Cutting, “It used to be thought of as something the freaky kids did in the bathroom”

I recently ran across an article from January, 15 2007 in the MetroWest Daily News out of Boston, titled “Cutting on increase in teens, say experts.”   When I started this blog about issues discussed in problem novels, mental health issues were one of my primary areas of interest.  I really wanted to know how books aimed at teens portrayed teen depression.  I had heard of some books on cutting, one of them being the YA book “Cut” by Patricia McCormick.  I had never read it, but I was fascinated that there was a book about self harm aimed at adolescents.  This is because I used to be a cutter.  I don’t want to make this blog entry my “scabs to scars” story, but I feel it is an important fact to reveal.  I know the mind of a cutter.  I know what it’s like to be a teenager dealing with this issue.  When I started cutting, I didn’t even know it was something people did.  I knew nothing about it.  I just did it because it somehow made me feel better.  It wasn’t until I was in college that I found out I wasn’t alone, and that there are a lot of other people dealing with this issue.  And the most important thing I learned about opening up and talking about it was how to stop. This statistic appeared in the MetroWest Daily article: 

“A study commissioned by the Samaritans, a British nonprofit group that provides confidential emotional support to people dealing with depression in the United Kingdom and Ireland, found that 10.3 percent of 15- and 16-year-olds in the U.K. had reported deliberately harming themselves.”

10% doesn’t sound like an astounding number.  But, think of a typical high school classroom.  They hold about 30 students.  Odds are 3 kids in that class are cutters.  Of course, this statistic is only on 15 and 16 year old kids in this particular study.  Self harm statistics are hard to come by because it such a taboo subject.  Kids just don’t want to admit it. So, I decided to read Cut.  Going into this book I wanted to know:

•  How accurately does it portray the mind of a cutter?
•  Does it glorify cutting at all?
•  Does it offer solutions?
•  Does it discuss deeper issues, like the root of the cutting problem?

A brief synopsis of the book is there is a 15 year old cutter named Callie.  She is in an institution with other girls, some have eating disorders and some have unnamed illnesses.  Eventually another cutter named Amanda comes to the institution.  Callie does not talk.  At all.  The book is a 1st person narrative of what she is thinking.  Eventually she does talk, reveals her problems and decides to stop cutting. I thought the book effectively got into the real way a cutters mind works.  It dealt with the secretiveness and shame very well.  It also captured the way a cutter can see the world in terms of potential weapons one can use on themselves in case of an emergency.  The idea of cutting being used as both an emotional release and a form of self punishment was also discussed.  Finally, the root of the problem, the real and often unknown reason of the self harm behavior is eventually addressed.

 What I didn’t like about this book was that the girl was in a mental institution.  This is not common procedure.  Self harm is not a suicide attempt.  People that self harm do not go to institutions based on that reason alone.  I was worried that young cutters reading this book would assume that if they revealed their behavior, they too would be sent to a hospital.  Overall, the idea of cutting is not glorified.  It is presented as true as possible.  However, one character, Amanda, is a cutter that sees it as an art form and creative expression akin to tattoos or piercings.  This issue is never really resolved.  We never find out if Amanda realizes the problems she really has.  The main character Callie does get in touch with her problems.  She is having some family issues that have caused her to become a sort of perfectionist, a very common symptom of cutters.  The book moves rather quickly through her problems, but they are addressed.  There is some interaction between her parents; overall they seem worried but unwilling to discuss her behaviors.  Her friends in the institution seem genuinely concerned, but the primary input is through her own eyes and through her therapist’s.  However, she seems to be able to give up cutting rather easily.  Cutting is an addiction.  It is not simple to stop.  Cutters cut to punish and relieve pain.  Then they feel ashamed and sad that they cut, so they cut again.  It is a vicious cycle. 

Overall, I am happy that this book is out there.  Cutting is a very taboo subject.  I think the book could have done more to show that cutting is a very real problem that takes a real amount of time, therapy and support to overcome.  I would have liked to see more happen with Amanda, the “creative cutter.”  I don’t like that the book leaves her issues hanging. 

I combed some blogs to find other people’s responses to this book.  I wanted to know how both adolescents and adults felt about this book; is it healthy reading or inappropriate?

“…Cut, which sold nearly 400,000 copies, is the first-person story of Callie, a girl who has been institutionalized for cutting herself. Not everyone likes McCormick’s gritty approach. Some librarians have declined to buy Cut, fearing copycat behavior.” – Time, “Tough Subjects and Teens“ Andrea Sachs, Oct. 22, 2006

Banned and Challenged Books in Texas Public Schools, 2002-2003

Cut, Patricia McCormick

School District- Bandera Independent School District

School Involved- Bandera Middle School

Use- Curriculum

Reason for Challenge- Other: Inappropriate subject matter

 ACLU Foundation of Texas

For me, the most important critics of problem novels are young adults.  I found a site called Degrassi-Boards Forums where adolescents talk about a variety of material over message boards.  There was one about “Cut.”  There were a lot of entries regarding the book.  Below are some of the comments that I felt gave the most input about this book. 

(I copied the entries, spelling errors aren’t mine )

I’ve wanted to read it for so long, but my parents would completely freak out if they dound out I have it. It seems really interesting, I love things on topics like that.

It’s a great book, I really enjoyed reading it. I actually read the entire thing in 1 day. I loved how the book portrayed the serious issues in such a realistic way. There are many people out there who just don’t understand self mutilation and/or eating disorders and it’s great to see it portrayed in such a real way that these people can actually understand. 

i love that book i read it 2 or 3 times. i relate to it alot and alot of the details and stuff are really realistic. i gave it to a friend i thought it would help her. anyway its a really good book and everyone should read it. 

I’ve wanted to read this book so much! It’s too bad to have at our library [they're like really strict with the books they have] and it’s not at the city library. I’m probably gonna buy it soon :biggrin: 

This was an amazing book. I think it’s important that teens, especially during this time period, learn as much as they can about these important issues, and this book was very informative.

  I’ve wanted to pick the book up for some time, but I just don’t want to be questioned by my parents and all…But anywaaaaay….My friend told me it was a great book, and recommended it to me. I want to read it bad… :eyespop:

I read it, but I also was uneasy about my parents questioning me. It’s like they take everything to the extreme, like they would say, “You are what you read.” So, I just read it when I was home alone, that way I could read and love without the questions!  I recomend this book. It deals with intense issues, but, Hello? Can you say Degrassi?  

It’s a book that really makes you think. I got it from the library, and i ended up reading it the whole day at school. It kind of captivates you. I definitely reccomend it to anyone to read. But please, don’t mimick any of the girl’s “problems”. The idea of the book is to inform you, not give you any ideas. I know i sound like i’m preaching, and for that i’m sorry. Anyway, yeah. it’s a really good book. Definitely would reccomend.

I read that book. I loved it. It really made me feel like I wasn’t insane, and that people go through the same things that I do. This was back when absolutley no one knew about my cutting problems but me.

I read this book a year ago. I thought It was really good. Its sad why she cut and the things she did. Eventhough in the end she didn’t go back home or anything I love the way it ended because it showed that she was going to get better in the future. I didn’t get questioned by my parents because they think its great that I explore problems of that sort. They didn’t mind. I find nothing wrong with this book because Its just teaching you something informing you in a interesting way.

Hey, i just went out and bought this book, and read it after reading about it on her, and i dont agree, i thought for the most part the book was very realistic, especially the first chapter, how she didnt talk, and all the thoughts in her head were very real, how she would just sit in the room and count the walls on the ceiling. I think some parts of 2 and 3 were a little unrealistic, just because all of the sudden she wanted help, i think it shuold have been even slower and more gradual then it was. I liked callie tho, alot, and same as the other characters. Even Amanda was kind of interesting, it shows the difference between the “oh look i cut for attention” cutter..and the person that does it for themselves, to make themsleves feel better, and is truely frightened to find out. I thought Amandas whole theory of how cutting is all the different from going out and “getting tattoos” was really interesing. …in a wierd way she had a point…calling it “body art”, and if people could get holes thru themselves..its not all the different. 

I didnt like this book at all because I felt like it was really unrealistic. I read it because I though I would be able to relate to the character because I’m a cutter myself. No. I felt like the author really didn’t have a grasp on what its like to self-mutilate. There’s a view you cant get if you dont do it yourself, she probably didnt get the right view of a cutter by researching it.

I actually just finished this book. I thought it was excellent.The portrayal was excellent. I was amazed that the author could get the descriptions and actions of the characters down to a tee.I would recommend this book to anyone, on the condition that they are ready for some sad feelings. But it was a very powerful book…we need more books like this one.    

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