An interview with Jackie Hardrick by Kehinde Togun, Staff Writer for Sex, Etc.

Young Adult Novelist Keeps It Real
By Kehinde Togun, 18, Staff Writer


Imani in Young Love & Deception is a new contemporary young adult novel that takes us into the lives of five African-American teenagers. The novel paints a realistic picture of what many of today’s young adults go through. The author, Jackie Hardrick, does this in a manner that is not only easy to read, but is fun and nothing short of dramatic.



Jackie Hardrick graduated from Seton Hall University, in South Orange, NJ, with a degree in business administration. Eventually, she left a full-time job to write and self-publish Imani in Young Love & Deception, which began as a short story. Her goal was to counter the negative sexual images prevalent in today’s society.

Hardrick says that the media glamorizes sex and, as a result, encourages young people to have it without teaching them about consequences. She is on a mission to “deglamorize” sex, by showing its consequences through her characters’ actions.

“There is so much bad information and myths out there,” says Hardrick.

Her book sets the record straight on such topics as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and teen pregnancy to alcoholism and low self-esteem.

After reading her novel, I sat down with Hardrick to find out more about why she wrote the book. It didn't surprise me that our conversation wasn't just limited to her novel. Through the course of the interview, she shared her thoughts on issues ranging from sex education and the definition of rape to the perils facing the African-American community.

SEX, ETC.: What was your motivation for writing Imani in Young Love & Deception?

Jackie Hardrick: I asked myself, “What are some of the issues that keep holding
young adults of color back? What keeps killing us or stopping us dead in our tracks?” These same issues keep resurfacing, generation after generation.

Teen pregnancy is number one; alcoholism is a big problem; low self-esteem; STIs, including AIDS. So, I centered this book on sex, STIs, teen pregnancy, alcoholism, and low self-esteem.

There is so much bad information and so many myths out there. And young adults, especially of color, are bombarded with negative images, lyrics, and stereotypes. I wanted to counter that with something positive.

While the movies and videos glamorize sex, they don’t talk about the consequences. I wanted to tell teens about the consequences of their actions. This book is about actions and consequences.

SE: What message do you want young readers to get from the book?

JH: The theme of the book is every action has a consequence that you must take responsibility for. I want them to stop and think, “How high of a price am I willing to pay for what I’m thinking about doing?”

I want them to realize that you CAN become pregnant and/or contract an STI the first time you have sex, and that there is no such thing as “safe sex.” Abstinence is the only safe avenue.

Another thing is that you are your number one competitor, so strive to be the best that you can be and not anyone else. Also, you have to believe in yourself and act like you do.

The last thing is that you can’t depend upon or expect someone to create the lifestyle you want to lead. You have to go get it yourself, and it begins with education.

SE: Did you draw from your own experience to write this book?

JH: Not necessarily from personal experience, but from what I’ve seen other people go through. I’m very observant that way. You don’t have to go through the same mistakes as other people. You can decide that you don’t want to go through all that drama. You’d have to be deaf, dumb, and blind not to know what young people face today.

SE: What character in the book do you relate to the most?

JH: I relate to Imani the most. Imani is the leading lady, and her name means “faith.” I wanted a strong role model for the young ladies reading this book. Imani is intelligent, ambitious, and very grounded. She’s a real friend, and she comes from a two-parent family. But it was also fun writing characters that were so far from me—especially the male characters, trying to get into the mind of a male.

SE: Are we supposed to learn a lesson from each of the characters: Imani, Fatima, Steven, Bhriana, and Tyler?

JH: Oh, yeah. Imani didn’t think that she was smart enough, pretty enough, or athletic enough. She had to learn that being the best Imani she can be is enough. You are your number one competitor; you compete every day to be better than you were yesterday.

With Fatima, she learns that fast money can equal a quick death, and it’s not all about material things. She also learns that you are responsible for creating the lifestyle that you want; you can’t depend on some rich guy or woman to provide that for you.

Steven finds out that alcohol is not the answer to filling a void of loneliness. He was basically a lonely teen, because his parents were never around. And definitely do not drink and drive, too.

Bhriana finds out that having sex or getting pregnant does not trap a boyfriend forever. She was very promiscuous, because she tried to fill a void. Her parents were divorced, and she missed her father. Unfortunately, she was having sex with a lot of guys to mask the pain of missing her dad.

Tyler’s main issue was standing up to his father, and showing that he could make decisions on his own.

SE: In the book, Fatima is raped by and ends up getting chlamydia from her then-boyfriend Money.

JH: Was she raped?

SE: I thought she was raped, although she said she wasn’t. But according to my definition, she was raped.

JH: It was date rape.

SE: What are you trying to show readers in this scene?

JH: I asked you if it was rape because when Fatima and Money were getting into that situation, Fatima yells, “Ouch, that hurts!” The second time—when she yelled, “Stop!”—at that point when he didn’t stop, that was date rape. The third time, she yelled, “Get off me!” and he didn’t.

When I have rap sessions with teens and we talk about this scene, I tell the girls, “If you mean ‘no,’ sound and act like you mean ‘no.’ ” And I tell the guys, “If she says ‘no’ or ‘stop,’ then she means ‘no’ or ‘stop.’ ”

That is the most graphic scene in the book. I put that scene in because Fatima was a virgin. There are a lot of girls out there wondering what their first time will be like. The movies, videos, and lyrics glamorize sex, and I wanted to “deglamorize” it. That was the whole purpose of that scene, to give girls a realistic view of what could happen.

SE: What do you think can be done by the African-American community to change its high rate of teen pregnancy, or is enough being done already?

JH: It has to start with adults; you can’t expect teenagers to turn things around if they don’t know what to change.

So much pressure is placed on teachers. Unfortunately, they are forced to play the roles of mommy, daddy, nurse, and psychiatrist. But if lessons taught in the classroom are not reinforced at home, it’s a losing battle.

Adults really need it to get it together, one home at a time. The Welfare-to-Work initiative might start a positive trend. A little girl can see mommy going to work and being productive and independent.

Also, I don’t care what your religion is, but you have to believe in something greater than you and greater than money.

One of the reasons babies keep having babies is because there are so many grandmothers out there who are raising their teenager’s baby, while the teenager is still out there, roaming the streets and having more babies. If there were more “Bhriana mothers”—mothers who say, “I raised mine, I will not raise yours,” that will probably make teens think twice.

SE: Pregnancy rates for African-American teens aged 15-19 declined 23 percent between 1994 and 1997. What do you contribute that decline to?

JH: It could be the result of more information available to teens, including new media on the Web, and sites like SEX, ETC. Even with the decline in teen pregnancies, though, African-Americans still lead in that category. The decline is good news, but more education is needed at an earlier age for a greater decline.

SE: What is your program, Keepin’ It Real, and what do you speak about with teens?

JH: It’s a rap session and book discussion. It’s open, honest, down-to-earth dialogue, and I take it as far as young people want me to take it.

It’s amazing how much they know, but it’s amazing how much bad information they have as well, which is why the teen pregnancy rate is so high. There are still girls out there who think they can’t get pregnant their first time.

We discuss topics in the book—sex, STIs, teen pregnancy, definition of a responsible mother and father, self-esteem, perception. We have lively conversation; I love it when I have guys and girls together.

SE: When do you think sex education should begin?

JH: In a presentation I made to school libraries, I played the lyrics to a couple of songs and said, “This is what our teens are listening to, yet in schools and at home, it’s ‘hush-hush.’ They’re singing about sex; they’re seeing actors do it; and their friends are talking about how great it is, so they think that it’s fine.”

On Oprah’s show with Dr. Phil, they talked about middle-school kids having casual oral sex. They asked the question, “If someone told you the consequence of what you’re doing, would you think twice about doing it or avoid it altogether?”

And many of the kids said, “Yes, but nobody is talking about it, because it’s taboo.”

So many parents that I've spoken to believe that sex education needs to begin in elementary schools, and I agree. It needs to begin in at least fifth grade.

SE: But our lawmakers don’t seem to understand that.

JH: They’re in denial. But while they’re in denial, they should look at the teen pregnancy rate, look at the STI rates, and realize that these affect everybody. While adults are afraid to talk about sex, teens are doing it, so it doesn’t make sense.

SE: Do you believe in abstinence-only sex education?

JH: I feel that teaching abstinence is the right thing to do. However, it must be supplemented with teachings on the consequences (physical, emotional, and financial) of having sex and how various methods of protection are not 100-percent effective.

Give students the WHOLE picture, not just one piece of it. Contraception education is a part of the WHOLE picture. I don’t feel it will lead to bad behavior any more than being hush-hush about sex will keep teens from having it.

Knowledge is power ... the more teens know about protection and the consequences of having sex, the more likely they'll be to make the right decision for themselves.

Editors’ Note: Imani in Young Love & Deception is $14; there is also a discussion guide ($4). To order, call (866) 862-8626 or e-mail enlightenpub.yahoo.com. For more information, visit Jackie Hardrick’s Web site.