(Spoiler Alert)
Recommended age: 8th grade and above
Summary: This is the story of Melinda Sordino. The summer before her freshman year, Melinda is raped by a senior boy. She struggles with her feelings about what happened, her life, how everyone hates her for calling the cops, and feeling alone. She literally loses herself and her voice. Through her art class, she begins to work through her turmoil. Melinda realizes that she wasn't to blame. She gets the courage to tell her story to a friend who is dating "It" (the boy who raped her). In the end, she defends herself from this monster who attacks her again at school proving to herself and others that she does have a voice and she does matter.
Reader response: I have owned this book for approximately 9 years, but could not bring myself to read it. Rape is a difficult, difficult topic for me to handle. Never would I voluntarily read a book on the topic for enjoyment. Therefore, I read it first. “If you eat a frog first thing in the morning that will probably be the worst thing you do all day.” – Mark Twain
With that being said, I really enjoyed the way the author handled the subject. The wit and sarcasm from the main character was refreshing. A major strength of this book is the relevance to today. As difficult of a topic as this is, it needs to be addressed. Students can relate to the main character and can put themselves in the shoes of the victim.
Resources: http://madwomanintheforest.com/ The author's website provides valuable teacher guides for this novel including a compare and contrast unit on Speak and The Scarlett Letter.
Follow up books: Amandine by Adele Griffin
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