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COPYRIGHT 2004 International Reading Association Inc.
James Blasingame corresponded with Valerie Hobbs about Letting Go of Bobby James via e-mail.
James: As the novel opens (and after only three months of marriage), Jody's new husband, Bobby James, strikes her across the face, and she realizes that "we have reached some kind of place we can never go back from" (p. 7). Contrary to the advice her mother (a sad case in her own right) gives, and unmoved by Bobby's selfish attempt to coerce her into returning home to Texas toward the book's end, Jody chooses not to go back to her husband. What is "the place" at which she arrived? Why did she make this choice? How does this decision square with all the romantic memories she has of Bobby when they were dating? Would many young women do the same? How is Jody different from women who remain in abusive relationships?
Valerie: I hope there are other Jodys out there, girls/women for whom one smack is enough. It took two for me as a young woman,...
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