Who Would Know

Sixteen-year-old Rosalie Bennett, a high school Junior, learns her illness is a case of pregnancy. Jack Weaver, her boyfriend, becomes hostile and demands that Rosie get rid of her problem. Her parents feel the same way! But Rosie feels differently, yet she can’t explain why. Through trickery or fate, the world accidentally discovers Rosie’s secret. Jack denies being the father, and because he is popular, he is believed. Ugly rumors circulate, and issues arise, causing Rosie to be ostracized and threatened. Her life is changed drastically! However, a few people stand-by her. Thelma Feldman, her neighbor, finds hope in the situation and helps Rosie during her challenging time. Aisha Summers, a classmate, doesn’t like the way people are treating Rosie, and Brad Underwood, Rosie’s boss at the cinema, would like to become a closer friend. Rosie learns that no matter which decision she makes, her life will never be the same, she will live with this choice forever. ——————————————————————————– When Pope John Paul II speaks and writes about “the new evangelization”, he does so with a sense of urgency. He is uniquely aware of the problems that face the world in the 21st century. Many of these problems stem from a lack of understanding about “life issues”, especially abortion, which is the definitive moral issue of our time. Jean Nietubicz has addressed the issue ( for many young people it is still a “question”) of abortion through her novel “WhoWould Know?” As never before, the novel is becoming one of the greatest instruments of the new evangelization. Although most teenagers spend hours in front of the TV each day, many of them love to read in order to find relief from and answers to the problems that confront them each day. “WhoWould Know?” goes directly to the heart, more so than any sermon or classroom lecture could possibly do. The dialogues are real, the pace is just right and the lessons obvious. There should be at least one copy in every high school. Those of us who are engaged in young adult education owe a great debt to Jean Nietubicz. She has helped us proclaim the new evangelization in a way that young people can understand. It is the lesson of the heart. Father Joseph M. Doyle, SSJ President, St. Augustine High School New Orleans, LA