came a point when I wanted more of a challenge. I tried business writing which was not for me. I was doing movie and book reviews and I found I didn't want to be the person reviewing the books, I wanted to be the person writing them.
What made you want to write fiction as opposed to non-fiction?
PM: You can do a lot with journalism and you can do a lot with creative non-fiction, but fiction feels like the biggest canvas to tell a story.
Your books deal with very difficult subjects. Things that people maybe don't want to talk about too much. What's the advantage do you see of talking about those things in a fictionalized way?
PM: If you have a conversation about a fictional girl and her mother, or a fictional girl and her father they are one or two or ten steps removed from your situation, but you can still see similarities. So I think it's a much safer way to talk about things that people aren't comfortable talking about. Everybody is affected when something happens like in Cut or My Brother's Keeper. They don't know how to talk about it. And, if you're cutting, you might think you're the only one in the world doing it, and it's really hard to ask for help. But if you're reading about it in a book it's easier to ask for help. I've heard from so many kids who've said that they just went in and put the book down or made a point of letting their parents know they were reading this book as a way of saying, “that's me, that's what's going on in my life.”
That must be very rewarding.
PM: Oh it is. I love when I hear from librarians who say, “I needed a book just like this for one of my kids,” or when they tell me it's one of their most stolen books.
What draws you to the topics you talk about?
PM: My Brother's Keeper is a story I kind of lived through. I lived with family members who have substance abuse problems, and my thinking there was the person who's got the problem with substance abuse attracts a lot of attention, but there are so many other people affected by it who should have a voice too.
As for Cut, I was really fascinated by this issue and by the idea that somebody could be so hurt or angry or lonely or frustrated or numbed-out but couldn't tell anybody so they take it out on their bodies.
With Sold, I heard about trafficking and I just couldn't believe that people sold their children. There's great journalism about trafficking, but I think when you turn it into fiction and when you really sink into the experience of another human being experiencing this, it calls on your empathy.
Did you hope to inspire people to action with this book?
PM: I very much had the idea of activating people. I had opportunities to intervene while I was doing the research, but I was thwarted in the things I wanted to do. Then I thought, “what I can do is write a book.” So I couldn't write it fast enough. I wanted everyone to know immediately about this. I've been really amazed at the response. Kids of this generation tend to be very socially aware and care about issues of social justice and are activists. They want to raise money and they want to find out more. Even kids you wouldn't anticipate having any kind of connection to an issue like this. I went to a juvenile facility, and I though, “why are these girls going to care about some girl in a mud hut?” But they were really moved. And I think it's because they know what it's like in some cases to be betrayed by a family member. Or to be sexualized inappropriately. Kids are really shocked that this is happening to their peers.
How do people best channel their desire for action?
PM: We're physically far removed from the problem, so the best way to help is through our donations. The organizations I list in the back of the book really helped me, and I can vouch that the money really goes to help the girls. Five dollars can buy a girl her first new dress when she leaves the brothel. It's such a huge benefit to her to put on something clean and modest. People can also talk about the issue. Trafficking happens here in the United States. Either with kids coming in from foreign countries or kids who run away here and are trafficked once they lose their bearings and run out of money.
You went to Nepal and India to conduct research for Sold. What was that like?
PM: I would collect information and I would think, “oh this is powerful, I can put this in the book.” But the other half of my brain would think,” oh my god look at what's happening in front of you.” I tried to keep a professional screen between my feelings and the work I was doing. But I would go to my hotel room at night and I would just shake. I trembled with rage and sadness and frustration.
I could only write about it for a couple of hours a day. What made it more bearable is that I didn't have to use graphic language. Because Lakshmi was a child, I tried to put it through her frame of reference, and she wouldn't totally know what was happening to her. She wouldn't use what we would consider offensive language. In some ways that made it more poignant.
What are you working on now?
PM: It's a book about a soldier in Iraq. When you think about it it's absolutely audacious that a 52-year-old woman in Manhattan could write about that experience. And I am really worried about getting it right and making it authentic, but there's something that was so compelling to me about that experience that I could not, not write it.
Anything you'd like to share for readers at MotherDaughterBookClub.com?
PM: I'm so envious of people who have mother daughter book clubs. I have a 25-year-old daughter and we read a lot together and she is my first editor. I wish the idea had been around when she was younger. It's so wonderful when people can talk about a book in an open non-judgmental way. A book is an amazing way to see an experience that's not yours. I think so many kids think they have to figure out by themselves. But real growth comes from staying and working things out with the people at hand.
Mary Pearson
Mary Pearson is author of several books for teen readers, the latest of which is The Adoration of Jenna Fox. I recently read this along with my daughter's Mother Daughter Book Club, and when we finished our discussion we thought of questions we would like to ask Pearson. Below you'll find our questions along with her answers.
Why did you choose to write about ethics in medicine?
MP: I am not sure that I exactly “chose” to write about ethics. I think the question of ethics naturally arose out of the situation and story. When I write, I like to explore gray areas and various viewpoints and I think the particulars of this story and situation, just happened to be ripe with ethical questions.
Why did you decide to place the story in a future time?
MP: Years ago, when my own daughter was facing a life-threatening illness but was saved by modern medicine that hadn’t been available fifty years earlier, I wondered how far medicine would progress in another fifty years. I didn’t think of it as an idea for a story at the time, but that niggling question stayed with me.
Was there something particular you wanted to say to a teen audience about the issues?
MP: No. I don’t write to “tell” teens anything. For me, when I write, it is more a matter of exploring things that I am curious about. And I write from the teen perspective because I find the teen years to be so pivotal and life changing. Teens are adults, albeit young ones, who are experiencing so many firsts and making decisions that can affect them for the rest of their lives.
Do you have strong opinions of your own on the topic?
MP: Yes and no. How’s that for wishy washy? I do believe in the sacredness of human life. I do understand a parent’s desperate need to save their child. I do believe in change and progress. But I also believe in some limits and control. The dilemma comes in who decides what. That’s the part I don’t know. The only thing I really do know, is that probably none of us knows for sure what we would do in an impossible situation.
What kind of research did you have to conduct to write the story in a way that would make sense to readers who aren't knowledgeable about medical terms?
MP: In some respects, making it “accessible” was easy since it is all written from seventeen year-old Jenna’s point of view. When I was researching the anatomy and workings of the brain, I had to choose key brain anatomy phrases so it wouldn’t be too jargony and I tried to keep those to a minimum. I didn’t want it to read like a medical encyclopedia even though much of the story revolved around medical technology. It was a balancing act to include enough but not too much.
Have you spent time with people who have had experimental medical treatments? How about with people who rejected experimental medical treatments?
MP: Yes and yes. I have a friend who was given six months to live after a diagnosis of metastasized melanoma. She did some research of her own and found some experimental clinical trials that were being conducted at a local university. It was tough going, months of uncertainty, but she had nothing to lose. And finally one of the treatments worked. That was over ten years ago and she is alive and well today.
As far as rejecting experimental treatment, my husband and I rejected it for our own daughter who was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. It was a horribly difficult decision for us. The experimental treatment was shorter, and also had the “possibility” of fewer of the long lasting side effects of chemo and radiation, but it didn’t have a long proven track record. However, the standard treatment did have a proven track record with a great degree of success. We felt we just couldn’t take a chance when her life was at stake, so we went with the tried and true. That was eight years ago and she is well and healthy now so we feel we made the right decision.
Do you think you would make the same decision Jenna's parents did?
MP: Honestly, I don’t know. I think I would. I think most parents would do anything to save their child. But there is also the uncertainty of how much hell you will be putting your child through. I think until we are actually faced with such horrific decisions, it is impossible to judge.
Did you change your views while you were writing the book?
MP: I’m not sure I had a view before I began the book. Just questions. And maybe that is what I was left with too, perhaps along with a greater degree of empathy for those facing the unknown.
In your opinion, what makes this a good book to read and discuss with a group in a book club?
MP: Ha! You’re asking the author to judge her own book! But I will give it a try. I think because there is so much gray area in this book and opposing opinions, it gives each reader the opportunity to weigh in with their own. There are no right or wrong opinions, but certainly there will be strong ones. We’re talking about life and death here, and the essence of our humanity. These are huge topics that affect us all, and everyone is bound to have their own ideas about what we should or shouldn’t do.
Anything else you'd like us to know?
MP: I’m truly honored that you chose to read my book for your book club, and I do hope it provided you all with some interesting discussions. I wish I could have eavesdropped!
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