Death in camp? | Imamother

gingertop

Tue, Oct 30 2018, 4:58 pm

thunderstorm wrote:

Yes. I remember this and he had just applied to mesivta. The Rosh yeshiva of that mesivta didn't know about the tragedy and had called the parents the morning of the levaya to tell them that he was accepted into the yeshiva . They had to inform him that they were on the way to his levaya. I heard this first hand from the mashgiach of that yeshivas wife.

out-of-towner

Tue, Oct 30 2018, 5:44 pm

EishesYo wrote:

Did Ayala Shulman pass away in Agudah Midwest during camp a few years ago?

Personally, the situations sounds too gory for me, what age is the book geared to?

She did. But she wasn't in camp at the time, she was with her family at the bungalow colony right outside of camp. It was the boy's half when she passed away.

Fave

Tue, Oct 30 2018, 9:14 pm

About 15 years ago, a chassidishe boys camp went to a water park for their major trip. One of the counselors drowned. The kids thought he was playing a trick on them - and staying under water. After a while, the boys realized that he's too long underwater. When the Lifeguard pulled him out - it was too late, but they didn't tell the boys that he was niftar until they were back in camp (after the trip).

ahuva06

Tue, Oct 30 2018, 9:50 pm

This thread is kinda depressing Sad

I lost someone extremely close to me when I was in camp but this person wasn't in the camp I was in so it's not the exact circumstance you're looking for. The camp did have some Chai lifeline counselors come down to talk with those affected by the tragedy. I don't remember much of that summer though, it is pretty much a blur of grief in my memory...

mommyla

Tue, Oct 30 2018, 9:57 pm

That sounds horrible. May make for an interesting plot point but I wouldn’t have wanted to read that as a teen or even now! And I say that as someone who lost a good friend in high school...

NovelConcept

Tue, Oct 30 2018, 10:26 pm

I have a picture taken by the boy who fell from the tree in Stolin camp, right before he fell. I won't say who, what, when, where or how I know the story or how I have the picture, but yes, it was very traumatic for the boys in camp.

justcallmeima

Tue, Oct 30 2018, 10:51 pm

NovelConcept wrote:

Then why did you say "I have a picture taken by the boy..." ?

overworked

Tue, Oct 30 2018, 11:59 pm

I was in pupa camp most be over 30 yrs ago where a counselor drowned I was a young girl but I still remember it it was very traumatic memories also that summer pupa rabbi passed away so it ended up being a very sad summer

Rappel

Wed, Oct 31 2018, 12:00 am

No personal stories, thank G-d. There was one day in camp where a girl fell off the bleachers and hit her head, but aside from the buzz and tehillim, all went back to normal, and she was back a few days later.

If it were well-written, I think I would have loved to read the angst as a teen. As a mother, though, I could never pick up such a book now.

Market carefully?

tigerwife

Wed, Oct 31 2018, 12:11 am

Rappel wrote:

Same here. As a mother I can’t quite stomach the thought of a child death like I did as a more detached teen. Even reading this thread has left me a deep, aching pit in my heart... what a horror for children and parents to experience while in what should be a carefree, happy environment... Sad

mommy2379

Wed, Oct 31 2018, 3:41 am

NovelConcept wrote:

And BTW OP, I think I know your plot, if you are who I think you are. And yes, way too traumatic, depressing, and not something people want to read about. Though you are a fantastic writer. If you are who I think you are.

What an intriguing post! How do you know her plot??!
Edited to add- if the book is going into details about the death and circumstances around it, it may be too much for people. If the death is refrenced in retrospect it may be a different story.

9mother

Wed, Oct 31 2018, 4:49 am

Simple1 wrote:

I think such a book can be too traumatic for many young readers, even for adults. Or it should come with a warning for mature readers/tragic content.

I AGREE, I feel so bad to ruin the authors bubble. But im sure your great at writing, maybe come up with a different clim@x, I.e. a girls grandmother died, or something else, I personally think, itll be too much on little hearts to handle. I know, I WOULD NOT BE OK IF MY TEEN/HIGH SCHOOL GIRL HAD TO READ THAT. THERE IS ENOUGH REAL PAIN IN KLAL YISROEL, LET THE BOOKS, MAKE US DREAM, THAT THERE CAN BE GOOD IN THE WORLD. HATZLOCHA!!

FranticFrummie

Wed, Oct 31 2018, 6:57 am

agreer wrote:

This sounds like a terrible idea for a book. Sorry.

Books are the marketplace of ideas. It may not be to your taste, but it may help someone realize that their reaction was within the range of normal, and help them confront their fear of death.

Everyone dies, sooner or later. Some people die suddenly, some at 120. We don't know why.

If you are afraid of vampires, don't pick up Dracula. If you struggle with eating disorders, don't buy diet books.

Let the people choose what they will buy, and see what happens. If you don't want them for your family, don't buy them.

Anyone remember the "banned" Judy Bloom books from back in the day? We passed them around to our friends, read them under the covers, and whispered about them on the playground. Young adults are capable of understanding more than you think.

Young adults have generally not faced the harsh realities of the world yet, and small doses of stress actually help build resiliency.

It's us seasoned mamas, who know the million things that can go wrong every day, that are freaking out!

Simple1

Wed, Oct 31 2018, 7:07 am

FF, that's why I suggested it come with some sort of warning. People who can't stomache heavy reading would automatically find a book in a camp setting safe and appealing and such a plotline would be unexpected. Who remembers "A Separate Peace"?

As an aside, yesterday I heard a piece from Dr. Lieberman that the reason for today's increase in anxiety is information overload. We are bombarded with tragedies, when in fact the chances of something ch"sh happening is not as high as we imagine.

FranticFrummie

Wed, Oct 31 2018, 7:24 am

Simple1 wrote:

What frum person buys a book without reading the Amazon reviews, or at least the blurb on the back of the book? These days, books come with plenty of info available.

As for the second, I absolutely agree with you. I am a huge fan of Lenore Skenazy's website LetGrow. It talks about genuine risk assessment in regards to parenting, and how to live a more realistic life. For example, your child is far more likely to be struck by lightening, than to be abducted by a stranger. Do we stop letting kids play in the rain?

Simple1

Wed, Oct 31 2018, 7:46 am

I wish frum books had reviews! But most of the small target audience does not use the internet (or at least enough to do reviews). Or maybe they dont want to post lashon hara.