Here’s what it said: Want to read and enjoy a good story? What if you couldn’t do that? Would you be frustrated? Angry? Secretive? Maybe act out with anger?
That article was the beginning of Double Negative. Hutch, then Fat Nyla and Maggie slowly evolved into the characters, then came Father Kerry, Moss and Meeker. All destined to play a part in a story about a kid who can’t read well enough to get through high school, but has the heart of a winner. All he needs is a pair of glasses and someone to believe in him.
Evernight Teen |
“My life was going, going, gone, and I hadn’t been laid yet. I couldn’t go into the slammer before that happened.” —Hutch McQueen.
Quote of the Week: “Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book.” Anonymous
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Nas says
Awesome tips Lee. Thanks for sharing all these!
nashvillecats2 says
Excellent post Lee but a wee bit scary when one comes to think about things you had written. Well done.
Yvonne.
C. Lee McKenzie says
I guess you mean my middle grade adventures, Yvonne. Those are my sorbet between my teen issue books. 🙂
Sherry Ellis says
Your tip on what to put in newsletters if you don't have news is really great! It keeps readers interested.
C. Lee McKenzie says
I'll leave newsletters to professionals. They know how to do it.
DMS says
Wow- those statistics really make a point- as did the writing to start off the post. I have Double Negative and look forward to reading it soon. 🙂
~Jess
C. Lee McKenzie says
I look forward to your reaction. Hutch isn't very likable at the start. Like Limburger, he's an acquired taste. 🙂
Suzanne Furness says
Sad statistics indeed. Breaking down some of the barriers that hinder literacy are important.
C. Lee McKenzie says
I agree. The stats just blew me away.
Nicola says
Such a poignant post, Lee. Being a teacher, I've always felt passionate about helping those who find literacy difficult. The most difficult part, I find, in helping someone with difficulty is raising confidence and self-belief.
Congrats to Suzanne. Gadget Girl sounds fab!
C. Lee McKenzie says
Teachers are amazing soldiers against illiteracy. We need more of those like you.
Tyrean Martinson says
I just devoured Gadget Girl yesterday! I loved every page of it. 🙂
I definitely take literacy for granted. I am beginning to find that I need bifocals. I'm jealous of those who need "readers" when they haven't already had glasses for years. For me, the thought of losing the ability to read at will is horrifying. And so, oddly, aging is making me appreciate literacy more.
C. Lee McKenzie says
I'm so glad you wrote this comment, Tyrean. You've expressed one of my fears.
Juneta Key says
That was cool. I got the first right off but took a minute or two with the word secretive. I enjoyed learning about the connections behind Double Negative.
Juneta @ Writer's Gambit
C. Lee McKenzie says
It's usually something like this that I read or hear about that triggers a book for me.
Karen Lange says
I think many of us take literacy for granted. Thanks for reminding us about this important issue!
C. Lee McKenzie says
It's central to authors, isn't it?
Mike@Bit About Britain says
Literacy – or a lack of it – is also a problem in the UK. It's super that you have drawn attention to it. Those of us that are fortunate take so much for granted. It is not just a matter of missing out on good stories and other worlds but also, as you suggest, not realising potential and feeling inadequate. The ability to communicate is fundamental to being human.
C. Lee McKenzie says
Thanks for the visit, Mike and for the thoughtful comment. You're so right about communicating being fundamental to us humans.
Mason Canyon says
It's so sad to think so many can't read.
Shannon Lawrence says
Every time I hear illiteracy stats like this, it makes me sad. It's such a hard thing to ask help for, because it feels like something everyone else knows how to do, I'm sure. But obviously that's not true if 33% of people in one area are illiterate.
C. Lee McKenzie says
That' 1/3 of a densely populated area. Terrifying.
Shooting Stars Mag says
Oh, I love the quote at the end. It's so true!
C. Lee McKenzie says
And now you can walk around listening to those other lives on audio books. Amazing isn't it?
Liz A. says
I wish I had seen this earlier in the day. The special ed English classes are reading books for a book report due this week. One kiddo hasn't even started a book. This might appeal to them.
C. Lee McKenzie says
I spoke to a librarian who works with what's called "The Lost Boys" and she's buying Double Negative to interest them in reading. Hope it works.
Patricia Lynne says
That's a crazy stat to imagine in this day and age. But I love that it inspired you to write a story.
C. Lee McKenzie says
It's said that something bad has to come before something good. I guess this is another example of that.
Natalie Aguirre says
So very sad how many people cannot read or read poorly. I just realized one of my daughter's friend's mom couldn't read when she asked me for help reading when she voted on Tuesday.
C. Lee McKenzie says
So now the question is how did she choose who or what to vote for? Did she only rely on verbal input. That is troubling.
Joylene Nowell Butler says
My mother's father couldn't read or write. When she told me that, I remember I was disturbed by the news for days afterwards. I was so sad for him and how tough his life must have been. He died young, so I never met him. I would be lost if I couldn't read.
C. Lee McKenzie says
My grandmother from Switzerland, could barely read and write English. That always troubled me. Of course, I couldn't read or write in her dialect either, so in some ways that made us even.
Lynda R Young says
wow, that's a tragically high percentage of illiteracy. Scary!
C. Lee McKenzie says
Yes, tragic is the word for this.
Jemi Fraser says
That's a staggering statistic. We need to find a way to reach ALL learners so they can have those basic skills that make their lives so much easier!!
C. Lee McKenzie says
Teachers and parents and community! Let's get some role models out there for kids, so when they're adults they can be informed.
Mark Noce says
Some of those literate stats sound pretty shocking. I guess even in a first world country there's room for improved reading skills.
C. Lee McKenzie says
I can't understand how people survive without reading. Take prescription medication for example.
Kelly Hashway/Ashelyn Drake says
I can't imagine what my life would have been like if I wasn't a reader. It's a sad thought.
C. Lee McKenzie says
Indeed it is.
Elephant's Child says
I loved Double Negative. It is a topic very dear to me.
A work colleague had a stroke and lost the ability to read and write (or to relearn the skills). Which fills me with horror.
Reading has enriched my world in so many ways. Education, entertainment, escape, comfort…
C. Lee McKenzie says
That's such a tragic story! So sorry to hear that.
Thanks for your comment about Double Negative. I really appreciate it.
Spacer Guy says
You can experience peoples inner most thoughts just by reading their book. Its amazing whats out there.
C. Lee McKenzie says
There's no better way to share who you are than through your writing.
Christine Rains says
It is sad how many people are illiterate. I value reading so much, I had my son reading at 3. Have a good week!
C. Lee McKenzie says
He's one lucky kid.
Elizabeth Seckman says
My father had a reading disorder. Genius chemist, but had to teach himself to read.
C. Lee McKenzie says
But he did, so how great that is.
Roland D. Yeomans says
Sad how many are illiterate. It is one of the reasons why so many can be foolishly misled by visual media. Many cannot research the facts for themselves but are led by the opinions of those with the loudest and most stirring words. 🙁
C. Lee McKenzie says
You're so right. And how dangerous is that in a democracy? Very.
Cathrina Constantine says
Love your quote of the week, Lee.
And I absolutely loved your book, Double Negative.
I actually read those #sentences fairly quickly. I surprised myself.
It would be frustrating not to understand…
C. Lee McKenzie says
Thanks for the comment about Double Negative. Really appreciated your reading and reviewing it for me. If you could decipher those lines of text, you must take up code breaking! You're a natural. 🙂
DEZMOND says
sounds like a very touching story. I mostly do YA books for my publisher, and the inspiring ones play a huge part in our sales
C. Lee McKenzie says
I'm very much a supporter of YA books that address real issues teens face.
H.R. Sinclair, Southpaw says
LA county is kinda big, so 33% is huger than huge. It's distressing.
C. Lee McKenzie says
I need to see if there's any current stats. That was a couple of years ago. I'm just hoping the number is down and not up.
Crystal Collier says
I cannot even imagine being illiterate, and yet it's only in the last two centuries that it has become common for most people to be able to read. Can you even imagine that? Millennia of generations where people had to rely on spoken communication? (Unless they were high born.) It just blows my mind. Comparing that today, I think we're doing okay.
C. Lee McKenzie says
But there are more of us and we rely on the written word more than ever.
Crystal Collier says
It's true. I just compare it to the human condition throughout time, and it blows my mind.
Susan Gourley/Kelley says
I think many people don't know how many people can't read. And it sucks all the joy out of school and makes them feel like such a failure.
C. Lee McKenzie says
It was a shock to me. That's for sure.
Beverly Stowe McClure says
Great quote, and I love Hutch. I think you did a very nice job in the book of showing the problems many young people have. You'd think, in America, we could solve illiteracy, but apparently not yet. Maybe, one day.
C. Lee McKenzie says
It's tragic for everyone when we have such a high rate of people who don't read or don't read well. It's rotten for us writers!
Shady Del Knight says
Hi, Cheryl Lee!
I don't know which is worse, not bothering to learn to read if given the opportunity, or not bothering to vote if granted the privilege. Our country is plagued with both problems.
Have a wonderful week, dear friend!
C. Lee McKenzie says
Indeed. We can't complain if we don't get out there and take action. Thanks, Shady.
Jacqui Murray says
There are lots of reasons–some good, some bad–but the result is that illiteracy is alive and well. We thought it had been stamped out. Not true.
C. Lee McKenzie says
I know. I was shocked.
Pat Hatt says
Yeah, amazing how many are illiterate. Gave me a headache just thinking about doing that all the time as I deciphered the message haha
C. Lee McKenzie says
Aren't we lucky to have learned such a vital skill?
Chrys Fey says
That was a great way to teach about illiteracy. Not something many of us will be able to forget.
C. Lee McKenzie says
Even after typing that, I had a hard time when I proofed the post. I'd forgotten what I'd written. Frustrating.
Tamara Narayan says
What a statistic! Scary too. I didn't even attempt to read that hash-marked line. Too difficult. But the exercise does lend perspective.
C. Lee McKenzie says
Exactly, Tamara. Scary and scarier.
Alex J. Cavanaugh says
Our entire state is close to thirty percent illiterate. Sad, huh?
C. Lee McKenzie says
That's immensely scary, Alex!