When Alex wakes up in an unfamiliar boy's room on Saturday morning, she can't remember what happened after the concert on Friday night that ended with her being there. All she knows is that she doesn't know what she's doing there, doesn't want to be there, and she's got to leave. Now.Alex attends prestigious Themis Academy, a college prep boarding school where everyone is intensely driven. The teachers at Themis believe 100% in their students - so much so that they don't believe their students could be capable of being anything less than model citizens. Bullying, racism, bigotry and assault, after all, aren't the Themis way. All the students know that when it comes to justice, they don't go to the administration - they go to the Mockingbirds.
An incredibly talented pianist, Alex is driven by music - she adores everything Beethoven, especially the 9th Symphony and Ode to Joy. There's no way she's going to let anything mess up her dreams of Julliard. So at first she just wants to ignore the fact that something happened with the boy - Carter, a water polo player (one of the big clues something's not right - Alex is so not into water polo guys). But then Carter starts spreading rumors about her. When her memories of that night start coming back, Alex knows that what happened in Carter's room is nothing like the rumors he started. He's a liar, and what he did to her was wrong. When her every moment becomes about avoiding Carter and his friends, Alex knows she needs help.
With a little convincing from her roommates, friends, and big sister Casey, Alex takes her case to the Mockingbirds, a not-so-secret society of students that ensures justice reigns at Themis. But it's not easy standing up for what's right - especially when she's not sure if she is right. Whose fault is it really if Alex had too much to drink to remember what happened with Carter? Or to say no?
A little bit of Speak and a little bit of Frankie Landeau-Banks, Daisy Whitney's first novel is a testament to the power of speaking up and out. Alex's struggle to come to terms with what happened to her and to do what's right - not just for herself, but for other girls like her - is realistic, painful, heartbreaking, and will make you want to stand tall on your own soapbox for justice.
Megan
(now reading The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon)