Send Pics
Summary:
At first glance, nothing much seems to happen in the sleepy suburb of Jonesville. But suddenly it comes to light that the town’s darling and sports star Tarkin Shaw is a predator who has been using his privilege for years to abuse young girls with impunity. After a shocking attack on one of the most popular girls in school, a group of shaken but determined friends are ready to seek revenge—but things don’t quite go according to plan. Instead, they are forced to publicly confront an unjust world that portrays girls as victims who were “asking for it”.
Edited by: Gender Studies, o p.s. - Knihovna Jiřiny Šiklové
Comment:
This story from an American high school setting depicts a situation that is very common in other forms outside the American context: a successful man who is at the same time a predator commits sexual violence or harassment, but instead of punishing him and symbolically condemning him, the authorities and social environment vilify the victim. The book is very raw and deserves a trigger warning (rape), but it illustrates very well the strategies that a sexist society often uses to deal with sexualized violence against women: victim blaming, slut shaming, prioritizing the predator’s career over justice for his victim. It also deals with the topics of blackmail and gender-based cyberbullying.