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Article Title

Unleaving

Authors

Taylor Nelson

Keywords

Outstanding, Young Adult, Assault, Rape, Moving On, Healing, Growth

Document Type

Book Review

Abstract

Nineteen-year-old Maggie survives a sexual assault at an off-campus party. When she reports the crime, the perpetrators—popular athletes on the football team—are expelled, but Carlton sports fans are outraged, and Maggie is ostracized and harassed. Tired of the shame and victim-blaming, and still trying to come to terms with her trauma, Maggie escapes Carlton to go live with her Aunt Wren, an eccentric sculptor and artist who lives in an isolated cabin. As time goes on, Maggie begins to slowly heal, in part due to her blossoming friendship with Linnie, a young woman with troubles of her own and a feisty five-year-old daughter, as well as her correspondence with Jane, another victim of rape on Maggie's campus. As new and unexpected friendships develop, Maggie learns more about her aunt and mother's own history, discovering along the way a strength inside herself that she never knew she had.

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