Monday, August 19, 2013

Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown



This is my second book read by Jennifer Brown and it was a very though provoking read, just like The Hate List.  In this story, Ashleigh is a junior who makes the very poor decision of texting a nude photo of herself to her soon to be ex-boyfriend.

Ashleigh has hardly seen her adored boyfriend Kaleb that summer.  He is about to head off to college and she is afraid she's losing him.  Under the influence of alcohol and peer pressure, she takes a nude photo of herself and sends it via text to Kaleb.  It gets her the attention she desires from him...until school starts.  Once he heads off to college, he becomes more distant and she becomes more paranoid of him cheating and/or sending the photo to someone else.  Eventually, they break up and her friends, seeking "justice", perform some juvenile pranks on Kaleb's house and truck.  Kaleb, seeking revenge, spreads the photo around.  It quickly makes its way around the whole school.  Parents and the law become involved.  Due to her distribution of child pornography she is sentenced to community service.  Kaleb, as an adult, is brought up on charges and could potentially be labeled a sexual predator for the rest of his life.  If all this wasn't enough, Ashleigh's father is the superintendent and may be forced to resign.

This story, as Brown's last book, is also told in alternating times.  One as she steps into her community service everyday, where she works on making informational pamphlets about the danger of "sexting."  The other timeline is back when she makes the unfortunate decision and deals with the fallout afterwards.  Through these two timelines, you see this girl maturing and coming to terms with her humiliation, anger and shame of what has happened.  

"Sexting" has become a real issue among teens and adults with how quickly images and information can find its way to many people.  It has led to problems with young people facing charges of distribution of child pornography, which would significantly impact the rest of their lives.  It has also led to serious problems of bullying and suicide.  Ashleigh feels the full weight of a hastily made decision.  She is harassed at school, through her phone and on websites where her photo is posted.  Her photo is never going away.  Ashleigh seems to be a strong enough person to handle this, but there have been cases of the bullying being so severe that young people have taken their own lives.  

This is an excellent novel to give to young adults that needs some discussion.  Two people made terrible decisions at the beginning and then more bad decisions were made as the photo was spread and people talked about it and harassed her for it. Not only should "sexting" be talked about, but bullying, spreading lies, gossip, friendship, trust and forgiveness.  All of these subjects are brought up in this book.  Worth the read. 

You will be able to find this book in our New YA section, soon.  For more information, check out http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15790870-thousand-words

Liz 

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