Revenge of the Sluts - Review

Someone uses St Joe's student list serve to email the entire student body explicit pictures of seven female students - all of which are over the age of 18. There is no legal recourse - the police aren't interested. The school's administration downplays the seriousness of the situation to deter donations - the bulk of the student body are children of wealthy families. The administration offers walk-in counseling to those impacted, not just the seven young women. They want to push it away as quietly as possible, regardless of the impact on their students. 

Eden is assigned this story from her Editor in Chief, Ronnie. Eden tries to interview the young women, though many just want to hide in a corner. But not Sloane - Sloane has been very open with her sexuality, living her life on her terms with confidence. Eden becomes driven to represent the voices of these young women. Slowly they build trust - allowing Eden to hear their feelings, life long impacts on their young lives, all because they trusted the wrong person with explicit photos. 

I strongly believe this is an important book - high school young women are targeted and shamed, not just for expressing their sexuality but also for trusting the wrong people with photos of their bodies. The males aren't punished or ridiculed. But the young women live with the error for the rest of their lives. This opens the discussion regarding trust, autonomy, human rights, privacy. It also exposes schools' unwillingness to address the issue, support their students or become involved. 

This topic will not become obsolete. If anything has technology and our children grow, it will become even more prevalent issue.