When I first saw the title of this book, my thoughts went to the chunk of lumber that served as the hall pass from our school’s shop class. It was large—big as many a breadbox—not something you could tuck into a pocket. And in truth, it was something of a beloved object. If you were seen with it, everyone knew you must have had a good reason to be granted a few minutes out of the shop, as the teacher expected you to be serious about learning to be ‘on the job’.
“It’s a brave book, and may take a brave reader to embark upon it.”
But the ‘hall pass’ of this book, while quite a lot bigger than the proverbial breadbox, does not carry the same sense of pride about it. Anything but. The subtitle tells it all: Facing the Buried Trauma of Sexual Assault. Author Karin Martel’s experience in her high school shop class was one that too many women have found to be part of being ‘on the job’—getting used as some guy’s grab-bag.
The book begins with her sitting in the waiting room of her therapist, puzzling over how foolish her problems must seem. She’s happily married, has wonderful kids, and finds fulfillment in her job as a Communications officer with the Saskatoon Police Service. Sure, she’s had to hear some terrible stories when she’s answered the 911 line and knows that people who answer emergency calls can suffer from PTSD, but she doesn’t really think that’s what’s troubling her.
While she waits, she fidgets and twitches, wondering whether anyone is looking at her, considering whether her hair looks all right, worrying that if she picks up the wrong magazine, the therapist might notice and decide to judge her on what she’s selected.
When she’s finally welcomed into the office by the therapist (whom she’d seen a few times previously, some while ago), it doesn’t take long for her to drop the term ‘life event’—a phrase that’s surprising, even as she says it. And then it all starts to come out: how in her grade nine shop class, there’d been a boy who regularly grabbed her body, with a focus on her breasts and crotch. At first, she’s not even sure why she’s mentioning the event, until the therapist states in no uncertain terms, that this was an ongoing sexual assault.
The rest of the book is a detailed account of the various steps Martel had to take to finally accept the fact that what had happened really was a matter of sexual assault—and later, that it wasn’t her fault.
Some may find the pace of the telling too slow, although if you’re at all like me, someone who’s experienced PTSD, you’ll probably find the steps she takes seem to be at a very reasonable pace. You may also recognize some of the stages she grows through during her healing. After all, it takes time to undo a wrong, especially one that’s lingered, hidden, for decades.
Along with the steady progress tracked over the course of the chapters, there’s a section at the end of the book that offers an annotated list of resources that may be of use.
It’s a brave book, and may take a brave reader to embark upon it. If you think you might be one of them, I urge you to seek it out. It might help make a big difference in your life. Besides, buying a book is a lot less expensive than hiring a therapist, though I wouldn’t want anyone to dismiss that as a possibility too.
A Canadian transplant from the American Midwest, Karin Martel makes her home in Saskatchewan. Karin currently writes essays related to her memoir, Shop Class Hall Pass, which can be found on her website: karinmartel.com. When she runs out of things to say about that, she’ll move on to fiction.
- Publisher : Signature Editions (Oct. 15 2022)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 184 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1773241184
- ISBN-13 : 978-1773241180
