Author Sapphire. Photo courtesy of The Guardian.

Author Sapphire, whose book “Push” was made into the film “Precious,” says it is unlikely her new novel “The Kid” will also get the Hollywood screen treatment, according to this interview in Great Britain’s Guardian.

“The Kid,” follows the travails of Abdul, the son of the character Claireece from “Push.” Abdul’s mother, who was sexually abused, impregnanted and infected with HIV by her father, dies from AIDS at the start of the book. Abdul ends up in foster care, where he also suffers sexual and other abuse before discovering  his talent for dance may be a key to a better life.

“In ‘Precious’ it’s about her as a victim and a survivor,” Sapphire said in The Guardian interview. “In ‘The Kid,’ it’s so dark in what it says about Abdul. We wouldn’t be able to get it made without an R rating — and with an R rating not everyone would be able to see it.”

Many social workers watched “Precious” to see how pop singer Mariah Carey played the role of social worker Ms. Weiss. Sapphire said she read social worker and psychiatrist case studies when writing “The Kid.”

Although some readers said they cannot believe the abuse depicted in her works is real, Sapphire says unfortunately such incidents are common.

“In Michigan one woman held up the book, trembling, saying: ‘I’ve never heard of anything like this in my life.’ On the other side of the room there was a psychiatrist who said: ‘I hear it every day.”

SocialWorkersSpeak.org interviewed Sapphire in 2009 shortly after the release of “Precious.” To read that interview click here.

University of Houston student awarded Hogg Foundation Scholarship
EurekAlert (press release)
Ana Luisa Laws, a second-year student in the master of social work program at the University of Houston (UH) Graduate College of Social Work (GCSW), is one of five outstanding graduate students in Texas to receive the prestigious 2011 Ima Hogg Scholarship for Mental Health.

Rep. King must realize Somali Americans are allies
CNN International
By Altaf Husain, Special to CNN Editor’s note: Altaf Husain is a fellow at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, assistant professor at Howard University School of Social Work, a board member of the Islamic Society of North America, and a former two-term national president of the Muslim Students Association.

Author-poet Sapphire talks about latest novel, ‘The Kid’
Bay Area Living
She is dismayed that some critics have seen her work as perpetuating negative stereotypes of African-American women. “Yes, there are examples of extreme black dysfunction in the book, but also extreme black functionality. (Precious’) own people are helping her deal with these situations — her teacher, her social worker. It’s a whole picture; nothing is black and white.”

Social Workers: Giving Voice, Navigating the System, Reclaiming Lives
Huffington Post (blog)
This turnaround is thanks in large part to Sherri Zabko, who has been called a miracle worker and an angel. But as far as she’s concerned, she’s just doing her job. Sherri is a social worker — one of approximately 650000 men and women across the country who are becoming known as the “unsung heroes” of our health care system — connecting individuals and families in need to resources that create real change in real lives.

The High Price of America’s Gambling Addiction
The Daily Finance
But Steve Burton, program director of Problem Gamblers Health Network of West Virginia, says some risk factors can make people more susceptible: A previous history of addictions/mental illness; a significant life event like divorce, loss of loved one, job loss; an early big win; a history of child abuse or neglect, or a family history of addictions or mental illness.

Suicide spikes among middle-aged women
msnbc
Dr. LeslieBeth Wish, a psychologist and licensed clinical social worker in Sarasota, Fla., has found through her online surveys, lectures and focus groups a startling increase in suicide attempts with women ages 45 to 54. Women are susceptible to depression but older women may also be suffering from pre-menopause hormone fluctuations that can affect mood changes and depression.

Photo of Sapphire courtesy of USA Today.

Cheers to the author Sapphire for praising social workers in a Dec. 10 USA Today article on her book “Push.” The film “Precious” is based on that novel, which is about an obese, abused and pregnant teenage girl who begins to find self worth when she learns to read.

Sapphire told USA Today the movie and book share the same message:

“You can make it if you try, but you need a loving community, you need a teacher, you need a social worker, you need friends.”

Some social workers are concerned about the portrayal  of their profession in the movie (Click here to read about and listen to  National Association of Social Workers member Brenda Wade’s interaction with movie director Lee Daniels).

Sapphire defended her characters when she talked to SocialWorkersSpeak a few weeks ago. Click here to read that interview. Here’s an excerpt of that dialogue:

“I know many social workers and that influenced the creation of my character Ms Weiss. Two social workers and a social work student read the book in manuscript form before it was published and felt the portrayal of Ms Weiss was insightful and compelling.”

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com.

Books often get turned into movies. For instance “Precious,” the much-talked-about  film that features singer Mariah Carey’s as a  social worker, is based on the book “Push” by Sapphire.

Social workers should also pay attention to “As God Commands,” an Italian novel by best-selling author Niccolo Ammaniti. Like “Push,” the book features a social worker.

The novel sold well in Europe and an English version is now available. But from what we read the book may warrant a jeer. The novel’s social worker Beppe Trecca apparently follows the stereotype that social workers come to break up homes and can be easily fooled.

 ”As God Commands” is about Rino Zena, an unemployed, alcoholic skinhead raising 13-year-old son Cristiano. Zeno and Cristiano go to great lengths to convince Trecca their household is not dysfunctional, rushing to clean house and bake bread before visits.

Check out the book and let us know what you think. If we’re wrong we’ll move this entry from a Jeer to a Cheer.