You are sitting in my place.

Sara Lind

Cardboard - 128 pages

“You are sitting in my place,” Amandus says to Gregor.

“Do you want me to move?”

“Yes,” says Amandus.

“But Amandus,” says Mom in that voice that means she doesn’t like what he’s doing. But he doesn’t want some strange man to sit in his place.

Amandus is a little boy who goes his own way and it is a way of love. That he can talk to a horse and has a little red bird as a friend is completely natural. He sees death without fear when his grandfather passes away and the grief is allowed to flow freely. Amandus and his sister Lotta are a strong pair of siblings, who through their love for each other and for life manage to heal the spiritual wounds caused by an adult.

"I have to admit that I'm falling a little in love with Amandus! This brave little guy who encourages us to dare to talk even when it's difficult is a great role model. His friend Joel touches me and I'd love to know how he's doing. I hope for a continuation.

The book gives hope. You are not alone. This is a book that gives the feeling that there is a light that can illuminate the darkness even when it is difficult.

Read the book. Talk about it. Spread it!”

Little Anderson
Energy therapist

Review from BTJ

BTJ 14106568

Associate Professor Brita Lodén

"Writing a story that will serve as a basis for discussion of difficult issues can sometimes feel more important than writing a good quality text. You let the artistic side take a back seat to highlight an important and pressing topic. But, You Sit in My Seat is also an ambitious story about the dandelion child Amandus and his older sister Lotta, who stick together and hide from other adults for a long time how they feel about their father."

"The story's strong message and serious content make it less suitable for individual reading. But for a group discussing sexual assault, abuse, and the ability to speak up, it's a very good choice."

From the book:

Introduction

This story has told itself and I am very grateful to be able to convey it. The book is vital with the aim of giving a voice to children who are violated by adults and how by daring to live in and through love, one can find one's own strength.

Children are the most important thing in existence and love is the fuel of life. The story is about how love can heal wounds in the soul and how two siblings, with all their love for each other and for life, help each other through the sadness, pain, misunderstanding, frustration and anger that befall a child when a parent abuses them.

The main character of the book is an ordinary child who receives the adult's unrequited abuse of his own little child. Everyone carries their own child inside them that needs to be protected and loved, like the mother swan swimming with her young. She protects and nurtures them.

In the changing times that are now on Earth, love is the fuel of human life. My vision is that the Earth is overflowing with happy and free children, who grow up to be loving and responsible adults.

Sarah

Chapter 1

His name is Amandus and he is five years old. He is like all other five-year-old boys. Naughty sometimes, kind most of the time, angry sometimes and he has very, very much love in him. He has a lot of running in his legs and likes to play football. Right now he has a wound on his forehead, which is almost healed. He got it when he fell over with his bike. Sometimes he sees things that many adults don't see.

Amandus has an older sister named Lotta. Actually, Lotta's name is not Lotta but Charlotte, but there are so many letters when you write it, so that's why she wants to be called Lotta.

When Amandus was little, almost a baby, he couldn't say Lotta, so he said Otta. Lotta is twelve years old and sometimes she's like an extra mother, Amandus thinks. It's good because sometimes she understands much better than mom. She understands that you can't always rush.

Amandus and Lotta sometimes live with their mother and sometimes with their father, because their father and mother are divorced and do not live together. It is a bit complicated to have to move every week. The worst thing is that when Amandus is with his mother he misses his father and when he is with his father he misses his mother. Amandus said that once when he was with his father and then his father got really angry and Amandus got sad and started crying.

Then something strange happened. It was as if the room disappeared and Dad's angry voice was no longer heard. But in front of Amandus stood a little red bird. It stood very still and looked at Amandus. It opened its beak, but not to chirp, as birds usually do. It began to speak. Words came from its beak. They are completely ordinary words.

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