Sexual Abuse Books - Page 2

Darkness Before Dawn

Sharon M. Draper

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 34 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Fantastic!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is continuation of Tears of a Tiger. Keisha was Andy's girlfriend and now left with rest of her friends Ronda, Tyrone, BJ, Gerald, and Leon to survive without out their two friends Andy and Rob, who both died. Now in her senior year Keisha is selected class president and is having the best year. The principal's 23-year-old son is the new track coach and he has his eye on Keisha. Slowly Keisha begins to find comfort in 23-year-old Jonathan and starts going out with him. Soon the relationship takes a wrong turns when Jonathan takes Keisha to his apartment and tries to rape and kill her with his jack knife.
Sharon M. Draper is the greatest well-known writer that I know. I love his style of writing and how she brings her characters to live. Every book she ever made is great and I can't wait til she makes more.

Editorial Review:

Has Keisha found happiness at last?

In her senior year, things are finally looking a little brighter for Keisha. Still haunted by the suicide of her ex-boyfriend, Andy, she finds comfort in the attentions of the new track coach, twenty-three-year-old Jonathan Hathaway, the principal's son. How can Keisha not be swept off her feet by a tall, dark, handsome "lemon drop wrapped in licorice" who treats her like a woman, not a girl?

But suddenly this intoxicating relationship takes a frightening turn, and Keisha is once again plunged into the darkness she's fought so hard to escape. Will Keisha ever be able to find her way back into the light?

Living Dead Girl

Elizabeth Scott

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 37 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Yet another great book by Scott. 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Elizabeth Scott has done it again. Living Dead Girl is an amazing, gripping novel that will have you hooked, wanting to know Alice's story.

The topic is something that has never been touched upon by young adult authors and I'm glad that Elizabeth Scott was brave enough to get it published - knowing that some people would probably criticize her about her choice of topic.

The book is told in alternating chapters of Alice's live before and then back to the present. You are constantly learning new stuff about Alice, and that's what really makes this story extra unique.

One of my favorite things, however, is that the ending is left to your imagination. You know what happens dealing with Ray, but you can leave what happens after that all up to your own imagination. I like novels like that where the author doesn't give a play-by-play about how the characters life is, but lets you leave it to your imagination.

Living Dead Girl is a book that will leave you wondering, a book you will never ever forget.

Editorial Review:

Once upon a time, I was a little girl who disappeared.

Once upon a time, my name was not Alice.

Once upon a time, I didn't know how lucky I was.

When Alice was ten, Ray took her away from her family, her friends -- her life. She learned to give up all power, to endure all pain. She waited for the nightmare to be over.

Now Alice is fifteen and Ray still has her, but he speaks more and more of her death. He does not know it is what she longs for. She does not know he has something more terrifying than death in mind for her.

This is Alice's story. It is one you have never heard, and one you will never, ever forget.

Those are MY Private Parts

Diane Hansen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

GREAT LESSONS!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I read a lot of reviews befor I purchase products off this site. I have noticed that many parents have found books such as this one to be "too much". However, when I turn on the news and see yet another 3, 4, 5 year old little girl being taken advantage of, I figure reading to my own 5yr old daughter about these sorts of things now is by far the lesser of the two evils. I want my daughter to be as aware as possible. I feel that this book was a great addition to my collection of "Keeping Bitty Safe" books. It has a fun poem theme and is very informative. The subject of "touching" is a very hard subject to begin with and no matter what book you buy, it's not always going to be pretty when your child starts asking questions. HOwever, I think that this is a super lesson to teach children and I believe that reading a book to a child now is, as i mentioned before, a far lesser trauma to them than being abused. I would HIGHLY recommend this and any prevention book to any of my friends and other parents...

Editorial Review:

Its primary message is: "America, please teach our young children about their sexuality before the child molester does." In just 12 pages of rhyme, the book * gives parents a great starting point for having important, candid discussions with their children about recognizing and preventing sexual abuse * names the most common perpetrators of sexual abuse in clear, kid friendly language * informs children about the tactics perpetrators use to trick children * equips children with an action plan for telling trusted adults about abuse * empowers children to say "no" and to get righteously angry if abuse happens

Lessons from a Dead Girl

Jo Knowles

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Hidden agenda? 2 out of 5 stars.
2 of 16 people found this review helpful.

REVIEW FOR LESSONS FROM A DEAD GIRL


I came across Lessons from a Dead Girl by Jo Knowles accidentally. One of my 6th grade students excitedly showed me her recent library checkout. The title alone sparked my interest, but when I read the jacket cover, I became extremely disturbed about the so-called "Lessons" involved in this book. According to the jacket, the two main female characters, Leah and Laine, were "just practicing . . . for when they got older and got married." Feeling that the plot of this book might be too mature for a 6th grader, I decided to read it myself. Being a children's author also, I understand that the writer is wanting to expose the complex psychological implications of children who abuse other children (especially sexually and emotionally), but as a teacher, writer and parent myself, I am shocked at the method this writer has used to portray that lesbianism and homosexuality are the norm, "F--king" is an everyday word, and three high school friends staying overnight and sharing the same bed at their parentless house is just commonplace for adolescents.

What is so disturbing about this novel is the mindset of the 6th grade victim, unpopular Laine, who finds herself in a closet playing husband and wife with Leah, a beautiful 6th grader who had been left unsupervised with her dad's college roommate and became a sexually abused victim herself. From Laine's viewpoint, "I close them [eyes] and feel her move closer to me. Her breath is warm on my face. When she puts her hands on my knees, her electricity goes right through me. I get a tingly feeling low in my stomach. She slides her hands slowly up my thighs . . . Then she kisses me . . . She moans. I'm too scared to move. But I'm excited too . . . A strange, prickly warmth spreads through my body. I sit perfectly still and let her kiss me. I let her hands pull me toward her until my chest presses up against hers and our hearts pound against each other. I keep my eyes closed tight and let her do what she wants" (13). One of the prevailing comments throughout the novel is that Laine liked it, thus beginining her journey of the sexual relationship.

Laine feels Leah's magic and lets her lead her into the closet where she rubs her hands over her body, and Laine's stomach tightens at her touch (18). By the 8th grade, Laine seems to be fighting the love/hate relationship with Leah. "I try not to let it feel good, but it does. It feels good and horrible at the same time. Every part of my body feels alive" (42).
When high school comes around, the language has escalated to include things like "sh-t" and "f--king" (94) and an introduction to the female soccer coach, Ms. Carrie Winters who is "openly gay and has a partner" (102). When Laine, the victim, finally finds true friendship, she is surprised to learn that her male friend, the gin drinker and party king, is gay. (What a surprise!) "The light is off when I get there, but when I flick it on, someone yells, `Cut the sh-t!' I shut it off again . . . `F--k sake!' a familiar voice says . . . It's Web. I turn to leave, but I can't help looking to see who he's with. Web looks away, burying his face into the person's neck. It's the guy who gave us the raspberry stuff" (152).

By the end of the novel, alcohol, drugs and sexual abuse supposedly drive Leah to her death, while Laine accepts her sexually abused past, homosexual best friend Web, and a father (who was barely mentioned in the book) who has surprised her by having pornographic magazines hidden in his closet. All is well, and now Laine can move on.

Throughout the book, homosexuality, obscene behavior and language and lack of parenting are presented as everyday commonalities, situations that are clearly too mature for 11 and 12-year-old children. Interestingly enough, this rising new author, Jo Knowles, has won the 2005 PEN New England Children's Book Discovery Award. Hum . . . If the author truly wanted to present childhood sexual abuse as her agenda, why would she pull in a lesbian soccer coach and a best friend who is a homosexual, not to mention a father who secretly looks at pornography and talks about it in front of his group of mixed friends? Yes, truly a push for sexual differences was certainly part of her agenda.

Editorial Review:

An unflinching story of a troubled friendship — and one girl’s struggle to come to terms with secrets and shame and find her own power to heal.

Leah Greene is dead. For Laine, knowing what really happened and the awful feeling that she is, in some way, responsible set her on a journey of painful self-discovery. Yes, she wished for this. She hated Leah that much. Hated her for all the times in the closet, when Leah made her do those things. They were just practicing, Leah said. But why did Leah choose her? Was she special, or just easy to control? And why didn’t Laine make it stop sooner? In the aftermath of the tragedy, Laine is left to explore the devastating lessons Leah taught her, find some meaning in them, and decide whether she can forgive Leah and, ultimately, herself.

Inexcusable

Chris Lynch

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 31 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Fabulous young adult (or old adult) read 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The novel opens with the haunting first line "The way it looks is not the way it is" - whoa! Keir is a graduating high school senior with a best-friend/dad, and two sisters. He drinks way too much, is liked by everyone, and is a self proclaimed good guy. Between Keir narrating his final year of school and giving a brief bio on his life for our sake, he fills the reader in with his current situation - which is shady at best. Without revealing too much of the plot, he is alone, with the girl he loves, defending his good guy status. Again, WHOA!

This book is spooky, creepy, and intriguing all over the place. The best part about it is the reader hardly realizes how creepy and what a thriller the novel actually is until the ending. The author's choice of telling the story from Keir's first person perspective is amazing, and really shapes the book. All of the character development, insight, emotions, and appeal are completely based on the reader's interpretation of the events and the story. I wouldn't say it's a nail biter, it's much too subtle for that...but it is a page turner all the way.

Editorial Review:

"I am a good guy. Good guys don't do bad things. Good guys understand that no means no, and so I could not have done this because I understand."

Keir Sarafian knows many things about himself. He is a talented footballplayer, a loyal friend, a devoted son and brother. Most of all, he is agood guy.

And yet the love of his life thinks otherwise. Gigi says Keir has donesomething awful. Something unforgivable.

Keir doesn't understand. He loves Gigi. He would never do anything tohurt her. So Keir carefully recounts the events leading up to that onefateful night, in order to uncover the truth. Clearly, there has been amistake.

But what has happened is, indeed, something inexcusable.

Invisible Girls: The Truth About Sexual Abuse--A Book for Teen Girls, Young Women, and Everyone Who Cares About Them

Patti Feuereisen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Dr. Patti Feuereisen has been working with teenage girls for twenty-five years and has been a pioneer in helping abused girls find their voices. What she discovered in listening to hundreds of girls was not only that sexual abuse of young girls is in fact epidemic, but if the abuse can be processed when girls are still young—in their teens and early twenties—remarkable healing can take place. Girls and young women who are given an opportunity to speak out will most often go on to thrive as adults; without such an opportunity the traumatic effects of their abuse will often continue to cause them difficulty long into adulthood.

Invisible Girls weaves together powerful first-person narratives with gentle guidance and seasoned insights to help girls through the maze of feelings that swirl around the abuse experience. This gives every young woman who has experienced sexual abuse the courage that comes from knowing that she is not alone and that she can be vibrant, healthy, and whole.

I Was a Teenage Fairy (Ageless Books)

Francesca Lia Block

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 119 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Maybe Mab was real. Maybe not. Maybe Mab was the fury. Maybe she was the courage. Maybe later on she was the sex...

A tiny fairy winging her way through the jasmine-scented L.A. night. A little girl caught in a grown-up glitz-and-glitter world of superstars and supermodels. A too beautiful boy with a secret he can never share...

From the author of Weetzie Bat comes a magical, mesmerizing tale of transformation. This is the story of Barbie Marks, who dreams of being the one behind the Cyclops eye of the camera, not the voiceless one in front of it; who longs to run away to New York City where she can be herself, not some barley flesh-and-blood version of the plastic doll she was named after. It is the story of Griffin Tyler, whose androgynous beauty hides the dark pain he holds inside. Andfinally it is the story of Mab, a pinkie-sized, magenta-haired, straight-talking fairy, who may or may not be real but who helps Barbie and Griffin uncover the strength beneath the pain, and who teaches that love--like a sparkling web of light spinning around our bodies and our souls--is what can heal even the deepest scars.

Exposed

Susan Vaught

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A MUST READ 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Excellent, very well written, fast paced, shocker of an ending. Can't wait for the next work from this author.

Editorial Review:

Chan Shealy’s got most things going right in her life—straight A’s, a shot at the regional majorette championships in baton twirling, and the best best friend a girl could wish for. But after the football quarterback spreads a vicious lie about her, and the whole school decides she’s too trashy for words, Chan begins to wonder if the only place she’ll find love is online.

She’s careful. She follows all her parents’ rules, mostly anyway. A girl’s got to trust herself at a certain point, right? But what if your gut is telling you something that you’re just not hearing… until it’s too late?  

From the moment Chan logs on and meets Paul, until the truth begins to show through, Susan Vaught sends readers on a fast-paced and gripping ride. Even when you know something bad will happen, you still might not see it coming…

Boy Toy

Barry Lyga

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Better than better... 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

For those who want a quick synopsis: HOLY CRAP THIS WAS A GOOD BOOK!!!! For those who want a little more: HOLY CRAP THIS WAS A REALLY GOOD BOOK!!! Let me also say for the record that I usually avoid Young Adult and Romance titles like Microsoft and working operating systems! I usually read books by Stephen King, Eric Jerome Dickey, Zane, Vince Flynn, Joel Rosenberg, and Glen Duncan. My books usually have to have an NC-17 "rating" on them because I like a certain level of violence, sex, brutality, insane characters, and the like when I read. But like a lot of good books, this one found me. I was looking for something a little different and I saw Prey by Lurlene McDaniel and it got some favorable reviews. Then I saw a link to this book and it really caught my attention. It really did kind of just jump out at me. I ordered it and just devoured it!! I HATE that I already put out my Top 10 Books for 2008 already because this one would have definitely made it.

This book deals with some pretty disturbing material so be warned. How the author deals with it is a main reason why I loved the book so durn much. Josh was sexually abused by his teacher when he was 12 years old and this book tells that story. From before Josh was abused, to during, and after. What I like about Josh was that he was... well... a freaking genius! This wasn't some poor boy from the streets that turned to his teacher because he had nothing else. No, quite the contrary. Josh has an amazing gift for numbers and it's stunning to see how fast he can calculate. One funny, jaw dropping part is when his friend Zik asks him to calculate the distance between two planets... IN INCHES! Yeah, well Josh does and the way he acts and answers is like "dude, can't you figure it out?" Oh, did I mention that Josh is also one heck of a baseball player? Yeah, not only is he a brilliant student but a jock ta-boot. Who wouldn't be attracted to him? Course it should be girls his age, not his mom's age!!

Anyway, Josh like most American males (hell, me included) finds out that he has a crush on one of his teachers. The difference is: she likes him as well. It doesn't seem instantaneous but.... well you'll see. Josh has day (and night) dreams about this woman who is aptly named Eve. Eve, just like her namesake, is a seducer and proceeds to do just that. Once they start the affair the sex talk does pick up, but it's not in a salacious way. It's there because IT HAS TO BE and Mr. Lyga does an amazing job of telling us about their sexual tryst without going "HBO at Night" on us. There are also some unexplained situations that you don't find out answer too until the end of the book and you can't help but come up some conclusions on your own... only to find out they were wrong.

The only time I felt "sorry" for Josh is when he had his "flashbacks". You really see just how sexual abuse can really mess with your head. Even with somebody as talented and smart as Josh. There really isn't anymore I can say about this book without giving it away. This is really is a very, very, very, very good book and you will NOT be disappointed!

Editorial Review:

Josh Mendel has a secret. Unfortunately, everyone knows what it is.
Five years ago, Josh's life changed. Drastically. And everyone in his school, his town—seems like the world—thinks they understand. But they don't—they can't. And now, about to graduate from high school, Josh is still trying to sort through the pieces. First there's Rachel, the girl he thought he'd lost years ago. She's back, and she's determined to be part of his life, whether he wants her there or not.Then there are college decisions to make, and the toughest baseball game of his life coming up, and a coach who won't stop pushing Josh all the way to the brink. And then there's Eve. Her return brings with it all the memories of Josh's past. It's time for Josh to face the truth about what happened.
If only he knew what the truth was . . .

I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This

Jacqueline Woodson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Twists on Concepts 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Marie is a popular and well dressed black girl living a good life alone with her father. Her mother left years earlier to experience life and to find herself. She only corresponds by postcards sent from locations around the world.

Lena is a sad and very poor white girl who moves into town in the middle of the school year. Marie is asked to show her around a bit. Marie is shocked to find that she actually likes Lena, even though her best friends make fun of and shun the poor girl. Lena also has no mother; her mother died of breast cancer, leaving Lena and her little sister alone with their father.

In spite of herself, Marie finds herself drawn to Lena. She overcomes the prejudices her father has planted in her about white people, and she overcomes the ridicule of her friends in order to become close to this new girl who so desperately needs her friendship. But then Lena tells Marie a terrible secret, and Marie must decide whether to keep it or not.

This book has a couple of interesting twists--first, a girl living with her single father, when it is more common for the mother to be the single parent in stories. The reversal of racism was also intersting, with the black characters looking down on the white characters. I liked the evolution of Marie, as she became more confident and realized she didn't need her old friends.

I didn't like that Lena's situation was never portrayed as a crisis. The girls should have known that something should have been done, and Marie should have known better than to keep Lena's secret.

Editorial Review:

Twelve-year-old Marie is one of the popular girls in the prosperous black suburb. She’s not looking for a friend when Lena Bright, a white girl, appears in school. But the two girls are drawn to each other. You see, both Lena and Marie have lost their mothers. On top of that, Marie soon learns that Lena has a terrifying secret. Marie wants to help, but is it better to keep Lena’s secret, or to tell it? Their friendship—and Lena’s survival— may depend on her decision.