Currently in Books

CATHIE KEARSLEY

Sarah Klassen. Kingston, Ont.: Quarry Press, 1998. 120 pp. $14.95.

Dangerous Elements provides the reader with snapshots of life's experiences from a variety of settings and perspectives. Each poem is a description of life, sometimes biblical, often personal, always poignant. The book blends historical Mennonite experiences of the sixteenth century martyrs with twentieth century observances, blurring the distance created by time and setting.

This collection gives reader the opportunity to reflect; thus, it is not a book that should be read quickly from cover to cover. It allows for time to enter into a new life, and experience a new perspective: a foreigner, a child, a martyr. Each experience is an opportunity to realize the "sameness" we share despite the diversity of personal encounters: "Rain, also, falls alike on old and young, on murderers, heart-broken mothers/its soothing touch respite from the heat, a hindrance to the picnic/and the harvest" ("Tribute").

Her fourth book of poetry, Klassen explores and celebrates the unity of life's experiences that occur through the constants of God's love, nature and concern for humanity. A powerful, vivid portrait of life, Dangerous Elements captures a variety of emotions, attitudes and observations while simultaneously revealing the shared aspects of human encounters.

DAVID DYCK

Mark Yantzi. Waterloo, Ont. and Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press 1998. 254 pp.

In the opening paragraphs of Sexual Offending and Restoration, Yantzi discusses our strong preference for avoiding any discussion of "something as repugnant as sexual abuse". He suggests, however, that it is our silence that has played the biggest role in perpetuating its prevalence among us. Yantzi's book provides a resource for breaking this silence, particularly when it comes to the complex challenges of working with those who have offended.

The author defines sexual abuse as "a sexual act of aggression that involves misusing power and violating the trust of a vulnerable person". Yantzi's alternative to the "head-in-the-sand" approach is guided by the tenets of restorative justice. This philosophical framework places emphasis on the importance of holding offenders accountable for their behaviours in meaningful ways while giving equal attention to the hurts of victim-survivors.

While the book's focus is on working with offenders, the author keeps his readers in touch with the real life impact of sexual abuse by continually drawing on his work with the book's "reference group". Consisting of four victims and four offenders, this group met over the period of one year for discussions centred around the themes of Yantzi's book while it was still a work in progress. While many authors pay "lip service" to the importance of involving the people about whom they are writing, very few go to the creative lengths Yantzi does in skillfully weaving these voices into his work. The result is a compelling and grounded discussion about working with offenders that seriously considers the perspectives of all affected parties.

Citing distorted notions of justice, forgiveness, power, sexuality and theology, Yantzi makes a compelling case for understanding sexual abuse as a problem which is deeply layered within various institutional and cultural systems. As a male Mennonite, the author is particularly concerned about the role of the church in perpetuating sexual abuse. However, Yantzi is equally clear on the potential resource found in a healthy spirituality and in an honest, empathic and realistic community of faith.

With this book, Mark Yantzi has written a sensitive, creative and very practical book. He breaks the silence on sexual abuse that still dominates our church community. He addresses the immediate issues of how to respond to persons who have sexually offended and those who have been violated. He reminds us that these persons are in our families, churches, workplaces and friendship circles. Furthermore, he shows us how our society and churches need healing as well.

In the final analysis, Yantzi calls for an approach to sexual abuse that is fired by an indefatigable, biblically-based hope for healing, yet tempered with an awareness of the need for caution and realistic measures to prevent further harm. As such, it should be required reading for all seminarians and be available in church libraries everywhere.

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