Activities
 

1. Plain Truth, The Novel
Sometimes before reading a novel, individuals are interested in reading a summary or review (s) about it.
Usually a summary will give you some idea of the plot without divulging the ending.  On the other hand, a review is a person's opinion about the novel and at times doesn't provide any insight into what the story might be.  In addition, the summary helps individuals to be able to predict the sequence of events.
At http://www.bookhelpweb.com/authors/picoult/0671776134.htm, you can read a summary of the novel.  After you have finished, you can read some reviews from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/explorer/0671776134/2/ref=pd_lpo_ase/002-2813459-0429663?)

2. Neonaticide
Neonaticide is the killing of an infant up to twenty-four hours after he or she is born.  Bonnet (1993) further defined this phenomenonon by dividing neonaticide into two groups: active and passive.  In active neonaticide, the killing of the infant follows birth and includes violence which might be the direct result of stress or panic.  Passive neonaticide involves negligence rather than violence.  In most cases the infant is left while he/she is still alive.
The murder of newborns remains a significant problem in society.  This problem can not be resolved until the causes are known.  What would lead a mother to do the unspeakable, unthinkable and kill her newborn child?  Even though there have been many documented cases, the true reasons remain a mystery to psychologists. However, scientists have speculated on several theories.  One idea states that the mother was suffering from psychiatric symptoms leading to amnesia, and thus, has no recollection of the event.  Another theory is one in which the mother disassociates herself from not only the death but also of the experience and in effect, refuses to admit that she had a baby.  The one defense in court cases that is ineffective is that of insanity.  It seems that juries do not believe this at all.

One such case that occurred in New Jersey involved the teenager Melissa Drexler.  At her high school prom, she gave birth to a baby boy, placed him in the garbage receptacle, and went back to the prom.

Read the article about pregnancy, denial, and teenagers at: http://www.injersey.com/news/prom/
Select the article "Denial of pregnancy called common among teenagers."

After you have read the article, answer the fquestions.  You will have 30 minutes to complete the article.
1. The article states the origin of the word "neonaticide."  Where did it come from?
2. Why isn't the exact number of dead newborns known?
3. "It remains unknown whether Drexler's infant was viable at birth?  What does the word "viable" mean?
4. Why are some of instances of neonaticide avoided?
5. What is the author's message in this article?