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Abstract/Description
As sexual abuse has become a more prominent topic in the media it has become necessary to find helpful ways in which young adults can discuss sexual assault without feeling threatened. Young adult novels have become a vehicle through which teenagers can begin to understand sexual assault and the trauma that follows it. These novels are able to extend their reach to both victims and their peers. The following essay highlights my research on the effects of discussing sexual abuse in young adult literature. As a victim of sexual assault, I found solace in the young adult novel Speak which narrates the aftermath of rape in a 14 year old girl’s life. Having connected with and begun my personal healing process through a young adult novel, I began my search to find evidence that there were other teenagers like myself, young adults who found comfort in books that discussed sexual abuse. My journey uncovered the great resource that these novels can be in the classroom and out of it. When discussed correctly in a classroom or read appropriately outside of school, rape novels become a source of strength to victims and a dispeller of rape myths among victims’ peers. I found that exceedingly dark and explicit novels discussing sexual abuse are generally targeted at an older audience and therefore do not pose the threat to innocence that most adults are afraid of. YA novels discussing sexual abuse have proved to be a place of sanctuary, compassion, and discussion among young adults. They offer a safe place within which young adults can connect and heal. Their presence is not only beneficial but crucial.
Copyright and Licensing of My Content
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Origin of Submission
as part of a class
Faculty Involvement
Chris Crowe
Sexual Assault and its Impacts in Young Adult Literature
As sexual abuse has become a more prominent topic in the media it has become necessary to find helpful ways in which young adults can discuss sexual assault without feeling threatened. Young adult novels have become a vehicle through which teenagers can begin to understand sexual assault and the trauma that follows it. These novels are able to extend their reach to both victims and their peers. The following essay highlights my research on the effects of discussing sexual abuse in young adult literature. As a victim of sexual assault, I found solace in the young adult novel Speak which narrates the aftermath of rape in a 14 year old girl’s life. Having connected with and begun my personal healing process through a young adult novel, I began my search to find evidence that there were other teenagers like myself, young adults who found comfort in books that discussed sexual abuse. My journey uncovered the great resource that these novels can be in the classroom and out of it. When discussed correctly in a classroom or read appropriately outside of school, rape novels become a source of strength to victims and a dispeller of rape myths among victims’ peers. I found that exceedingly dark and explicit novels discussing sexual abuse are generally targeted at an older audience and therefore do not pose the threat to innocence that most adults are afraid of. YA novels discussing sexual abuse have proved to be a place of sanctuary, compassion, and discussion among young adults. They offer a safe place within which young adults can connect and heal. Their presence is not only beneficial but crucial.