For Your Consideration:

"Hell and How I Got Here" "

"The brave writers whose work is represented in this volume have acted in good faith, faced their demons, stayed the course, and revised relentlessly. And in taking on the subject of themselves—making themselves vulnerable to the unseen reader—they have exchanged powerlessness for the power that comes with self-awareness."--Wally Lamb

These powerful stories, testaments, hit us on all levels: we can't escape the power of their story, Let's reflect on anything and everything that comes to us as a result of reading them, INCLUDING the art of writing them.

1. Wally Lamb begins his introduction explaining what goes on in editing, quoting different authors on the art of writing, and lists several techniques the authors in this book may have used. Are you familiar with any of these Writing Techniques? Let's keep an eye out for particularly good examples of the writer's craft.

2. Beyond the steel door, there's a mourning
Grief for misplaced innocence

Past the mourning, there's a darkness
Filled with fears that make no sense

Beyond the darkness, there's a bright light
Illuminating half the way

Past the bright light, there's a longing
One that will not go away,

Beyond the longing, there is silence
Stillness that may save my soul

Beyond the stillness, there's salvation
Grace from God to make me whole

That's a HECK of a poem! A HECK of writing talent and a HECK of a statement.
What does she mean by "Beyond the longing there is silence." What silence?
What do each of the steps she takes represent? Was there one there which surprised or disappointed you?
What does she mean by "Illuminating HALF the way?" br>

Brenda Medina's haunting and beautiful poem (on page 174) is astonishing in its beauty. What impression did Brenda's essay make on you?

3. "It was hard to concentrate because of the screaming." (page 144). What seems to be the matter with Brenda's mother? Is this epilepsy?

4. With all the dramatic events in Brenda's life, why do you think she chose to open her essay with her brother David's nighttime "prank?" How does the reader sink right along with Brendalis into a world from which it appears there is no escape?

5. What do you know of "gang" culture? Were you surprised that a 30 year old woman seems to be running the "sisters?" Did you understand about the "family" aspect of what was described?

6. What role does superstition seem to play in the Medina family? From the "Indian in the painting" (page 146) who would protect them, and La Negra (page 149) which seemed to be used for something else, does it seem that superstition takes the place of religion here or is part of it in this Purerto Rican family? In how many different ways did Brendalis reveal the milieu in which she lives?
How effective is her technique?

7. "My sisters had left home, one by one, to escape her iorn-fisted control. What confused me was why most had run straight into the arms of controlling, iron-fisted men." (page 153) How many times does the author use an ironic voice and what effect does that have on the reader?

8. What is ironic about the title Hell and How I Got Here? What is more hellish to you: Brenda's life in prison or her life before it?

Previous Questions: Introduction and "The True Face of Earth"
Previous Questions: "Orbiting Izzy"
Previous Questions: "Thefts"
Previous Questions: "Hair Chronicles"
Previous Questions: "Three Steps Past the Monkeys"
Previous Questions: "Hell and How I Got Here"
Previous Questions: "Christmas in Prison"
Previous Questions: "Faith, Power, and Pants"
Previous Questions: "Puzzle Pieces"
Previous Questions: "Motherlove"