A teacher came to
me this week visibly upset and shaken. She has a student from Guatemala and
this student has a sister also in our school. Every so often her aunt, who
still lives in Guatemala, sends a video or an email to the girls. This last one
was quite upsetting.
The video was of a
scene where she used to live. She was able to point out that she knew this
house, that archway, etc. But in the video, three individuals were murdered.
You see, in order
for a taxi to travel on that street, the driver needed to pay a gang leader
money. In this case, the driver didn’t have it. So he was dragged out of the
car and set on fire, along with two other men. All of it captured on video, and
this video was sent to these two girls.
The girl was
visibly shaken. It not only upset the girl, but also the teacher to whom she
showed it and who then informed me. The teacher had to vent and collect
herself. She informed the parent of the video and did all the right things.
But . . .
Explain to me how
this teacher could concentrate for the rest of the day? Explain how this girl
could concentrate for the rest of the day? Test? Book report? Presentation?
Essay? Not a chance.
This same week, an
elementary teacher spoke to me about several students in her classroom. There
is a fieldtrip heading to Jamestown and the cost is $30. She was concerned that
some of her needy kids might not be able to attend because of the cost. While
one or two paid for the trip, she noticed that the kids are on free or reduced
lunch, so she wonders how they could afford the trip.
She also noticed
that several of her kids wear the same clothes every other day, sometimes each
day. One boy has grown so much that, because he only has one pair of jeans,
they are now “high waters.” Near tears, she wondered what she could do to help.
And lastly, as I
stood in the cafeteria one morning, a young man wanted to buy coffee. I know
this young man doesn’t have a lot of money, so when he asked if I had a quarter
to lend him, I gave him a dollar and told him to keep the change. I didn’t
intend to embarrass him, but I believe I did. He came back the next day and
wanted to reimburse me, but I told him it was a gift and it was okay. Me to
him. He smiled and walked away.
I bring up these
three incidents because they reinforced something I spoke to the staff about at
the beginning of the year: The Invisible kid.
There are kids who
walk among us carrying heavy burdens that we may or may not know anything
about. There are kids in pain, who suffer from anxiety, depression. There are
kids who are trying their hardest to navigate, not only the hallways and
stairwells of this building, but of life itself. Often times I wonder . . . and
worry . . . about what or if a student eats on the weekend or over a break when
the school can’t provide. I feel a little guilty grabbing a cookie or grilling
a hamburger when I know there are kids who lack, and when there are parents who
suffer because they can’t provide for their kids.
Can you imagine a
parent’s feeling of shame in not being able to provide for their kids? The
elementary teacher who spoke to me this week mentioned that one of her kids
hates Christmas because the kiddo doesn’t get anything. Can you imagine who
that hurts? What that feels like?
This is sad to me.
So sad. In a world of plenty, when my family and I have so much, there are kids
out there who suffer silently, and are Invisible to our eyes. Maybe because we
can’t see them. Mostly, I think, because we fail to see them.
Invisible.
The song by Hunter
Hayes is worth the listen: https://soundcloud.com/hunterhayesofficial/invisible-1
Maybe we can help
make all kids . . . and adults . . . Visible. Maybe we can notice and be gentle
about it. Yes, it’s true the kiddo might not pass your test. Yes, it’s true the
kiddo is so angry upon entering your room or walking down the hallway that he
or she will lash out at the first person who provides a reason . . . or not.
Yes, it’s all
true. I get that. But we can still help kids to become Visible. We need to. For
their sake. And probably, for our sake. Something to think about . . .
Live Your Life,
and Make A Difference!
To My Readers:
Connect with me on Social Media:
Twitter at
@jrlewisauthor
Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/Joseph.Lewis.Author
There have been several great reviews for Spiral Into
Darkness:
“If you enjoy
thrillers, especially psychological ones, Spiral
Into Darkness by Joseph Lewis will grab you good and proper in the opening
two chapters. You will find yourself avidly turning pages as a serial killer
accosts his victims, confirms their identities and blasts away their faces with
a .38 pistol. If you are interested in both the good and bad sides of humanity
and why we each turn out as we do, Spiral
Into Darkness won’t disappoint.” Readers
Favorites
“The Bottom Line:
A thoroughly compulsive police procedural by one of America’s most promising new writers. Joseph Lewis, author
of our Best of 2018 pick Caught in a Web,
is back with another crime thriller featuring world-weary Milwaukee detective
Jamie Graff . . . While Lewis savagely explores romance, drama, and sexuality
with his wider cast of characters, Jamie’s interpersonal life is refreshingly
free of drama for a cop, enabling him to be the determined, resourceful rock
capable of cracking the case. The result is a thoroughly compulsive crime
thriller.” Best Thrillers
You can find Spiral Into Darkness on Amazon at https://amzn.to/2RBWvTm and on Barnes
and Noble at https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spiral-into-darkness-joseph-lewis/1129937958;jsessionid=0C9F7881E2F56139FAD36435022CB35D.prodny_store01-atgap18?ean=9781684332090
Best Thrillers had
previously reviewed my book, Caught in a
Web. It was named as a PenCraft
Literary Award Winner for Thriller Fiction! Best Thrillers called it “one of the best crime thriller books of
the year!” I am both proud and humbled.
You can find Caught in a Web on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CKF7696
or on Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/caught-in-a-web-joseph-lewis/1128250923?ean=9781684330249
If you do read Caught in a Web, Spiral Into Darkness, or any of my other books, please leave a
rating and a review. I would appreciate it. Thanks for this consideration!
Spiral Into Darkness:
He blends in. He
is successful, intelligent and methodical. He has a list and has murdered eight
on it so far. There is no discernible pattern. There are no clues. There are no
leads. The only thing the FBI and local police have to go on is the method of death:
two bullets to the face- gruesome and meant to send a message. But it’s
difficult to understand any message coming from a dark and damaged mind. Two
adopted boys, struggling in their own world, have no idea they are the next
targets. Neither does their family. And neither does local law enforcement. https://amzn.to/2RBWvTm
Caught in a Web:
The bodies of high
school and middle school kids are found dead from an overdose of heroin and
fentanyl. The drug trade along the I-94 and I-43 corridors and the Milwaukee
Metro area is controlled by MS-13, a violent gang originating from El Salvador.
Ricardo Fuentes is sent from Chicago to Waukesha to find out who is cutting in
on their business, shut it down and teach them a lesson. But he has an ulterior
motive: find and kill a fifteen-year-old boy, George Tokay, who had killed his
cousin the previous summer.
Detectives Jamie
Graff, Pat O’Connor and Paul Eiselmann race to find the source of the drugs,
shut down the ring, and find Fuentes before he kills anyone else, especially
George or members of his family. The three detectives discover the ring has its
roots in a high school among the students and staff. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CKF7696
Book One of the Lives Trilogy, Stolen Lives:
Two thirteen year
old boys are abducted off a safe suburban street. Kelliher and his team of FBI
agents have 24 hours to find them or they’ll end up like all the others- dead!
They have no leads, no clues, and nothing to go on. And the possibility exists
that one of his team members might be involved. http://tinyurl.com/Stolen-Lives-J-Lewis
Book Two of the Lives Trilogy, Shattered Lives:
Six men escaped
and are out for revenge. The boys, recently freed from captivity, are in danger
and so are their families, but they don’t know it. The FBI has no clues, no
leads, and nothing to go on and because of that, cannot protect them. http://tinyurl.com/Shattered-Lives-J-Lewis
Book Three of the Lives Trilogy, Splintered Lives:
A 14 year old boy
knows the end is coming. What he doesn’t know is when, where or by whom.
Without that knowledge, neither he nor the FBI can protect him or his family.
The Lives Trilogy Prequel, Taking Lives:
FBI Agent Pete
Kelliher and his partner search for the clues behind the bodies of six boys
left in various and remote parts of the country. Even though they don’t know
one another, the lives of FBI Kelliher, 11 year old Brett McGovern, and 11 year
old George Tokay are separate pieces of a puzzle. The two boys become
interwoven with the same thread that Pete Kelliher holds in his hand. The three
of them are on a collision course and when that happens, their lives are in
jeopardy as each search for a way out. http://tinyurl.com/Taking-Lives-J-Lewis
