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Things You Won't Say


A ripped from the headlines story of a family in crisis following a tragic ...
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Do you agree with Jamie's reaction?

Created: 05/20/15

Replies: 10

Posted May. 20, 2015 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
davinamw

Join Date: 10/15/10

Posts: 3442

Do you agree with Jamie's reaction?

During her press conference, Lucia Torres says, "None of us mothers expect to be here, before news crews, talking about our kids whose only crime was to be brown or black" (page 149). Do you agree with Jamie's reaction?


Posted May. 24, 2015 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
laurap

Join Date: 06/19/12

Posts: 408

RE: Do you agree with Jamie's reaction?

I don't think Mike is a racist either, but I don't think that's the issue. Jamie seems to react to pretty much every situation by envisioning the worst case scenario - she's convinced her family will not survive. And she doesn't seem to have anywhere to go to get a realistic or balanced perspective. Mike can't give her one, because he's defending himself, and sees her reaction as a lack of faith and trust. The lawyer doesn't seem to do a very good job of this either, and Lou seems ill-equipped to help as well. That leaves Jame as the victim of her own very active imagination. So I don't afgree with her reaction - I think she needs a more balanced perspective - abut I don't see her having a place to go for help in developing one.


Posted May. 25, 2015 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
enidm

Join Date: 05/25/15

Posts: 6

RE: Do you agree with Jamie's reaction?

I think that Jamie had totally isolated herself. She was stuck in a loop of non productive circular reasoning.
What she and Mike needed was a good therapist. The author does a good job of creating a damaged character.
Sorry, first time I'm posting and I entered this response in the wrong place.
Jamie's reaction to the statement was true to her character. Ms. Torres's remarks were powerful and true to the reality of what is happening across this country right now.


Posted May. 25, 2015 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
dianem

Join Date: 10/25/12

Posts: 65

RE: Do you agree with Jamie's reaction?

I think Jamie dealt with it in the best way she knew how but police departments should have people to help families deal with this too. It's not only the officer with problems but their families as well.


Posted May. 26, 2015 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
terriej

Join Date: 07/28/11

Posts: 436

RE: Do you agree with Jamie's reaction?

I don't like the way Jamie dealt with it, but I think she handled it the best way she knew. Jamie really didn't have a good support system to help guide her through difficult situations.


Posted May. 26, 2015 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
bigred66

Join Date: 03/14/15

Posts: 18

RE: Do you agree with Jamie's reaction?

I think Jamie's reaction was dead on and what any spouses reaction would be in the same situation.


Posted May. 27, 2015 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
juliaa

Join Date: 12/03/11

Posts: 276

RE: Do you agree with Jamie's reaction?

Whether I agree or disagree is not the issue. Jamie reacts in the only way she know how to do so, and she reacts in the way most spouses would (yet she didn't trust Mike enough to believe him about the gun, which is strange in light of her absolute faith that he is not a racist). I agree with the commenters above that it is unrealistic that the police department would not have supplied Jamie with a person to help her, even if Mike turned down counseling (which I believe is mandatory in most departments after an officer-involved shooting). I have a lot of policemen --no women--in my family, so I'm not just basing the foregoing statement on what I have seen on TV.


Posted May. 27, 2015 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Suzanne

Join Date: 04/21/11

Posts: 281

RE: Do you agree with Jamie's reaction?

No I don't agree with the author's giving Jamie such a reaction. As I mentioned in another post, why do authors have so much vomiting by characters when something emotional happens? I just don’t believe it happens in real life.

Jamie's concern about there being a civil suit seemed to be realistic.


Posted May. 28, 2015 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
janeh

Join Date: 06/15/11

Posts: 222

RE: Do you agree with Jamie's reaction?

Her reaction seemed reasonable to me. When a spouse clams up in a crisis, the other partner is left to wildly speculate on the reasoning behind any decision making. They seemed to have had less than a partnership in their marriage. He seemed to treat her more like a child than his spouse, protecting her, rather than sharing with her.


Posted May. 29, 2015 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
dianaps

Join Date: 05/29/15

Posts: 460

RE: Do you agree with Jamie's reaction?

The reaction seemed typical Jamie. My reaction was much different and I was not liking what Lucia Torres said but then I realized that was part of the basis for the story.


Posted Jun. 01, 2015 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
robinn

Join Date: 12/06/14

Posts: 28

RE: Do you agree with Jamie's reaction?

With the skill set that Jamie possessed, she did the best she could. Her reaction was expected.


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