This selection has been designated as an outstanding book by the Junior Library Guild for YM Group. It is appropriate for ages 13 and up.
By the cover and title, i was expecting this memoir to be about just that...learning to swim. I have never been so wrong in my life. Learning to Swim is narrative poetry about one summer in Turner's life. What began as a fun summer trip to her lake house filled with wonderful memories, smells, and the hope of learning to swim became a summer of hurt and shame brought on by a childhood neighbor who molested her in her room.
Through free verse poetry, the 113 pages of this book fly by. The author uses her voice as it was when she was a child to reflect on the events of the summer. Turner's word choice (the knobby path, p. 13) and imagery in this book (because it keeps coming back / like a skunk dog / on the porch / whining to get in, p. 1) create the reality of the child's world and makes the reader feel as if they are right there.
This book is quite disturbing and needs to be read and discussed with a class intimately. It would also be a good choice for a girl who has unfortunately been in the same situation. When reading this book with your class, be sure to discuss metaphors and how the title is a metaphor for something completely different. You can have your students come up with metaphors of their own and discuss within a small group or with the entire class. Learning to Swim is a quick read that will never be forgotten.
Some interesting questions to raise about the book would be:
How does the child's voice change after she goes to "read a book" with Kevin?
Why is it important to tell a trusted adult if something happens to you?
How did the child feel after telling her mother about the abuse?
What is the importance of the pink float?
Why did the child arrange her dolls after the abuse?
At the end of the book, there is a page with 24-hour help lines. Why did the author include these? When is it appropriate to call these help lines?
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