A Death of Innocence

        I’ve never been the type of person to be easily offended. I can joke about pretty much any topic. But while reading Gone by Michael Grant, something he wrote struck me as just plain offensive. I was only a few chapters into the book, which was describing a world where there are no adults or anyone over the age of fourteen. Being a responsible caretaker to my four-year-old sister,  I noted in my journal that if I had been in that situation, my first priority would have been to care for the younger children. However, they had barely been mentioned in the book.

        I kept reading until I reached a section of the novel that absolutely horrified me. The main character, Sam, walks into an abandoned house and finds a deceased toddler who had simply been forgotten. I expected this to have a significant impact on the mood of the book. But to my disgust, Sam throws the child into a garbage sack and compares it to “taking out the trash.” The book then continues with no further discussion of the death.

        Taking out the trash? How could anyone with a heart say that about such a precious life being lost? I decided that it must come from the life the author lives. As a sister and frequent babysitter, I am in contact with babies and children every day, and can’t think of anything more perfect than the sweet and loving innocence of a child. Maybe this author has never had that experience. Maybe Michael Grant should spend a day doing my job, and then try to write about the death of a baby.