOO. If your library can't afford to order a book, please send an email to me and I will send your library a copy.
I urge libraries to also carry the AUDIO version of the book. It's read with incredible grace and emotion and brought tears to my eyes more than once. It's impactful. Necessary. Hard.
Bring in copies of YOU TOO for the children, and bring YOU TOO in for the adults who used to be children.
If you would like to arrange a Zoom presentation for kids about YOU TOO, please contact me at janetgurtler@shaw.ca
Thank you.
Be kind.
Janet