Hurt Go Happy (28 page)
Authors: Ginny Rorby
2.   ASL has been the source of several critical debates, including whether deaf children (especially those who have received cochlear implants) should be taught to sign, and whether primates, such as chimpanzees, can learn to communicate fully (e.g., in a conceptual, human way) using ASL. Go to the library or online to learn more about one of these issues. Use the information you find as the basis for a classroom debate for and against signing in one of these cases.
3.   In the character of Joey, write a letter to her mother trying to explain why it is so important that you learn to sign. Or, in the character of Charlie Mansell, write a letter to Joey's mother explaining why you believe Joey should have this opportunity.
Sukari
1.   Chimpanzees are primates who share 98.4 percent of the same DNA with humans. Go to the library or online to learn more about chimpanzees and other great apes, their natural habitats, endangerment status, and the fate of unwanted chimpanzees in America. (Hint: Begin your research by visiting
www.projetogap.org.br/en/
or
www.janegoodall.org/chimpanzees
.) If possible, visit a zoo to learn more about nonhuman primates. Create an informational pamphlet based on your research. Or, make a poster advocating for the protection and care of these special species.
2.   Lynn feels terrible when she can no longer care for Sukari. Imagine
Hurt Go Happy
is being made into a movie. Write the script for the scene in which Lynn and her husband decide that Sukari can no longer live in their home. Invite friends or classmates to perform the scene.
3.   Although Sukari is a fictional character, chimpanzees and gorillas have been taught sign language through a variety of experimental programs. Go to the library or online to learn more about these efforts. Create a PowerPoint presentation about one such primate to share with classmates or friends. (Hint: Visit
www.friendsofwashoe.org
,
www.faunafoundation.org
, or
www.koko.org
to begin your research.)
4.   Imagine you have just had the opportunity to meet Sukari. Write a journal entry describing your first meeting, your feelings, your questions, and your hopes for future encounters. Would you like to learn to sign so that you could communicate with Sukari? Why or why not?
Protecting the Vulnerable
1.   Write an essay explaining why Sukari is so important to Joey. Do you think that if Joey were not deafâor if her deafness were not the result of abuseâthis friendship would be the same? Share your essay with friends or classmates. Did most students give the same reasons for Joey and Sukari's strong bond? Why or why not? What was the most surprising discovery you made about Joey by writing about her relationship with Sukari?
2.   Go to the library or online to learn more about domestic violence and abuse. Create an informative poster about how to spot signs of abuse, how to help friends in abusive relationships, or a related topic that is important to you.
3.   Create a word collage, mural, or other object that explores the concept of PERSON. As you create your artwork, consider these questions: Do you have to be a human (
Homo sapiens
) to be a person? Do you have to have a home to be a person? Do you to have to be able to communicate, love, or ultimately care for yourself? If possible, create an exhibit of PERSON artworks made by you and your friends or classmates. Invite other members of the community to tour your exhibit.
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G
INNY
R
ORBY
was raised in Winter Park, Florida, and lived in Miami during her career as a Pan American flight attendant. Midway through that career, she enrolled at the University of Miami to pursue an undergraduate degree in biology, graduated, and changed direction again. She went on to receive an M.F.A. in creative writing from Florida International University. Her goal, after wrapping up her flying career and her graduate studies, was to move someplace where she would never be hot again. She now lives on the chilly coast of Northern California with her twenty-five-year-old parrot and way too many cats. Her young adult novel
Dolphin Sky
was nominated for the Keystone Reading Award. Rorby was codirector of the Mendocino Coast Writers Conference for eight years. You can sign up for email updates
here
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CONTENTS
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This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
HURT GO HAPPY
Copyright © 2006 by Ginny Rorby
Reading & Activity Guide © 2015 by Tor Books
All rights reserved.
Cover photograph of chimpanzee by Martin Harvey
A Tor Teen Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
Tor
®
is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:
Rorby, Ginny.
    Hurt go happy / Ginny Rorby. â 1st ed.
        p. cm.
    “A Tom Doherty Associates Book.”
    ISBN 978-0-7653-1442-0 (hardcover)
    ISBN 978-1-4299-0937-2 (e-book)
1.  DeafâFiction.  2.  ChimpanzeesâFiction.  I.  Title.
    PZ7.R69 Hu 2006
    [Fic]âdc23
2006045203
ISBN 978-0-7653-7937-5 (trade paperback)
e-ISBN 9781429909372
Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at
[email protected]
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First Edition: August 2006
First Trade Paperback Edition: January 2016