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Saturday, March 26, 2011

The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

Some schools have honor codes.
Others have handbooks.
Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.
Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way--the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds--a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.
In this honest, page-turning account of a teen girl's struggle to stand up for herself, debut author Daisy Whitney reminds readers that if you love something or someone--especially yourself--you fight for it.

I had read a number of positive reviews about this book, so I was really looking forward to reading it. It was a fast read for me, 2 days. But I gotta say that I was more disturbed by this story. Be forewarned that there might be some spoilers coming.

First off, this is a boarding school that can do no wrong. Doors are left unlocked, the kids earn points to go off campus, and the students are trusted and expected to do no wrong. But where are the adults in this school? Sure there are teachers, but no parents at all. Not even a phone call, a letter or even care package from mom and dad. Even when Alex finally talks to a teacher, what happens? Nothing, not a thing. Come on this is rape we are talking about. This is a junior in high school.

Date rape is a far cry different from cheating or spiking someones drink with cough syrup, people go to jail for this. Does the punishment fit the crime? High school kids get to play lawyer and decide guilt and punishment. Just doesn't sit right with me. Just my opinion.




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