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Short Stories Feature Teens Facing Today's Real-Life Crises
Award-winning author Marilyn Reynolds has done it again — written another book your students will read avidly—even those who "don't read." Beyond Dreams is the latest title in Marilyn's popular True-to-Life Series from Hamilton High, a fictional, urban, ethnically mixed high school somewhere in Southern California.
Beyond Dreams is a collection of six short stories which deal with high school students facing difficult times and decisions. Each story focuses on a different crisis often faced by young people—partner abuse, school failure, racism, teen pregnancy, fatal accident, aging relative. "For Ethan and Me" brings back Christina Calderon from Too Soon for Jeff. Older and wiser now, she thinks, Christina has plans for college. Although she and Jeff are no longer together, they work as a team when it comes to their two-year-old, Ethan. Christina works hard to balance taking care of her son, school and work, with very little social life. Still, things are going pretty well for her, until she gets the results of a pregnancy test. The title story, Beyond Dreams, depicts a Vietnamese girl, Tammy/Trin, who feels her life is divided between being Vietnamese at home and American at school. She feels a barrier of secrets surrounding the memory of her father, who died when he and the family were on their way to America. She struggles with issues of racism, and of finding her own strength and personality in the midst of family and friends.
In the story "Only If You Think So," 17-year-old Jason says, "Since the eighth grade my life's been headed toward the garbage pit." Jason's been kicked out of Hamilton High and sent to Sojourner, an alternative school for those who aren't doing well at Hamilton. Jason's dad calls Sojourner a school for losers. Jason thinks it's his dad who's the loser, so things are not going well at home. The only thing Ja-son has ever done well in is baseball, and he's had a lifelong dream to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers. That dream is fad-ing fast, since he can no longer be on the Hamilton High team. Is he really a loser?
Melissa Whitman hopes that when she and Rudy, the father of her baby girl, get married, things will be different. "Baby Help" explores some complicated issues facing teen couples. Melissa's never thought about abuse or being battered. She says, "I've just thought Rudy got mad and lost his temper. But abuse, battered, those words sound so extreme. Of course, when he hits me, it feels extreme." When Rudy loses his temper with the baby, Melissa knows what she must do.
Who hasn't wondered "What If?" about some crucial time in their lives? In this story, Paul is tormented by questions—what if I hadn't been drinking beer, he thinks. Or what if I'd made Gabriel fasten his seat belt? How can Paul ever get over a tragedy he might have prevented?
Josh is so happy to see his older brother leave home for college that he helps him move out and get settled. "Uncle Tweetie" begins on a happy note. Finally, Josh will have the bedroom he's shared for years all to himself. His own music, his own posters, his own friends over. But Josh barely has time to think about his own room when his 87-year-old Uncle Tweetie arrives. The only place for Uncle Tweetie to stay? Josh's room. How could Josh's parents have let this happen? And what's he going to do with this old man?
All six of these Beyond Dreams stories show young men and women facing tough times and making tough choices. Although each of the main characters is different from the others, they are all, like the rest of us in real life, trying to do the best they can, trying to make sense of it all. Which is, after all, what takes us beyond dreams, isn't it?
Marilyn Reynolds is the author of three YA novels, Telling, Detour for Emmy, and Too Soon for Jeff. Her last two novels have been named ALA Best Books for Young Adults. Like Beyond Dreams, the novels are part of the True-to-Life Series from Hamilton High. In addition to young adult fiction, Reynolds writes essays and short stories for adult readers and has been published in major national newspapers, professional journals, literary magazines and anthologies.
Author
Marilyn Reynolds
Marilyn Reynolds Marilyn Reynolds is the author of seven young adult novels and a collection of short stories, all part of the "True-to-Life" from Hamilton High series. Her titles appear on a variety of American Library Association's "Best Books" lists, and are also found on the New York Public Library's lists of "Best Books for the Teen Age." Drawing on decades of experience working with at-risk students in California alternative schools, Reynolds' takes on tough issues that permeate the lives of many of today's teens: abuse, teen pregnancy, racism, acquaintance rape, gay/lesbian harassment and bullying, school failure, sexual abstinence, and a myriad of other sub-issues. What with the joys and demands of young children, and full-time teaching, Reynolds' writing was pretty much confined to grocery lists, to-do lists, and assignment sheets for student use. Then, on sabbatical earning a M.S. In Reading Education, she found time to take a Creative Writing class. A personal essay assignment turned into an op-ed piece that was published in the LOS ANGELES TIMES, proving to her that she could expand her writing genres beyond lists and assignments. In addition to the LOS ANGELES TIMES, Reynolds' personal opinion essays have appeared in other national newspapers, such as the DALLAS MORNING NEWS, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, and the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Her work has also appeared in small literary magazines, professional journals, and anthologies. Through her own reading, Reynolds' experienced laughter, insight, intellectual and emotional growth, and other indescribable benefits. She wanted her students also to receive such benefits. Hers would be the last English class ever for many of them. If she could send them on their way with the gift of a reading habit, they would leave with the gift of a lifetime. But after they read Go Ask Alice, and The Outsiders, and selected Judy Blume novels, then what? In an attempt to broaden her students' reading possibilities, Reynolds wrote Telling, the story of a twelve-year-old girl who was being molested by a neighbor. Seeing the responses of her students to this book encouraged Reynolds to write Detour for Emmy, the story of a girl who gets pregnant at the age of fifteen. Thus the "True-to-Life from Hamilton High" series was launched. After a lifetime in southern California, Reynolds and her husband, Michael, now live in northern California, near Sacramento. She enjoys walks along the American River, movies, dinners out, and of course, reading. Her grandchildren and adult children keep her on her toes. She maintains a demanding exercise regimen in a desperate and futile attempt to counteract the ravages of time. She continues to work with at-risk students, and to solicit their help in keeping her stories realistic and believable. Love Rules - her best friend a lesbian? Can they still be friends? A NEW RELEASE! "..the best YA novel I have read with a central character who is gay-all the characters are interesting and the issues are compelling." --Kliatt Detour for Emmy - A teen mother's story AN ALA BEST BOOK FOR YOUNG ADULTS SOUTH CAROLINA YOUNG ADULT BOOK AWARD, 1995-1996 ". . . honest, heart-wrenching, inspirational, informative." --Kliatt Too Soon for Jeff - A teen father's story AN ALA BEST BOOK FOR YOUNG ADULTS "A thoughtful story for both young men and young women." --Booklist "Too Soon for Jeff" (An ABC Afterschool Special) EMMY AWARD NOMINATION, Writing in a Children's Special ADVOCATES FOR YOUTH, NANCY SUSAN REYNOLDS AWARD Beyond Dreams (A collection of six short stories) AN ALA SHORT TAKES SELECTION ". . . six stories about teens in crisis. . .Young adults will certainly identify with the characters and their problems. . ." --Booklist If You Loved Me - A teen's struggle with sexual abstinence A NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY, BEST BOOK FOR THE TEEN AGE ". . . informative and insightful, exploring difficult teen issues with honesty and a multi-faceted perspective." --Booklist Baby Help - The nightmare of teen partner abuse A NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY, BEST BOOK FOR THE TEEN AGE "This is an excellent YA novel, with characters we care about." --Kliatt Telling - 12-year-old Cassie is molested by a trusted adult AN ALA QUICK PICK FOR YOUNG ADULTS "Reynolds has done a superb job of weaving the complexities of difficult issues into the life of an innocent child." --School Library Journal But What About Me - Portrays the horrors of acquaintance rape A NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY, BEST BOOK FOR THE TEEN AGE "The characters are compelling...the writing superb." -School Library Journal READERS RESPOND: "I'm one of those people that never read a whole book, until I came across Baby Help. That book inspired me." "The struggles Emmy had to deal with made me sure I would not want to be in her position. I have decided to abstain from sex until marriage." "Now I like to read books more than to watch movies because you showed me how much better it is." "I just finished reading But What About Me and it was the most touching book I ever read. I'm a guy, but I can feel her." "That book (Too Soon for Jeff) made me realize where my life was going, which was somewhere I didn't want it to go." "Your book (Telling) helped me to understand some things I was going through. I learned how to not keep something inside of me an to tell my parents when something is wrong." "I could relate to every one of the stories in Beyond Dreams, like they were about me or my friends." "If You Loved Me" made me think about things in a new way." "Thank you for turning me on to reading."
AUTHOR VISITS: Marilyn Reynolds visits colleges, high schools and middle schools, as well as public libraries. Events are carefully structured to provide a meaningful experience for each particular audience. Her presentations may include slides, readings, group discussion, question-answer, and/or other activities. The focus may be: motivational--for reluctant readers encouraging--for at-risk students whose lives are in turmoil challenging--for advanced writers working on their craft All presentations include a focus on the strength of the human spirit, the importance of reading for pleasure, and the necessity of listening to the inner voice which urges each of us, "Grow. Grow." RESPONSES: "Now everyone in our school is trying to borrow your books. I will always keep the books you signed for me. They are very special." "She's for real. She knows what it's about." "She inspired me to take my own writing seriously." "Thank you for coming to our school. I have never finished a book before and now I've read four of yours." WORKSHOPS: In addition to decades of teaching experience, Reynolds holds a B.A. in English, an M.S. in Reading Education, and a K-12 Reading Specialist credential. With special emphasis on how to match students with activities that inspire reading and writing, Marilyn guides teachers through classroom-proven techniques that involve books, art, writing, individual studies, creative group activities, graphic organizers and more. RESPONSES: Using Young Adult Fiction with Pregnant and Parenting Teens - "The best workshop I've attended." "Wonderful! Inspiring!" Teaching Tolerance Through Young Adult Fiction - "Very accessible, a delightful presenter." "She is excellent and so are her books." Dealing with Reluctant Readers and Writers - "Specific techniques that are applicable to class-Bring her back!" "Very knowledgeable presenter." Focus on Writers Conference - "The evaluations were uniformly excellent." Author Talk on Censorship - "Enjoyable, humorous, and thought provoking." "Excellent! Great speaker." "I wasn't even close to falling asleep." Marilyn's fee for presentations and workshops is $500.00 per day plus expenses for local visits. For visits that require travel of 100 miles or more, the fee is $800 for the first day, and $500.00 for each consecutive day, plus expenses. To arrange bookings, contact her at: 916-635-5995 or mmreynolds@earthlink.net .
Reader Comments
Dear Marilyn,
I've got to tell you — my kids LOVED your book Beyond Dreams! I am still teaching learning disabled/behaviorally disordered kids at SGHS — the average reading level of my kids is about mid-second grade. So I read out loud to them as they followed along.
One of my hard-core gang kids started clapping when I finished the first story ("Only If You Think So"). I looked up, expecting sarcasm, but he was serious. He said it was the best (albeit the only) thing he had ever read, and "it was real." Quite a compliment from this young man. I was surprised at what some of the kids disclosed to you as they wrote their letters — and I was also surprised at the copious amount (for this population) some wrote. They wanted to know, and I second the question, if/when you come back to this area for a visit, could you stop by so they could meet you and talk with you?
Anyway, thanks again. I know you changed and touched lives.
Debi Kuperburg, teacher, San Gabriel High School, San Gabriel, California.
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