Sometimes the worst thing you can do for someone you love is look the other way when you know they're doing something really wrong.
                       -- Jenna Boller, Best Foot Forward

From Joan:

I was angry and hopeful when I wrote Best Foot Forward--

Angry at the corporate corruption that keeps making headlines;    Hopeful at the power some people possess to do the right thing no matter what.    Angry at the toll that alcoholism takes on a family;    Hopeful at how many people are learning to overcome the disease.    Angry that poor kids don't get the chance to succeed;    Hopeful that children can find resilience in impossibly bleak situations.    Angry at a Wall Street system that rewards the bottom line and doesn't always care how the money is earned;    Hopeful that some of that is changing.    Angry at people so steeped in denial that they can't fess up when they've done something wrong;    Hopeful that truth is stronger than falsehood.

Best Foot Forward has all of this packed inside. I plunged my narrator, sixteen-year-old Jenna Boller, feet first into the thick of it. And as I watched her sink a little and swim a lot, I saw that it's fairly easy to do your best when everything is going well, but it takes a special kind of courage to summon up the best you've got when close to everything around you shouts that it won't make a difference.

We need that kind of courage today. I believe when people grab hold of it they're fully at their best.

The Issues:

• The Power of Resilience
• Ethics -- Business and Beyond
• Alcoholism in a Family

The Power of Resilience:

Jenna is the ultimate bounce back girl. Her resiliency, and I think resiliency in general, comes from facing life's tough challenges head on again and again. She wants a better life and she's figured out that to get that life she will have to work hard at it. Another character in this story, Tanner Cobb, takes a much different approach. Just released from a juvenile jail, Tanner knows all about how tough life can get, but he likes things to come easy. He is personable, smart, gifted, and always breaks the rules. Mrs. Gladstone, Jenna's boss, wants to help Tanner, but she knows that babying him won't help. She throws him a mop and spells it out:

"There's one thing I know to be true for rich and poor--there's power in honest labor. I know how to teach it; I know how to make sure you are properly trained so that you can make a fair living. That is the opportunity I offer you here, but it won't be handed to you. You will have to work for it."    Tanner exhaled sharply and looked down.    "Jenna Boller has a work ethic that you would do well to emulate."    He nodded. "I guess I could sell shoes."    "That remains to be seen young man." Mrs. Gladstone turned on her heel and hobbled off.

For educators and parents interested in learning more about building resilience in young people, visit:
Project Resilience
www.projectresilience.com

Ethics--Business and Beyond:

"We must become the change we want to see."
    -- Mahatma Gandhi

Construction sites can teach you a lot about ethics. First the foundation is dug, then the steel beams are put in place, the walls go up, the wiring is installed, etc. If bad materials are used at any point, if bad workmanship cuts corners or doesn't follow the blueprint, the structure will be weaker.

Cooking can show ethics at work, too. Say you're making pancakes and the eggs you use have gone bad. The milk has curdled, too, but you toss it in anyway. Guess what? Those bad ingredients will effect the taste no matter how much syrup you pour on.

Best Foot Forward is a story about what happens when ethical and unethical behaviors collide. Ethics (principles of right and good conduct) are the building blocks and the ingredients of a responsible life. According to The Josephson Institute of Ethics they include "such basics as trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship." Wanting to have those qualities points you in the right direction. But being ethical in an increasingly unethical world isn't easy. There are many excuses people give to justify their actions.

• It's legal.
• If nobody gets hurt, it's okay.
• Everybody cheats a little, everybody tells little white lies.
• But, Mom, everyone is doing it!

So what's it mean to live ethically when so much swirling around us seems to say don't bother? I'm a big believer in the power one person has to create change. You don't have to stand on a table and start screaming; change can come quietly and surely with decision after decision. Here are some everyday ways to start:

• Keep your promises even when it hurts. Try not to make promises you know you can't keep.
• If someone you care about is doing something wrong, tell them your concerns privately. See if you can help them.
• If kids are being disrespectful to a teacher, a student, or anyone, don't join in. Be the change you want to see.
• Think through how you feel about certain issues. Be honest and respectful when they come up in conversation.
• Take one thing you'd like to change in your life (always going along with the group, not doing your homework on time, being late, getting angry too easily, telling lies, being defensive) and begin to work on it every day.
• Play by the rules -- no cheating. Winning isn't winning if you broke the rules to get there.

Alcoholism in a Family:

"It is estimated that each alcoholic affects the lives of at least four other people." (Al-Anon)

"One in four children lives in a family environment where alcohol abuse or alcoholism negatively affects their world." (National Association for Children of Alcoholics)

Part of Jenna's strength is that she gets help when she needs it. As Best Foot Forward opens, Jenna attends her second Al-Anon meeting (Al-Anon is a group for people who have alcoholics in their lives and need help with the problem). She is honest about her feelings in the group, she listens to others, and determines to use the steps of the program to get stronger.

In this excerpt, Jenna talks about how she deals with her father's ongoing alcoholism:

I was trying to think of the 12 Steps of Al-Anon as if they formed a staircase up to a place I really wanted to go. The problem was, I kept tripping on the first step.       Admit that we were powerless over alcohol and that our lives had become unmanageable.       I'll tell you, for a strong, tall, self-controlled person, that's a tough concept.       Don't powerless people get stomped on and lie down like doormats?       Don't strong people survive in this world?       But when I step back, I begin to see the meaning.       I'm not responsible for my dad's behavior. I have no power when it comes to that.       Do I want him to stop drinking?       Yes.       Can I do anything to make him stop?       No. I can only love him and speak the truth when we're together, if we ever are again.       It's a sad truth to hold on to, but truth isn't always happy or easy.

If your parent or guardian has a drinking problem or any kind of addiction, you are not alone. There is help for you:

Don't try to handle this by yourself. Addictions are diseases; they grip people and don't want to let go. You must find a person you can trust to talk to about this -- consider your school counselor, pastor, rabbi, friend, parent, or teacher.

These links can help:

• Al-Anon/Alateen
  www.al-anon.alateen.org
  A fellowship of relatives and friends of alcoholics who share experiences, strength, and hope.
• Smart and Sober
  www.smartandsober.org
  Created by Ohio First Lady Hope Taft, this excellent site focuses on Mrs. Taft's initiative to keep kids alcohol free. It features actor Henry Winkler and rapper Bow Wow. Testimonials, wise advice, and a superb video (student and parent editions).
• National Association for Children of Alcoholics
  www.nacoa.org
  An advocacy group for all children and families affected by alcoholism and other drug dependencies. Offers 'It's Not Your Fault' -- short, concise thoughts for teens. Click on Just for Kids.

Helpful Reading: There are so many great books out there that address these issues. These two will take you through the year with daily thoughts on recovery:

• Alateen -- a day at a time
  Al-Anon Family Groups
• Daily Affirmations for Adult Children of Alcoholics
  by Rokelle Lerner

Discussion Questions:

1. Why has Jenna started going to Al-Anon meetings again? What are some of the things she learns at the meetings? Why doesn't her sister Faith go? How is Faith dealing with their father's alcoholism?
2. Why does Mrs. Gladstone give Tanner so many second chances? How does Jenna feel about this? What does Tanner bring to Gladstone Shoes that other people can't provide?
3. Who takes the blame for the sweatshop scandal? Who should take the blame? What do you think will happen to Gladstone Shoes in the future?
4. What does Mrs. Gladstone mean by "Best Foot Forward"? Is this how everyone else interprets the slogan? In what ways is Jenna putting her best foot forward?

Discussing ethics in the story:

1. Where did the problems at Gladstone Shoes begin?
2. How could those problems have been stopped earlier?
3. What does Mrs. Gladstone do to begin to turn the problems around?
4. How do you think businesses should think and act?
5. If you were head of a company, what would you want your company to stand for? What rules would you want your employees to live by? How could you help them?

**I've written several stories about business (Rules of the Road -- the beginning of Jenna's adventures with Gladstone Shoes, Best Foot Forward, and in Hope Was Here a corrupt dairy plays prominently. Two of my short stories discuss business ethics as well: "Hardware" from Necessary Noise: Stories About Our Families As They Really Are, edited by Michael Cart, Joanna Cotler Books/Harper Collins; and "Smoke" from Volume One (Sin) of Michael Cart's Rush Hour, A Journal of Contemporary Voices, Random House.

FAQ:

What gave you the idea for Best Foot Forward?
    -- The headlines about business corruption have really stirred an outrage in me and I wanted to show some of that through Jenna's perspective. I also wanted to explore her further empowerment as the child of an alcoholic as she learns to survive, overcome, and prevail.

What's it like to write a companion book?
    -- Much harder than I imagined. When I finished Rules of the Road I thought I'd never visit those characters again. I'll tell you what this was like -- I felt like I'd lost touch with several old friends and when we finally found each other again, all of us had grown tremendously.

What's your favorite pair of shoes?
    -- A pair of black leather walking boots. They come up just over my ankles and zip up the sides. I can walk in those boots forever. I swear, when I put them on my toes say, ahhhhhhhhhhhh.

When was it hardest for you to put your best foot forward?
    -- When I was in a serious car accident and struggled to be able to write again. I had so much doubt and fear during those days, but I had wonderful people supporting me, too.

Are you like any of the characters in Best Foot Forward?
    -- Yes, Jenna and I are alike in many ways. We're both tall, have auburn hair, come from single parent homes, our dads were alcoholics, we both have younger sisters, both had beloved grandmothers who had Alzheimer's Disease, both of us were so empowered by after school jobs, we both love selling, we're both determined. I can be stubborn like Mrs. Gladstone. And Tanner Cobb and I share a special connection: I know what it's like to think you can't get too far in the world; I know what it's like to have someone come up beside you, hold out a hand, and help.

Will there be another book using these characters?
    -- I'm not sure.

Do you like your feet?
    -- I'm grateful to them; I put them through a lot, I really do. But do I like them? Honestly...No!

---

copyright 2006 Joan Bauer
http://www.joanbauer.com