bookgoonie

Publication May 21, 2013 by Little Brown
282 pages
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Genre: YA Contemporary | Big Issue
Source: publisher
Rating: Liked It

Ashleigh’s boyfriend, Kaleb, is about to leave for college, and Ashleigh is worried that he’ll forget about her while he’s away. So at a legendary end-of-summer pool party, Ashleigh’s friends suggest she text him a picture of herself — sans swimsuit — to take with him. Before she can talk herself out of it, Ashleigh strides off to the bathroom, snaps a photo in the full-length mirror, and hits “send.”

But when Kaleb and Ashleigh go through a bad breakup, Kaleb takes revenge by forwarding the text to his baseball team. Soon the photo has gone viral, attracting the attention of the school board, the local police, and the media. As her friends and family try to distance themselves from the scandal, Ashleigh feels completely alone — until she meets Mack while serving her court-ordered community service. Not only does Mack offer a fresh chance at friendship, but he’s the one person in town who received the text of Ashleigh’s photo — and didn’t look.

Acclaimed author Jennifer Brown brings readers a gripping novel about honesty and betrayal, redemption and friendship, attraction and integrity, as Ashleigh finds that while a picture may be worth a thousand words . . . it doesn’t always tell the whole story. (Source: Goodreads)

When I saw Brown at TxLA and I realized that she writes Big Issue books, I bought them all. Without a doubt, THOUSAND WORDS had to be my first. Sexting. I’ve been teaching high school for 16 years and now have a teen of my own. I’ve witnessed the stupidity that transpires when you add teens, phones, pictures, video and social media. I get on my bully pulpit at least once a year to warn them. It’s not just sexting, they don’t realize that school districts can gain access to their facebook accounts and hold them accountable for what they post. Also employers do social media searches. My last school district didn’t interview over 26 applicants, because of stuff they had posted out in the cyberworld. My own teen has been hearing the warning since she got her first phone in 4th grade. I just hope that after 4 years of hearing it that it has sunk in and she doesn’t become a cautionary tale, like Ashleigh.

It was a quick read or maybe I just kept turning the pages to see what was going to happen. THOUSAND WORDS touches on many aspects related to sexting. Insecurity. Ashleigh is a good girl, just insecure over her boyfriend going off to college. Power. She even feels powerful that she has something that Kaleb wants. A way that his friends can’t compete with her. But is his reaction going to be one that she wants?

Brown even holds the receivers of the naked photo accountable. Did you look? Did you comment? Did you forward? What was your reaction? Did you snicker and laugh? Did you sit by and watch others? Were you a good friend? Did you treat others the way you want to be treated?

Sexting has some pretty hard core consequences. Distributor of Child Pornography. Sex Offender. These labels bring with them a stigma beyond a high school prank. It can impact where you are allowed to live? What kind of job you can have? How does it affect your family?

Brown has provided teens with a powerful warning on an issue that could ruin their lives very easily and innocently. The fact remains that the person that takes the picture sets it all in motion. Don’t take the picture. There is nothing to send, if you don’t. It’s not worth it. And if you receive something, don’t be part of the problem. Be the better person.

If a picture says a THOUSAND WORDS, what would you want yours to say? Not, slut up for grabs.