Customer Reviews

Learning To Swim

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My first introduction to Ann Turner was in Dr. David White's Children's Literature course at Keene State College in New Hampshire. During the course I'd read Dakota Dugout, Nettie's Trip South and Katie's Trunk, all of which beautifully detailed the emotions and struggles of that time. An additional project was to read a realistic fictional book about a social issue then provide feedback regarding how the author dealt with the reality of the issue. After reading my paper on child sexual abuse in children's literature where I divulged my own victimization as a child , Dr. White advised me that Ann Turner was releasing her book, Learning to Swim: A memoir.

I just received Ann's book from Amazon.com and in less than one hour rode her rollercoaster of emotions. One narrative to which I felt extremely close to was the following titled, Time to make a mess. "I took the garbage the whole pail and dumped it on the porch kicking the grapefruit against the stones grinding the coffee grounds into the hot boards. Someone shouted someone yelled I do not care it is time to make a mess." As a middle school student, I was feeling this same emotion. While I never told anyone of my experience until this past year, I was fortunate that my junior high school teachers had noticed a change in my behavior, one of self-destruction. Had Ann's book been available at the time I was dealing with my issue, it would have provided me with the support I needed to speak out, or as Ann says "Telling is what matters".

As an aspiring elementary/middle school teacher, I will be sure to provide "Learning to Swim" as a resource to all of my students so that they will know, no matter how hard it is to talk about sexual abuse, it is better to deal with it and talk about it. Thank you Ann for being brave enough to write your poems not only for you own healing, but the healing of many others dealing with this same, sad issue!

laerning to swim is a good book ,I've never read any thing like it ,It's a different kind of book. It's based on a true story. It's about a little girl who goes away with her family on a vacation, to their summer house by a river. Some thing is happening to one of them and that something is mot good.
If I had the time I would read it again. It's now one of my favorite books. I would recommand that you read it. It is only 113 pages , but by the way that it is written you will fly through it ,because you wont want to put it down.It's so good that when you'r reading it you can picture the whole story in your head and see whats happening as you read it . So if I were you I would read it.

Captured in narrative verse, this memoir chronicles one summer in the young girl's life. It captures the turmoil, fear, and anger of a young child forced to harbor a secret forced on her by the boy who lives down the road. The verse makes the shame of her ordeal accessible to a wide variety of readers: both adults and young adults. It paints a picture that everyone should see and brings to light the situation that everyone must be willing to acknowledge. In this case, as in

others, silence cannot be tolerated.

This is a unique book about the experience of sexual abuse, creatively written in poetic form, from the voice of a young child. Ann Turner eloquently shows what it is like for a child facing this kind of abuse. The book is so short you can read it in one sitting. The best thing about Ann's book is that it is written for a younger audience and in such a way that it encourages children to tell, even though it means facing painful feelings. And it is very touching and healing to see how her family helped her, supported her, protected her and stood by her in such good ways when she told (I cry every time I get to that part), they are a model for other families. As a survivor I want to thank Ann Turner for turning her painful experience into a work of art and as a way for other children to receive help.

...Teaching K-8 magazine...suggested that it be used in middle school classes to discuss the presence of sexual abuse by a family member or family friend. While this is obviously not a happy topic, this book explores it in a responsible and appropriate manner.

Culled from the real-life experiences of poet Ann Turner, "Learning to Swim" tells the story of a young girl on a family vacation who is molested by an older boy. Each page has a separate poem that explores her feelings at a particular time. The actual events are not related. The only questionable language is a mention to "private parts". This is what makes the poetry all that much powerful. The images created are wonderful and the reader is able to get a glimpse into the mind that this child must have felt.

The reader will feel the same emotions as the girl and it sends a powerful message about how awful the exploitation of children is. The reading ability is definitely Young Adult and Turner is able to relate this difficult subject matter to a level that is appropriate for this age group - boys and girls alike.

Why 4 stars?: Really my only objection is that she did not write more. While we see the events from the child's mind, I would have appreciated even more depth into her emotions, as well as to the other people involved - her parents, brothers, and even the perpetrator. However, I did enjoy the poems, and could not put it down - I read it the first time in a single sitting, and then had to go back and read them again so the full levity could hit me. Turner does a masterful job of exploring this tragic subject in a manner that is appropriate for adolescents.

This book was recommended to me by an English Professor where I work as a Psychology Professor. I decided to read it to my students in Clinical Psychology and the impact was dramatic. Not only did it drive home the psychological/personal experience of childhood trauma, but provided hope as well. I recommend this book for use in undergraduate classes in Abnormal, Clinical, and Counseling Psychology. Its a beautifully written and important book...My thanks to the author and to the Prof who recommended it to me!

This short, easy-to-read-but-emotionally-gripping, collection of free-verse poetry is to be recommended to all ages, and both genders, of readers.

The imagery of the dusty summer house and the promise of learning to swim, the hands and smells of loving family, and the pedophilic neighbor boy, the hiding beneath the blueberry bush, the secret forced, and then exposed, has a therapeutic quality. But as an adult male who has never experienced the horror exposed in this verse, it is a revealing, and disconcerting, journey into the thoughts and emotions of the little girl who endured it.

Earlier this week a female student asked me for any books in our high school library on pedophilia. Those that I placed in her hands were so statistical and objective compared to this one. Next time, I'll be sure to recommend "Learning to Swim." It presents the victim's perspective with heart.

This book is highly reccomended to many girls of the age of 12-16. This book reveiws a very bad thing that you should never keep in. A young Girl named Annie who i predict is no yonger than 8. She wants her summer to be a memorable summer, she wants to learn how to swim with her cousins. She learns to swim but everytime now she swims she will think of the horrable thing that happened her ober the summer she learned to swim.

Learning to Swim was a heart-grabbing memoir. It was a short book, yet it really touched me. I could never imagine something like that happening to me. Even when I was younger, if anyone tried to touch me, I would freak out. When she didn't say anything to anyone, I wanted to jump in the book and comfort her. She shouldn't have kept it inside, yet she didn't know any better. I really wanted to help her and tell her it was alright, but I couldn't. I was relieved when she finally told her mother. I also felt relieved when her mom yelled at the boy who touched her. The book is something good for younger teenagers to read so they can realize if something like that ever does happen to them, that it's okay to tell someone and get help.

This book was absolutely incredible! I am so glad that I read this! After I got done reading this book, my whole family wanted to read it! They did and agreed with me and said that it was so depressing about how she was manipulated at such a young age. Although it was all written in poems, and was a short book, I had to read it slow so I could comprehend everything that was going on in those moments. I just wanted to keep reading after every page. Her details were so accurate and true. Her story was so intriguing, and I couldn't believe what happened to her. She definitely told her story well. Like I said, I loved this book. In a way though, I was glad it ended. Because she learned so much that summer, and I was happy to know that. Ann Turner described every detail so precisely and explained her story so well. I would recommend it to everyone!