What I'm Reading

Aaaah I loved this but I feel like love is a weird word for this piece of classic YA about a young woman who withdraws into herself following being raped at a party by, yes, the most popular boy in school. So good and the teenage voice was spot on and also got me thinking about rape and sexual assault and how we're STILL talking about "what counts as rape" and "he's a nice guy really" as though assaulting someone when they don't or can't give you consent is no biggie, just part of being human. Ugh. I was not raped in high school but there were times at parties in my youth and young adult life where boys and men took advantage of how drunk or passive I was, took a "soft no" to be "OK yes" and I just escaped by the skin of my teeth because I managed to stumble away and get somewhere I didn't have to be alone with them. Boys are not taught that girls are not on this planet just to provide a willing receptacle for romance or sex, I hope that's changing for today's generation but in mine the girls were the guardians and the gatekeepers, the boys could do whatever the fuck they wanted and only earn a few slaps on the back. Read this, men and women. It's a punch in the gut. #bookstagram #mrmbookclub #100in2022 #speak #lauriehalseanderson