Effects of Child abuse.

Child abuse devastates many lives. Chris Crutcher, the celebrated young adult fiction writer, addresses this issue in many of his works (Artists and Authors). As a former teacher and therapist, Crutcher understands the lives of young adults and the problems they face (Artists and Authors). His characters are faced with child abuse in many different forms. The author explores the effects of abuse on teens, and offers ways to cope with the abuse in effective ways (Artists and Authors).

Child abuse plays an important role in five of Crutcher's books: Stotan!; Chinese Handcuffs; Deep End; Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes; and Ironman (Artists and Authors). In Stotan!, Norties's father is physically abusive (Stotan!). Deep End shows how difficult it can be to prove that child abuse is happening (Amazon.com). In the novel Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, the title character fakes a mental illness to avoid another round of abuse from her father (Artists and Authors).

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes

Chris Crutcher

Sarah

Jennifer Lawless of Chinese Handcuffs attempts suicide because of continuous sexual abuse (Artists and Authors).

Crutcher is trying to accomplish many things by openly and frequently addressing child abuse in his writing. First off, child abuse is common. Crutcher is well aware of this fact, given his background as a teacher and therapist (Artists and Authors). Crutcher does not want this problem to be ignored. He wants it to be very much in people's awareness. For victims of child abuse, it is important to know that other people have dealt with similar problems. Perhaps it will help some readers feel that they will be believed if they reach out for help. It can be hard to do, but all of society needs to recognize that the problem exists.

Crutcher is also trying to help his readers and society...