Oh. My. Gosh. How? What? Why? I was so mad I tossed the book on the floor.
Girl with big boobs is constantly terrorized by her male classmates in front of her teachers. The teachers do nothing or tell her to be silent. They steal her bra at one point so other boys can look at it. This is announced in a classroom and the teacher tells them to quiet down. That's it.
Girl's father is an alcoholic. The book stresses that it is important for the girl and her brother to support their dad no matter what.
Girl's mom sees nothing wrong with dad's drinking and constantly enables him. There is actually no good female role model in the book. Girl's grandmother teaches her to keep the drinking a secret. Girl's mom turns to yoga to deal...and that makes everything all better.
Dad BEATS THE 4-YEAR-OLD BOY WITH A WHISKEY BOTTLE. Dad goes to rehab for 28 days. That's it. The boy needs RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY!!! He has a nasty scar. The dad isn't even questioned by police. After rehab, the girl and her brother forgive the dad and welcome him home. She hopes he doesn't do anything like that abuse again.
Girl (age 13) goes to a party and is almost raped by 3 boys (age 17). She is embarrassed and goes home, and learns to deal with it. Basically the almost-rape is her fault because she was drinking like her dad. Um...gang rape? Statutory rape? No biggie - it was her fault. She brought it on herself, clearly. She tells her mom and her mom just lets it go. She tells her male friend and he gets mad, and she tells him to let it go, so he does...because almost getting raped is no biggie, right?
Her bestest of the best friends turn against her at the slightest thing (her blowing them off to go to the party). They forgive her. All is peachy keen. Throughout the book they are shown as being wishy-washy, and that is how a best friend should act, apparently.
This book...it has made me so angry.
