Check out my stop on the blog tour for You Too? organized by YA Bound Tours.
by Various Authors
Edited by Janet Gurtler
Young Adult Non-fiction
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Publishing date: January 7, 2020
Synopsis
A timely and heartfelt collection of essays inspired by the #MeToo movement, edited by acclaimed young adult and middle-grade author Janet Gurtler. Featuring Beth Revis, Mackenzi Lee, Ellen Hopkins, Saundra Mitchell, Jennifer Brown, Cheryl Rainfield and many more.
When #MeToo went viral, Janet Gurtler was among the millions of people who began to reflect on her past experiences. Things she had reluctantly accepted - male classmates groping her at recess, harassment at work - came back to her in startling clarity. She needed teens to know what she had not: that no young person should be subject to sexual assault, or made to feel unsafe, less than or degraded.
You Too? was born out of that need. By turns thoughtful and explosive, these personal stories encompass a wide range of experiences and will resonate with every reader who has wondered, "Why is this happening to me?" or secretly felt that their own mistreatment or abuse is somehow their fault - and it's not. Candid and empowering, You Too? is written for teens, but also an essential resource for the adults in their lives - an urgent, compassionate call to listen and create change.
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Reading You Too? was as intense as I'd thought it would be. The essays brought up a lot of situations that have happened to me over the years - some that I had forgotten about, others that had happened so long ago the memory is foggy. I thought about experiences other women have told me. I imagined how I would write about my experiences.
What I found really surprising was that some of the authors in the book felt that what happened to them wasn't as bad as what's happened to other women. I hope they know now that isn't the case at all. We as women try minimizing these things for a variety of reasons - we don't think anyone will believe us, we feel shame and guilt, we wonder if what went on was really happening or if we imagined it all.
This is definitely a painful read, I mean the writing is wonderful but the subject matter is hard to read. My heart ached for the young girls these authors used to be. My heart aches for them now.
There was one essay I didn't think belonged in this collection and that was the one written by a cis male who had a difficult time coming out. It didn't belong because he wrote about how he joined guys in degrading women before he accepted that he was gay, which seemed like the antithesis to what this book is about. What ended up happening to him was not okay, but his participation in treating women like objects or speaking about them in a derogatory way should not have been expressed here.
If you decide to read You Too?, you must be warned that everything that could happen to a woman is discussed here. It's difficult to read but also very much important that these situations women have faced are discussed. It's heavy subject matter that can be challenging to read but worthwhile if anything is going to change.
What I found really surprising was that some of the authors in the book felt that what happened to them wasn't as bad as what's happened to other women. I hope they know now that isn't the case at all. We as women try minimizing these things for a variety of reasons - we don't think anyone will believe us, we feel shame and guilt, we wonder if what went on was really happening or if we imagined it all.
This is definitely a painful read, I mean the writing is wonderful but the subject matter is hard to read. My heart ached for the young girls these authors used to be. My heart aches for them now.
There was one essay I didn't think belonged in this collection and that was the one written by a cis male who had a difficult time coming out. It didn't belong because he wrote about how he joined guys in degrading women before he accepted that he was gay, which seemed like the antithesis to what this book is about. What ended up happening to him was not okay, but his participation in treating women like objects or speaking about them in a derogatory way should not have been expressed here.
If you decide to read You Too?, you must be warned that everything that could happen to a woman is discussed here. It's difficult to read but also very much important that these situations women have faced are discussed. It's heavy subject matter that can be challenging to read but worthwhile if anything is going to change.
Rating: 4 / 5
About the Editor
Janet Gurtler's young adult books have been chosen for the JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION and as BEST BOOKS FOR TEENS from the Canadian Children's Book Center. Janet lives in Alberta, Canada with her husband, son, a chubby black Chihuahua named Bruce and a Golden Retriever named Betty White.
Click here to visit the other stops on the tour!
We are giving away two copies of YOU TOO, signed by each author. Entries are automatically entered with a donation to RAINN on our YOUTOO Fundraising Page.
Blog Tour organized by YA Bound Book Tours
