Trends in Publishing

Being sexually assaulted as a teen by a peer is a hard truth but a realty in our society. There are countless scenarios of rape culture, where girls have been ‘slut-shamed’, blamed by society, and told that they asked for it. As Caitlin White explains in her article “YA Lit’s Awesome New Trend: Fighting Rape Culture” (2016), rape culture will not be fixed overnight, but help is coming from young-adult novels. Sexual assault between teens is a topic that has become more frequently accepted and talked about in our society. Many of the books we have recommended – 20 out of the 27 – have been published 2010 and after. However, there is a gap in stories where boys have been sexually assaulted by a peer, either by a girl or by a boy.