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All Ages

Taking A Stand – Author Feature – Lisa Moore Ramee

March 1, 2021 | Taking a Stand

It’s so easy to say that people should stand up and speak out for what they believe in, but it’s hard to actually do it, right?

Whether you’re young or old, voicing a belief that goes against what has been an accepted or popular belief can be frightening. What if someone tells you to be quiet? What if someone tells you to sit down?

When I was working on A Good Kind of Trouble, I wanted to address this fear head on. My hope was that the main character, Shayla — a girl who is so afraid of trouble, she is positively allergic to it — would resonate with people, especially young people, who feel like that too. Shayla has problems with one of her best friends, she has problems with a boy who gets a little too close, and she has a problem with all the images she sees of police brutality. But what can she do about any of it? Speaking up and taking a stand seems like a good way to have troubles. Shayla’s friend may stop being a friend. Shayla may hurt the boy’s feelings. And the small act Shayla takes to show how she feels about Black people being harmed by police is getting her the wrong type of attention from the school principal. Trouble, trouble, trouble.

When I do school presentations, I show a slide of a young boy sobbing. “That’s what trouble can feel like,” I say, and everyone agrees. “Who wants to feel like that?” I ask. Everyone laughs and shouts, “Not me!” Exactly, not me either. And not anyone I know.

I avoid trouble if I can help it, BUT, what if there’s something going on in your community that really needs to change? Or in the classroom? Or what if one of your friends says something that is problematic? Racist? Sexist? Homophobic? How do you take a stand?

Speaking up might cause you some headaches. Your friend may get mad. Your teacher may want you to be quiet. If it’s a community problem, they may not even listen to you. You could stick your neck out and take a stand and nothing could change! Who needs that?

Well a very smart man (James Baldwin) once said, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” Meaning, maybe you might stand up for what is right and you won’t get people to change, but one thing is absolutely certain, you definitely won’t get them to change by saying nothing.

In A Good Kind of Trouble, Shayla eventually has to find the courage to stand up for what’s right — even if it means she lands in a heap of trouble. And what she learns is that the kind of trouble that you get into for doing the right thing, for standing up and speaking out, actually feels pretty good.

I hope you’re inspired by Shayla to get into some good trouble of your own.

All my best,

Lisa Moore Ramee, NEW BOOK JOY Guest Author


About the Author

Lisa Moore Ramee

was born and raised in Los Angeles and now lives in the Northern California, with her husband, two kids, two obnoxious cats and more yard than she can control.

She earned a BA in Speech Communications from San Francisco State and a MA in English Literature (focusing on Creative Writing) from Cal State East Bay.

She worked for several years in publishing at the Walt Disney Company, first in comics, and then with licensed publishing. While there, she co-penned The Little Mermaid, Jr. Graphic Novel and the writing bug took up permanent residence.

She is a devotee of Top Chef and Project Runway and often tries to work the shows in her plots.

A Good Kind of Trouble, her first novel, received critical acclaim, garnering three starred reviews (PW, Kirkus and SLJ) and became a bestseller. It appeared on numerous “best of” lists for 2019. Something to Say received three starred reviews (Kirkus, SLJ and BookPage), was an Indie Next Pick and a Kirkus best of 2020 book.

You can read more about her and her books on her beautiful website www.lisamooreramee.com.


Conversation

What authors help YOU & your family take a stand?

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Readings & Resources

Below you’ll find books and activities that are appropriate for various ages around the concept of “Taking A Stand.”

SEARCH BY GRADE LEVEL…

Family Book Club – Taking A Stand: Pre-K & Kindergarten

Family Book Club – Taking A Stand: First & Second Grade

Family Book Club – Taking A Stand: Third, Fourth & Fifth Grade

Family Book Club – Taking A Stand: Middle School

Family Book Club – Taking A Stand: High School






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