Target

Title: Target
Author: Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson
Publisher: Brookfield, Conn : Roaring Brook Press (2003)
ISBN: 0761319328 9780761319320 0761327908 9780761327905
Pages: 175
Characters: Grady, Jess, Pearl

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Rape is something that just happens to women, right? Wrong. Rape can happen to anyone. Part way through last school year, Grady, is raped. After the rape, he withdraws from his school and friends and essentially stops eating. The next school year, he moves to a different school where no one knows him. He does try to fit in, he just tries to get by. That is until he is befriended by Jess and Pearl who manage to learn the truth about his past.

I knew that YA lit has been tackling some serious issues. Couldn't believe it when I found a YA book that actually dared to tackle the taboo subject of a young man being raped. This book absolutely blew me away, not only due to the subject matter but to Johnson's sensitivity. This book could very easily have been a huge flop or sob story. Instead, you really root for Grady to pull through. While you don't know fully by the end that he will fully get closure, you do know that he has made some progress.