Am I the Only One?: A Young People's Book about Sex Abuse

Joan Weller is head librarian at the West Branch of Ottawa Public
Library, and the children’s literature reviewer for the Ottawa
Citizen.

The sexual abuse of children is receiving more and more attention in the form of films, video cassettes, and books on the subject. The sensitive and alarming subject of such books, their viewpoint, and their purpose need to be carefully examined.

The co-authors of this book have worked professionally with children in this area of concern. Dennis Foon is the successful artistic director of the Green Thumb Theatre. His play “Feeling Yes, Feeling No: A Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Project” was produced in schools in British Columbia. Here response from children was positive. Brenda Knight, a child psychologist specializing in child abuse cases, has gathered together the true stories that are in the book.

Told by boys and girls of all different ages, the accounts explicitly describe events surrounding molesting by friends, relatives, and babysitters. Children’s illustrations attempt to express the feelings of the abused children. In all cases the child in question sought help. This is the book’s message. The last page lists possible helpers.

The accounts, personal and alarming, appear as short little stories. Some accounts take the form of poems. Presenting them as literature is questionable; the book’s therapeutic value can be verified only by an expert in the field. If read alone by a child, the book might be very disturbing. It belongs in a collection where it will be offered children as bibliotherapy in the hands of a helpful professional worker.