CROSSING 13 Educational Themes

Coming of Age
Carrie’s life is instantly altered after finding her father dead from suicide at the age of thirteen. She is dogged by the angst and social awkwardness attendant to the middle school years. She berates herself for her selfishness, agonizes over fitting in at her new school and struggles with the emotional waves of, shock, guilt, confusion, shame and the obsession with why. This coming-of-age story is memorable because the character comes to grips with the reality of a parent’s suicide-- while others her age deal with family, friends, or community issues.

Identity
Carrie asks herself questions about the type of person she is: “Why didn't’t I have the courage to enter the garage and try to stop him sooner? How could everything I grew up thinking and believing about my father be a lie? Will I suddenly become crazy like my father? What will people think of me? Am I normal?” Although Carrie finds no easy answers to these questions, she uses them to define who she is and who she wants to be. Carrie’s quest for her identity and the coming-of-age theme are the most significant themes of the book.

Suicide
The stigma attached to suicide is further magnified for early teens; who are already achingly self-conscious in general. Carrie says, "I hated the way everyone kept looking at me, their faces full of pity, concern and judgment. There was nowhere to escape." This family responds in a largely defensive way, refusing to discuss the tragedy with most outsiders, and as rarely as possible amongst themselves, though Carrie’s mother does see that they all meet with a counselor. Few acquaintances are of help; a number mention the Catholic notion that those who take their own lives go to hell. A psychic tells the family that their loved one is angry and trapped in the house where he died.

Grief
This story follows the days leading up to the suicide as well as after, demonstrating the turbulent journey that Carrie and her family were faced with. This story is a detailed account of the anger, heartache, self-blame and guilt that surrounds the loss of a parent by suicide, and some practical advice to those dealing with a grieving survivor. Amazing but true: even in the twenty-first century some folks don't know not to say insensitive things to the suffering like "It was God's will," or "Aren't you over this by now?"

Suicide Prevention Resources

American Association of Suicidology
5221 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20015
(202) 237-2280
www.suicidology.org

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
120 Wall Street, 22nd Floor
New York, NY 10005
(212) 363-3500
www.afsp.org

Baton Rouge Crisis Intervention Center
4837 Revere Avenue
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
(225) 924-1431
www.brcic.org

The Compassionate Friends, Inc.
P. O. Box 3696
Oak Brook, IL  60522-3696
877-969-0010 
www.compassionatefriends.org  

Friends for Survival, Inc.
P.O. Box 214463
Sacramento, CA 95821
(800) 646-7322 
www.friendsforsurvival.org

HEARTBEAT
2015 Devon
Colorado Springs, CO 80909
(719) 596-2575 
www.heartbeatsurvivorsaftersuicide.org 

Hope for Bereaved, Inc.
4500 Onondaga Blvd.
Syracuse, New York 13219
(315) 475-9675 
www.hopeforbereaved.com  

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
Colonial Place Three 2107 Wilson Blvd., Suite 300
Arlington, VA 22201-3042
(888) 999-NAMI 
www.nami.org

National Resource Center: Suicide Prevention and Aftercare
www.thelink.org

Prevent Suicide Now
1-800-SUICIDE 1-800-273-TALK 
www.preventsuicidenow.com  

SA/VE (Suicide Awareness/Voices of Education)
P.O. Box 24507
Minneapolis, MN 55424
(612) 946-7998
www.save.org

Sibling Survivors
www.siblingsurvivors.com

Suicide and Mental Health Association International
P.O. Box 702
Sioux Falls, SD 57101-0702 
www.suicideandmentalhealthassociationinternational.org

Suicide Prevention Action Network USA (SPAN USA)
1025 Vermont Ave., NW, Suite 1066
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 449-3600 
www.spanusa.org 

Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado (SPCC) 
http://suicidepreventioncolorado.org

Suicide Prevention Resource Center Education Development Center, Inc.
1000 Potomac Street NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20007
877-GET-SPRC 
www.sprc.org  

Surviving Suicide www.survivingsuicide.com  
Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program
www.yellowribbon.org 

If you are in crisis and need immediate help call
1-800-273-TALK (8255)