Drawing on her years of experience as a deputy prosecuting attorney who dealt with crimes against children, author Laurie Gray presents a compelling, haunting picture of the realities of sexual assault...
Drawing on her years of experience as a deputy prosecuting attorney who dealt with crimes against children, author Laurie Gray presents a compelling, haunting picture of the realities of sexual assault...
Due to publisher restrictions, your digital library cannot purchase additional copies of this title. We apologize if there is a long holds list. You may want to see if other editions of this title are available from your digital library instead.
Due to publisher restrictions, your digital library cannot purchase additional copies of this title. We apologize if there is a long holds list. You may want to see if other editions of this title are available from your digital library instead.
Description-
Drawing on her years of experience as a deputy prosecuting attorney who dealt with crimes against children, author Laurie Gray presents a compelling, haunting picture of the realities of sexual assault in this affecting novel. The story describes how one secret act of violence can change everything: how best friends can vanish when needed most; how the parents, teachers, counselors, and police officers who are supposed to help may prove skeptical; how difficult it is to know who to trust and how easy it is to slip into drinking, stealing, and lying; how the choice may come down to ending it all or starting over. Throughout it all, the gender of the protagonist remains ambiguous, emphasizing that so many of these acts of violence aren't about gender or sex.
About the Author-
Laurie Gray is the founder of Socratic Parenting LLC and an adjunct professor of criminal sciences at Indiana Tech University. She is the author of the young adult novels Just Myrto and Summer Sanctuary, which won a Moonbeam Gold Medal for excellence in young adult fiction and was named a 2011 Indiana Best Book Finalist. She is also the author of the parenting title A Simple Guide to Socratic Parenting. She lives in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.
Reviews-
pearlishawhite - i love my this book
February 11, 2013 Sandy has two close friends, Callie and Troy; immediate plans to audition for the lead in the high school musical, Peter Pan; and dreams that include Juilliard, Hollywood, and Broadway. But after Sandy is sexually assaulted by Callie’s boyfriend, Sandy’s life unravels. Sandy starts to steal and abuse alcohol, lies to everyone about what happened, and becomes isolated. Sandy’s supportive and concerned parents try to help, but seeing a “psycho therapist” is the last thing Sandy wants. Sandy’s gender is never revealed to readers, a decision intended to make the teenager’s experience more universal, but which instead keeps the character at a distance, despite Sandy also being the narrator. A new friend, Shanika, introduces Sandy to tae kwon do, which helps, but true recovery is impossible until Sandy faces the incident head-on. Gray (Summer Sanctuary) draws from her professional experience with teens in this fast-moving and emotional story. While readers may empathize with Sandy’s pain and recognize the value in seeking counsel from family and professionals alike, wooden dialogue and the characters’ overall artificiality keep the book from realizing its full potential. Ages 13–18.
February 15, 2013 Before the sexual assault, Sandy was an upbeat, Shakespeare-loving teen with two close friends and ambitions of pursuing theater at Juilliard. After, nothing makes sense. Sandy's friend Cassie, whose boyfriend Aaron perpetrated the assault, believes Aaron's story over Sandy's, and Sandy's other friend, Troy, sides with Cassie. Sandy's attempts to cope with the depression and anxiety brought on by the incident range from positive (joining new friend Shanika's taekwondo class) to destructive (stealing vodka from a local store to support a very quickly developed psychological dependency). Reactions to Sandy's situation also run a believable gamut: Cassie and Troy's rejection, Shanika's disclosure of information about another assault on Aaron's part, a police officer's essential accusation that Sandy is lying, Sandy's parents' display of support and concern. Sandy is written so as to be readable as either male or female, and while this device is somewhat effective, it also robs the story of some valuable specificity. Might not Cassie react differently to hearing that her boyfriend has assaulted a female friend versus a male friend? Wouldn't a male Sandy question or consider his sexual orientation after the incident differently than a female one? Despite some gaps in Sandy's internal experience, however, the book's portrayal is largely successful, and the note it hits at the end is hopeful without being unrealistic. A careful treatment of a difficult topic. (Fiction. 14-18)
COPYRIGHT(2013) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
May 1, 2013
Gr 9 Up-Sandy plans to audition for the school's production of Peter Pan. Never identified as male or female, the aspiring actor loves performing and intends to go to Juilliard for a degree in drama. Sandy has two close friends: Cassie and Troy. When Cassie's boyfriend, Aaron, sexually assaults Sandy, the teen becomes depressed, turns to alcohol, begins to shoplift, and pulls away from Cassie and Troy. Sandy develops a new friendship with Shanika and is introduced to tae kwon do, which helps a little, but it is not until the teen's parents eventually learn of the troubles and become involved that recovery is possible. The author intentionally does not identify Sandy's gender to demonstrate that neither sex is immune to trauma, but this device hinders readers' ability to fully connect with the character. The narrative never truly resonates with readers because of their inability to empathize with Sandy.-Melissa Stock, Arapahoe Library District, Englewood, CO
Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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pearlishawhite - i love my this book
