>>FEATURE
McNally Robinson
April 20
How do you find freedom from a world that has been your prison for so long? If you find the key, how do you overcome the fear of what lies beyond the door? For abuse survivor Sheldon Kennedy, it was the shame, guilt and the questions that still lingered that brought him to the place he is today.
"That’s why I named the book the way I did… it was the biggest question I asked myself – why didn’t I say anything?" says Kennedy. "Why didn’t I do anything? Why didn’t I stand up for myself? I think that’s the biggest question people asked me. Why didn’t you say or do anything, or just get over it."
It’s a callous and uninformed attitude to be sure, but one that seems to be all too common in cities and communities across Canada, and many other countries. A definite sign that the problem of abuse is one that people still aren’t willing to talk about, or even try to understand. It’s an attitude that needs to be changed.
Why I Didn’t Say Anything recounts the abuse that Kennedy endured at the hands of his then hockey coach, Graham James. He suffered through years of abuse and manipulation, while still trying to achieve his dreams of playing in the NHL. For anyone who has experienced the world of minor league sports, it’s a frightening example of the misuse of the enormous power that coaches can hold over a young athlete’s life. For anyone else, it is a window into a life dominated by fear and anger, and controlled by someone else’s sickness.
Readers are brought inside the events of Kennedy’s life leading up to the charging of James and the media circus surrounding it, the work done with the Sheldon Kennedy Foundation, and all that has happened since. Kennedy had been approached several times to write a book about his story, but until now, always refused.
"It just felt like I hadn’t found a way out. I told people I (was not) done the last chapter, and I think the last chapter was to find some freedom," Kennedy explains. "(Now) I’m not in the middle of it, so I can tell the story instead of trying to hide anything."
And in doing so, the book will most certainly reach out to those who have been, and may be right now, in similar situations of abuse. It tells parents to pay attention to their kids – lets kids know that they’ve got a voice, and that there’s someone out there who will listen. There’s no question that within its pages, people will find the most important thing they may need – a sense of hope.
But the key element that makes the book so accessible to a wide range of readers is its open, conversational feel. The reader doesn’t feel like they are experiencing the events happening as an outsider. It’s more akin to sitting down with Kennedy and hearing him personally tell you his story. And although many parts of the book are quite frank, that proves just how serious Kennedy is about not hiding anymore.
"I think it’s simple and honest. It is what it is," says Kennedy of the book’s tone, "That’s what happens, that’s where people go and that’s what they have to do to get out of it. It’s not 26-dollar words."
Will everyone who reads the book be affected in the same way? Definitely not. Will some praise the book for its honesty, while others chalk it up to simply more publicity for Kennedy? Possibly. But no matter what the reaction may be, the topic of abuse will be in the forefront of people’s minds, which is exactly where it needs to be.
"That’s how we’re going to change – through discussion, through conversation," says Kennedy. "Some people agree, some people don’t agree, and some people are on the fence. Well, let’s talk about it."
And getting people talking is definitely going to be the result of the release of Why I Didn’t Say Anything. |
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