Degrassi Talks: Abuse

Ian C. Nelson is Assistant Director of Libraries, University of
Saskatchewan; and Director, Saskatoon Gateway Plays, Regina Summer
Stage, and La Troupe du Jour.

Essentially a transcript of the TV documentary “Degrassi Talks: On
Abuse,” this book has the same format and appeal as others in the
series. A lot of attention has gone into producing a book that will
appeal to youth of the television generation. The print is large; the
text is divided into short, digestible sections with plenty of white
space and large captions to announce the subject matter; there are
questions and cartoon dialogue boxes, and, of course, still shots from
the production of the documentary. Seven young people use their own
words to describe their experiences. The language is colloquial. There
are stories of date rape, sexual abuse (including that of two male
victims, one of whom became an abuser), physical abuse, and emotional
abuse. Interspersed between the stories are succinct definitions of what
abuse is, short Canadian fact “Flashes,” and references to the pages
in the book that tell readers where they can get help. The Kids Help
Phone is prominently listed.

Although there is some self-promotional material about the TV series
and the resulting books, the need to address these subjects (abuse,
alcohol, drugs, depression, sex, sexuality) is obvious. Unashamedly for
the nonreader, each book is priced about the same as a first-run video
rental and less than admission to a movie. The covers are colorful and
appealing—even trendy—emphasizing the TV series name and keeping the
exact subject rather unobtrusive. It is easy to imagine a teenager
burdened with one of these issues feeling comfortable enough to buy one
of the books and carry it around for information and affirmation until
he or she is ready to seek help of some kind.