edited 27 May 2022

So much to process.

I’ve checked in on so many people and the most concrete response I get is, “I’m not OK”. And our children? How are they processing all this?

Talking with them is no doubt the best thing. Get them help if they need it! Books can help us process a lot, too. If books aren’t enough, help them process by writing. I’d imagine a game of soccer or tennis may help, too.

Whatever you choose to do… don’t spend money unless you have to. If you need to seek out a professional counselor for yourself our your children, do so. But get the books from a library. Send emails or repurpose old items.

Do not spend a penny to fuel the 1%, the ones who are keeping us divided and filled with anger.

Guns and Gun Violence

• Troublemaker by John Cho (Little, Brown) in the heat of the LA Riots, 12 year old Jordon explores whether guns really protect us.
• Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (Atheneum) This elevator ride is a long way down for 15year old Will especially when someone gets on at each stop to examine his conscious. Should he pull that trigger?
• The Sound of Thunder by Jasmine Warga. Cora and Quinn were best friends until Quinn’s brother killed himself and Cora’s sister. Can they ever be friends again?
• This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp (Sourcebook Fire) One boy. One gun. 54 minutes.
• Maya and The Robot by Eve Ewing and Christine Almeda (Penguin Random House) Maya is a young Black girl with high interest in all things science. Her neighborhood is grieving a loss from gun violence.

Coping

• A Place Inside of Me: A Poem to Heal the Heart by Zetta Elliott and Noa Denmon (Farrar, Strauss and Giroux)
• Find Your Calm by Gabi Garcia and Ying Hui Tan (Skinned Knee Publishing)
• Ruby Finds A Worry by Tom Percival (Bloomsbury)
• Lubaya’s Quiet Roar by Marilyn Nelson and Philemonal Williamson (Dial)
• You Hold Me Up by Monique Gray Smith and Danielle Daniel
• You’re Amazing, Anna Hibiscus! By Atinuke

Activism

• We Are Power: How Nonviolent Activism Changes the World by Todd Hasak-Lowy (Abrams)
• This is What I Know About Art by Kimberly Drew Penguin Workshop)
• Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice by Mahogany Browne ( Roaring Brook Press)
• Enough is Enough: How Students Can Join the Fight for Gun Safety by Michelle Roehm and Shannon Watts (Simon Pulse) nonfiction that explores the history of guns in the United States and interviews young gun control activists.
• We Say #neveragain: Reporting by the Parkland Student Journalists (Crown Books)
• A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara (Seven Stories Press)

Books aren’t enough? Get them writing! This gives them the opportunity to express what’s on they’re feeling and to begin creating the world they’d like to see.

• Poems
• Letters to your state and local school and political leaders
• Sidewalk art
• Create blogs/blog posts, FB, IG or other posts
• Create zines
• Journal
• Write down their questions and research for answers
• Make posters or banner
• Paint messages on t-shirts

So very much to process