Hypertext Magazine asked Sarah Ward, author of Aesop Lake, “What makes Aesop Lake a unique book for young adults in today’s current culture?”

By Sarah Ward

What makes Aesop Lake a unique book for young adults in today’s current culture?

We are living in a world of such divisiveness, where groups are pitted against each other, labelled, and often choose between one point of view or another. When I began writing Aesop Lake, Leda’s story, my main protagonist, who witnesses a hate crime against a gay couple, was quick to form. The dilemma she faces in the novel, of choosing to protect her boyfriend and her family was born from that place of loyalty that we all face within our own families. At its core, Aesop Lake is a story about choices. But as Leda’s story began to unfold, I realized that I was missing a key voice.  That’s when I started to write Jonathan’s perspective, as the victim of the hate crime. It was critical to the readers’ understanding of the impact of the crime.

I believe that writing for young adults is an opportunity to dig into multiple perspectives, and to challenge the reader to examine a situation from many points of view.  Aesop Lake offers readers who identify as straight and gay an opportunity to grapple with the very real topics of bullying and how to be an ally.  My own daughter experienced some bullying when she was questioning her own sexuality, and the impact of being rejected by peers was traumatizing.  Leda, in her defense, was not the bully, however, she had to find her own voice in being an ally to Jonathan, and risk losing the friends she cared about.

As a society we have made some strides in decreasing the marginalization of the LGBTQ community, but not enough. I’m sure many would argue that in some ways we are going backwards as a country, when it comes to minority rights.  The young adults of today are the hope for our future. They deserve every opportunity that we can offer to be strong allies for each other, and to stand on the side of love.

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Sarah Ward writes young adult fiction, poetry and journal articles in the field of child welfare. Over a twenty-five-year career as a social worker, Sarah has worked with young adults and families with harrowing backgrounds. She won the 2007 Editor’s Choice Award for the New England Anthology of Poetry for her poem “Warmer Waters,” and she is a member of the League of Vermont Writers since 2008. As a social worker, Sarah has published several journal articles, and was recently a co-author on an article published (December 2016) in Child and Youth Services Review titled, “Building a landscape of resilience after workplace violence in public child welfare.” In her limited spare time, Sarah enjoys a good book, a little yoga, and a cup of tea in her home in Williston, Vermont.