Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times is right: this is a generation of activists, kids with a moral compass and a belief that they can – and must – change the world.

Here is the link to the story: http://rochesterhomepage.net/fulltext?nxd_id=296882

This means that if you look at any group of a dozen teenagers one of them is probably self-injuring – probably in secret. And certainly in pain.

My book, CUT, came out 10 years ago and librarians tell me it’s still one of the most requested – and also most stolen – books in the library. And while that’s good for sales, it’s very sad news for me as author.

Because I don’t understand why, after 10 years, we as a society haven’t figured out a way to stop this epidemic.

Researchers say that brain development may be a factor – that the area of the brain associated with impulse control and the ability to modify behavior may hold an answer. They also say many kids will go on self-injuring into adulthood if they don’t get treatment. They say this is not ‘just a phase’ that young people will grow out of.

So why haven’t we been able to stem this tide of violence?

Maybe it’s because it’s not the same kind of violence boys tend to engage in – violence directed at others. It’s violence directed at one of our most vulnerable and marginalized groups: teenage girls.

First, they took aim at the billboard companies – putting pressure on them to refuse to post these ads. Then they went to taxi services that drive trafficking victims from one motel to the other, from one ‘massage parlor’ to another – and take half their earnings. Then they targeted the landlords at these establishments asking them to refuse to rent to businesses that are merely fronts for the exploitation of young women.

This is courageous, sometimes dangerous work. And it needs to be done on an ongoing basis since traffickers change their routes and locations all the time. And it is work we could any of us can do with a phone call.

This week in New York, a survivor of trafficking will testify in favor of a plan to fine taxi drivers who knowingly transport trafficking victims.

Great strides have been made in fighting trafficking. But full justice will not be done unless we choke a part of the supply chain – which is right there in plain sight.

Here is the link: http://www.bclocalnews.com/lifestyles/131363403.html

They’re also giving props. Here are a few reactions to Purple Heart. “McCormick gets down and dirty.”  “Extravagantly details the reality of war.” “McCormick is the shizzle.”

Actually, they’re  the shizzle. As is Loudoun County’s super star librarian Linda Holstlander, who selected the book for the county’s One Book read, and really rolled out the red carpet for me. She arranged for thousands of kids and adults to receive free copies of the book and instigated some very spirited and moving discussion by hosting Eyes Wide Open, an exhibit that documents the human cost of war.

If I learned anything in my visit to Loudoun County – it’s a reaffirmation of the power of reading. Hundreds of kids and parents turned out to discuss the way books change our view of the world, of each other. And the kids at Loudoun County Juvenile Detention Center? They told me that they have a whole new bag of tricks for keeping out of trouble when the return home. At the top of the list: reading.

That’s the shizzle.

Have a listen and let me know what you think!

Interview with Emma Andrews Walton and Julie Andrews

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