Monday, February 28, 2011

review: The Mockingbirds

The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney
Published: (November 2, 2010)
Pages: 332
Source: Borrowed from library

Summary from Goodreads:

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.

My thoughts:
The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney is a powerful, poignant novel that shows what happens when adults turn the other cheek and students are forced to stand up for what is right and what is good. The story, centered on Alex, is about date rape. When Alex is raped, she turns to a secret society that is focused on righting wrongs. It was a great plot, and I loved seeing how Alex and The Mockingbirds were going to avenge what had happened. I was also happy to see that The Mockingbirds is going to be a series, and I can't wait to see Whitney's next book.

However, it broke my heart to read about how the adults in The Mockingbirds--the teachers, the administration--were portrayed. They were blind, ignorant and unwilling to admit the evils in the world. I understand the reasoning of creating such a group. Without this factor there could be no such thing as The Mockingbirds. But I couldn't help compare The Mockingbirds tot he the helplessness that I'm sure thousands of young adults feel when they have no one to turn to. 

The same helplessness I fell that I can't help them either.

But someone can. There are websites and phone numbers and adults who DO CARE and ARE THERE FOR YOU.


Whitney's book made an impact--and one that I hope helps open others eyes as well.





2 comments:

  1. I've read so many people rave about this book, but for some reason, I'm just not drawn to reading it. It sounds lovely, but I'm not much of a contemporary kinda girl. :)

    Enjoyed your review, though!

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  2. I have had this book for an embarrassingly long time now and still haven't read it :( I have heard nothing but rave reviews and your awesome review just added to the list!

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