I Am Not a Juvenile Delinquent

"This stunning memoir, written with the eye, ear and imagery of a poet, takes the reader through a grieving mother's journey toward healing--as she reaches out to others who, like her, have been shattered by unspeakable grief. Charde encourages young, incarcerated women to find their voices and to write and share their haunting life stories, as she shares hers with them." --Carol Henderson, author of Losing Malcolm and Farther Along

For fans of the acclaimed movies Stand and Deliver. After the death of her child, a grief-stricken psychotherapist, teacher, and writer volunteers as a poetry teacher at a residential treatment facility for "delinquent" girls. Here, their mutual support nourishes and enriches each other, though not without large quantities of drama and recalcitrance.

Learning to let go of grief and loss by writing poetry as therapy. Compelling, appealing, poignant and often hilarious, I Am Not a Juvenile Delinquent chronicles the passion that grew for pushing voices out into the world. As Sharon and the girls share their losses through weekly writing, they came to realize their unlimited potential and poetic talents.

Healing from trauma. Healing can come in surprising ways across age and social class, as it did for both the girls and Sharon. But what happens when Sharon finally grasps that the most challenging experiences are the best teachers? Narrated in five parts, the book also contains poems written by the girls, as well as excerpts from their writing, Sharon's son's writing, and her own.

If you have read books such as Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?, For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood, The Freedom Writers Diary, Between the World and Me, So You Want to Talk about Race, or Reviving Ophelia; you will love I Am Not a Juvenile Delinquent: How Poetry Changed a Group of At-Risk Young Women.