Surrender, Dorothy. I don’t know when I read it the first time (it wasn’t in 2003, 2004, or 2005, ’cause it’s not on any of my reading lists), but I don’t remember what ultimately happens in the course of the book, so I’m going to finish reading it. It’s a short book.
As an aside, every time I see the title of the book, I think of Quinn screaming “I’m DORFY!”
I’m not crazy about Meg Wolitzer – I really didn’t care for The Wife at all. All I can guess is that I forgot she wrote The Wife and that I’d read Surrender, Dorothy, and someone somewhere highly recommended Surrender, Dorothy in their blog or an email, and so I put it on my wish list.
Generally speaking, if I read your blog or journal and you recommend a book and make the story sound even slightly interesting, chances are good (if I haven’t already read it) that I’ll add it to my wish list. As long as it isn’t dick lit, that is.
And speaking of my wish list, great big thanks to reader Susan, who bought me The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things off my wish list!
You rock, Susan!
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Dumbass things I did yesterday:
1. At some point during the day I pulled a muscle in my right shoulder. It hurt a LOT, and I decided to take it easy (bwah! As opposed to my usual hard-working day of sitting on my ass in front of the computer or TV, I suppose!). I started dinner – chicken noodle soup – and then decided to pull out the refrigerator and vacuum and mop behind it, because I’d mopped the kitchen floor the other day and got a huge dust bunny from under the fridge. My shoulder did not thank me for pulling out the fridge, believe you me.
2. I was looking for my checkbook to write a check, and couldn’t find it. So I grabbed another book of checks from out of my desk drawer, wrote the check, and set the book of checks to the side. Two minutes later I looked over at the book of checks and said “Oh, that’s where the checkbook is. I can’t believe I didn’t see it there before!” It took about ten minutes before I realized that it was the book of checks I’d taken out of the desk drawer. Doy.
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So, on Dr. Phil last week was this two-part show entitled “Is My Son a Sexual Predator?” On the show were two parents of a 19 year-old boy who, they were worried, was a sexual predator (I bet you never would have figured that out from the title, eh?). Also on the show was the boy himself – Mikai – and his three brothers. The parents were worried that Mikai had been “inappropriate” with girls as young as 13 and – here’s the kicker – they were worried that he’d molested his own sister when she was 2 years old, and had instituted a “two brother” rule. That is, he was no longer allowed to be alone in the house with his sister; there always had to be a second brother present.
The most disturbing part was when they showed video of Mikai and his little sister wrestling on the floor, and he glanced over to see if anyone was watching him, and then his hand slid down between her legs for a few instances. To me it looked deliberate and it seemed to bother Dr. Phil and Mikai’s parents as well.
Most of the first show was talking about the problems with Mikai and him denying that he’d done anything with his sister, that he’d ever been “inappropriate” with anyone, that it was all a big misunderstanding (every time) and that he’d been molested many times as a child so the only way to interact with other people was sexually.
Finally, Dr. Phil asked Mikai if he’d be willing to take a lie detector test, and he said he would.
The lie detector test didn’t actually take place until the second show. But they hyped the holy hell out of the fact that the kid was going to take the lie detector test. Every single time they went to commercial, every time they had a commercial about the show, they showed Dr. Phil beginning to read the results of the test, then they’d cut it off before we got to the actual result.
And just so you know, I just KNEW that the lie detector test was going to show that Mikai had never molested his little sister, never acted inappropriately with young girls, that none of that stuff was true. I just KNEW IT. Because remember when Dr. Phil had the woman on and then wouldn’t show the piece they’d filmed for the show because if he did, DHS would be on her doorstep when she got home? Well, if it was found that Mikai had molested his sister, wouldn’t the same thing be true? Wouldn’t the police be there to arrest him?
So I was pretty confident that the lie detector test was going to show that Mikai was telling the truth.
You could have blown me away when the test results were actually read, then.
Question 1: “Did you ever touch your sister’s vagina or breasts with the pre-understanding that this was meant as a sexual activity.”
Answer: “Your answer was ‘no,’ and the results indicate strong deception on your part. The results indicate that you have in fact touched her in a sexual way on her vagina and/or breasts.”
Question 2: “Did you ever have sex with anyone against her will or with anyone under the age of 14?”
Answer: Mikai answered no; the test results revealed clear deception for both.
Dr. Phil confronted Mikai, Mikai denied it some more, and then Mikai’s father said “You’d better tell him the truth; you’re dead to us.” and Mikai finally admitted that it had happened.
Like I said, a seriously intense and disturbing show. The parents and brothers were understandably devastated and so was Mikai. I swear I had chills by the time the show ended.
Say what you will about Dr. Phil; at least he’s willing to work with Mikai and his family (who said several times that they want nothing to do with him anymore); he’s willing to foot the bill so that this family can find a way to heal.
I cannot imagine much that’s more horrifying than finding out that your own child is a sexual predator, that he’s molested another of your children, and that he’s had forcible sex with girls, and sex with girls under the age of 14.
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His Majesty is displeased.]]>