31. Hope in Patience by Beth Fehlbaum

Hope in Patience by Beth Fehlbaum

ISBN: 978-1-934813-41-6

WestSide Books, Lodi, NJ, 2010

309 p.

Plot Summary

Fifteen-year-old Ashley Asher has a lot of demons in her past, stemming mostly from the sexual abuse perpetrated by her stepfather and her mother’s decision to choose her stepfather’s words over her own, even accusing Ashley of trying to steal him from her.  Now living with her father and stepmother in Patience, Texas, Ashley struggles with the memories of the abuse and her inability to truly trust the people around her.  Dealing with her post-traumatic stress disorder with visits to her therapist, Ashley is beginning to learn how to stop harming herself and accept the support of her father and her new family.  However, when she has to go to court to face her stepfather, as well as her mother and grandparents that labeled her a “liar,” Ashley’s progress is immediately forgotten and her delusions only get worse when she has a posttraumatic flashback on Halloween.  Intent on helping her, her father and stepmother do everything they can to try and help Ashley develop the strength to start the healing.

Critical Evaluation

Hope in Patience is the story of a girl dealing with the trauma that emotional, sexual, and physical abuse has caused.  Told in first-person, readers are privy to the innermost thoughts of Ashley Asher and experience the power that the flashbacks have on her.  Aware of the devastation that her mother and stepfather have caused and refuse to acknowledge, I could only hope that Ashley would be able to make it through the pain and be able to live her life.  I began to feel the frustration that her father expresses toward the beginning of the novel whenever Ashley wished for her mother to realize that she needed her or when Ashley would either consciously or subconsciously harm herself.  However, we first really experience how her mother, stepfather, and grandparents act toward her when Ashley sees them at court and it is easy to understand how her post-traumatic stress disorder developed.  The novel gives a realistic view into the life of someone dealing with PTSD by including descriptive visits to her therapist, as well as showing the events of her daily life in school and at home.  As someone that has never dealt with PTSD or known anyone with the disorder, I felt that the novel helped me understand the hold that it has on an individual’s mind.  Also, Hope in Patience serves to demonstrate that the damage caused by sexual and physical abuse does not stop when the abuse stops; the psychological effects continue to torture the victim.  It is only when Ashley learns to “just wait” before reacting that she starts to fight back against her fears, giving the title of the novel it’s double meaning.  Not only does her therapist show her that practicing patience leads to hope in overcoming her disorder, but she ultimately finds hope in her new home, Patience. 

Reader's Annotation

After being emotionally, sexually, and physically abused by her mother and stepfather, Ashley moves to live with her father and stepmother in Patience, Texas.  However, the memories and emotional scarring she experienced comes along with her.

Information About the Author

Beth Fehlbaum was born in Dallas, Texas, and has one brother, who is a police detective. She married her high school sweetheart and they have three daughters.  Her oldest is getting her doctorate in Sociology; her middle daughter is headed West soon to start her MFA in Publishing and/or Creative Writing, and her youngest child is studying to be a neonatal nurse. 

Beth Fehlbaum has written the novels, Courage in Patience and Hope in Patience.  As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Fehlbaum started writing a novel in order to work through her feelings and the character of Ashley Asher developed.  When her youngest daughter started Kindergarten, Fehlbaum went to college to be a teacher, like Ashley's stepmom in the Patience books.  Bev Asher and Fehlbaum share a passion for teaching, social justice, and insisting upon authenticity in the classroom.  She has a B.A. in English, minor Secondary Education, from the University of Texas at Arlington,  and an M.Ed. in Elementary Education, specializing in Reading, from Texas A & M--Commerce.  (information taken from author’s website: http://www.bethfehlbaumya.com/aboutme.htm)

Genre

Young Adult – Realistic

Curriculum Ties

English - Reading Comprehension and Literary Response and Analysis

Booktalking Ideas

1. Discuss the lasting effects that abuse has on Ashley.

2. Analyze the importance of the phrase “just wait.”

3. Focus on the relationship between Ashley and her stepmother, Bev.

4. Talk about Ashley’s anger over being rejected by her mother and grandparents. 

Reading Level/Interest Age

15+

Challenge Issues

The novel includes descriptions of molestation and rape, as well as several instances of self-harm.  There are also swear words in the novel.

When confronted with complaints about this novel, librarians should become familiar with the material and its content.  Turn to reviews from publications such as Publisher’s Weekly, School Library Journal, and Booklist, as well as reviews from teens that have read it.  Also, it is beneficial for librarians to present reasons backed by the ALA in support of intellectual freedom.  As stated in the Library Bill of Rights:

I. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.

II. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.

III. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.

Why Include Book in Selection? 

This book was included as a required read for the class.