All of us have to deal with the ugly issue of violence in some way but it can be an uncomfortable topic for many people to talk or even hear about. What many people may not realize is the more we understand and feel we can talk about it, the better equipped we will be to address these issues with our children.

As a Violence Prevention Educator with Riverview Center, I talk with tens of thousands of adults and children every year about body safety, sexual harassment, and sexual assault. Through these conversations, people not only ask the questions they have always wondered about but also learn the skills to talk to their own children about sexual abuse. The facts are clear: prior to the age of 18, 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys will experience sexual violence in our community.

The James Kennedy Public Library and Riverview Center will be hosting a traveling book club to give participants a chance to talk about their opinions and experiences so that we can create a stronger movement in our community to protect and intervene when children and adults experience this trauma.

The book club, “Reading for Change,” will be held the first Thursday of every month, beginning on September 6^th at the James Kennedy Public Library, 6-7:30pm, by discussing and dissecting the book, Room, by Emma Donoghue. This club, intended for individuals in Middle School and up, will discuss how children respond to sexual violence in multiple forms, and how our society supports or fails them. Future books will discuss such topics as male sexual abuse, date rape and abuse by a family member. This will be a traveling book club, with meetings rotating between different businesses and restaurants so that as many people as possible can become involved in this movement to protect and support our community members. The James Kennedy Public Library will provide copies of each book for participants to check out.  If you are a business that is interested in hosting one of these monthly meetings, please let me know!

Registration is requested so the library can obtain enough copies of the book for each participant.  If you have any questions, or would like to register, please call the library at 563-875-8912 or stop in at 320 1^st Ave East in Dyersville, where you can also check out a copy of the book. You can also call Riverview Center’s Dubuque office at 563-557-0310 or email me at Jessica@riverviewcenter.org. Riverview Center is a non-profit organization that provides free and confidential services for individuals who have been affected by sexual violence in the tri-state area. Use your love of reading to make a difference for our community!