The Mockingbirds

Starred review from October 18, 2010
First-time author Whitney boldly addresses date rape, vigilantism, and academic politics in an intense and timely novel, set at the elite Themis Academy. The facts about what happened to high school junior Alex after a concert are fuzzy at first. She wakes up naked in a fellow student's bedroom with a hangover and no recollection of how she got there. Bit by bit, the horrors of the previous night come back to her, forcing her to conclude she's had nonconsensual sex with someone she barely knew. Avoiding the boy who took advantage of her during her drunken state doesn't ease her anxiety; neither does the prospect of telling authorities what occurred. Instead of going to the police or to school officials, Alex solicits the aid of the Mockingbirds, a clandestine group of students bent on serving justice. Candid first-person narration expresses Alex's doubts and convictions while raising relevant questions regarding her method of righting a wrong. Besides showing skill in executing suspense and drama, Whitney masterfully evokes the complexity of her protagonist's emotions, particularly her intense longing to feel "normal" again. Ages 15–up.

October 1, 2010

Whitney, who brought a successful case against a man who date-raped her in college, here sets a date rape and its aftermath on the campus of an elite boarding school. After Alex wakes up disoriented in a strange boy's bedroom, her roommate and sister convince her to go to the Mockingbirds, an underground student group dedicated to justice. As Alex's case against the thoroughly slimy Carter progresses and her memories of the night return, her emotions run a realistic gamut from shame to self-doubt to fury. However, the story's simplicity is troubling. Everyone but Carter and his villainous friends easily believes Alex's accusations—a rare boon for a rape survivor—and the school's obliviousness to student wrongdoing is implausible. Students use elements of To Kill a Mockingbird as code, but the references feel gimmicky and forced, particularly because the original Mockingbird rape trial is a grave miscarriage of justice. Hits a few high notes—including a consensual, caring and mutually desirous relationship between Alex and a Mockingbird—but ultimately disappointing. (Fiction. 15 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

March 1, 2011

Gr 9 Up-Alex wakes up in a strange bed, naked, and with a terrible headache, lying next to a boy whose name she doesn't know. A junior at an elite boarding school, she is used to a controlled and nearly perfect life. Among all the talented and special students at Themis Academy, Alex is a standout as a classical musician. How could she have been so stupid as to have sex-for the very first time-with this stranger? It takes several days, and the support of her roommates and friends, for her to piece together the events that led up to that horrible morning. The portrayal of the aftermath of alcohol-fueled sexual assault is particularly well drawn. Alex is confused, disoriented, and deeply shamed, but her friends help her understand that, no matter how drunk she was, sex without consent is rape. There is no help from the school authorities, who have failed to protect students from one another in the past, so Alex turns to the Mockingbirds. This semisecret society is an ingenious student-initiated justice system that holds individuals responsible for their actions. Just like in the world outside, the wheels of justice turn slowly, but ultimately Alex has the satisfaction of holding her assailant to account. Particularly poignant is Alex's growing relationship with a kind and caring boy who helps her regain her equilibrium and look to the future. Written with a deep awareness of post-trauma experience and a keen ear for high school dialogue, this novel makes an impassioned case for youth taking responsibility for the actions of their peers.-Carolyn Lehman, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2010
Grades 9-12 Silence does not equal consent. . . . The only thing that means yes is yes. When Alex, a junior at Themis, a New England boarding school, wakes up naked in a boys bed, she doesnt immediately realize what has happened during the previous drunken night. As fragmented memories return, though, she begins to understand that what happened was date rape. With the encouragement of her friends and older sister, Alex submits her case to the Mockingbirds, an underground justice system inspired by Harper Lees classic novel, in which Themis students investigate and try crimes committed against other students. Whitney, whose authors note discusses her own teenage experience of date rape and its aftermath, is a seasoned journalist, and she writes with smooth assurance and a propulsive rhythm as she follows Alex through the Mockingbirds trial process and its accompanying emotional storm of confusion, shame, fear, and finally, empowerment. Authentic and illuminating, this strong debut explores vital teen topics of sex and violence; crime and punishment; ineffectual authority; and the immeasurable, healing influence of friendship and love.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)