What We Saw By Aaron Hartzler
Publication date: September 22, 2015
Publisher: Harper Teen
In WHAT WE SAW Aaron Hartzler tells a captivating
story inspired by true events about rape culture, and sends a powerful message
to readers about being a bystander. The main character, Kate, is faced with
decisions about speaking up about what is right, and trying to define the
blurry line between guilt and innocence. She was at the party at John Doone’s
house, and can *mostly* remember what happened that night: getting drunk with
Stacey Stallard, and being driven home early by Ben Cody, somebody who might be
becoming more than just an old friend. However, when pictures of Stacey passed
out over John’s shoulder are all over social media the next day, Kate starts to
wonder what happened after she made it home.
WHAT WE SAW, told from the perspective of Kate,
takes on themes of sexism, the power of social media, and feminism. Kate is an
incredibly realistic character, and makes readers want to reach into the book
to hold her hand. She is the bright
light in this story, and I could feel her emotions and relate to them, even if
the specific details of the story were not ones I could relate to. Although the
book is focused on people who may not be doing the right thing, Kate offers
some hope that there are many people who will let their voices, and the voices
of victims be heard. Readers should know that although this story does follow
some separate storylines, it’s mainly about rape and how victims of this crime
are treated. However, the actual details about the rape are not too graphic.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. It was hard to put down, and
helps unpack and clarify many of the issues regarding the way society views these
types of cases.
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