
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen and Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson both deal with the aftermath of a sexual assult of a young woman at a party by an acquaintance. Speak was written first and I think deals much better with the rape and following depression of the main character. The road isn't pretty and in the end, the main character isn't miraculously "better", but we trust in the sureness of the story and handling of the difficult subject matter. Just Listen on the other hand deals with an attempted rape in the glossy way that Seventeen Magazine would. As a reader, you are waiting to listen, but never really get to hear the main character tell her side to her family, boyfriend or in court. The whole story goes by without even using the R-word. I found this light treatment of something really serious to be rather insulting. But Just Listen is filled with beautiful people, so I guess I can see some of the appeal, but if you are looking for something that truly delivers in the end, try Speak.
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