Review: The Mockingbirds - Daisy Whitney

Where I got it: My collection
Rating: 5 stars 
Cover Rating: 5 stars (I really like it and I like that the tree is the same style tree used on To Kill A Mockingbird)
Genre: Young Adult  
Publication Date: November 2, 2010
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Page Count: 332 p.

Themis Academy is supposedly full of the best of the best. The staff has this so deep in their heads that they don't discipline and see nobody acting so horrid as to need discipline. Which is why it was so easy for Alex to be date-raped. It was also easy for everyone to turn a blind eye on the harassment that she faced afterwards. Everyone except The Mockingbirds. This is exactly a case that needs to be heard. A case that will touch many other students who have been in the same situation. It's not an easy road to go down, accusing a guy of rape. Alex can hardly even believed it happened. With the support of her friends though, Alex knows she has a choice.  

I really loved this novel. This book is so similar to Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, but it has a voice all it's own that sets it apart. Daisy took a horrific thing like rape and put it into a different light. Not one that glorified it by any means, but one of understanding. In Speak, Melinda is very much alone and the whole story has the heavy feeling of Melinda having to come to terms on her own. In The Mockingbirds, Alex is surround by the love and support of her best friends and The Mockingbirds it makes the situation a it lighter without making it seem any less severe. I loved the support that Alex received from her friends. They were truly excellent friends that any of us would be lucky to have. Alex sees remarkable growth through this novel and it's a welcome thing. She doesn't simply grow as a person, but in the way she perceives other situations and people. Daisy hit Alex's emotions to a tee, which unfortunately stems from the fact that she herself went through the same situation as Alex. Daisy Whitney wrote a remarkable story about what it means to push through a bad experience so that others may touch upon your strength. Even if your strength comes from those around you. I certainly suggest everyone read this if the subject matter isn't too much for you. If it's hard because it happened to you maybe you should still pick it up and see if it helps you.

First Line:
"Three things I know this second: I have morning breath, I'm naked, and I'm waking up next to a boy I don't know."

Favorite Lines:
"'You can wash your clothes,' Amy says. 'We're not into weird shit like making you dry clothes before you wash them.'"