What We Saw

Gr 9 Up—Kate got wasted. Stacey got wasted. Kate left early. Stacey was raped, or so she claims. Kate can't remember much about the party, save from the growing flirtations with her childhood friend Ben. It's hard to focus on anything but their budding romance even when the whole school is sharing pictures and gossiping about Stacey's "behavior" at the party. But Kate is forced to come out of her love bubble once four of her classmates are charged with sexual assault and dissemination of child pornography. The whole town seems to comes to the boys defense—but Kate can't help but begin to push aside the town's shared preconceived notions and look closer. Devastatingly reminiscent of the 2012 Stuebenville High School rape case, Hartzler's first YA novel explores how a small, tight-knit community reacts when student athletes are accused of rape. The author has delivered an important, powerful, and engrossing read that gives readers a lot to consider. The book managed to resist a preachy feel while still asking tough questions about consent, the media, and how society puts victims on trial. Kate serves as a relatable and realistic reader surrogate as her emotions, questions, and conclusions progress throughout the story.