DeWoskin Rachel 9781921758249 Text Publishing 02 May 2011
I believe we live in possibly the most narcissistic age of human history. No generation has been photographed or filmed more than this one. We have cameras everywhere. On our phones, on our laptops, on our desktop computers and the truth of the matter is, our teens are so used to documenting everything they do on film, that more often than not, they dont even notice a camera is present.
No longer do we have the luxury of being able to confiscate film, or destroy a VHS tape. Footage or photos that make it onto the WWW can never be taken back and never be erased.
In a digital instant, what happens at parties stays on Facebook/YouTube/Twitter/MySpace/Etc…
Big Girl Small – Rachel DeWoskin, deals with what is possibly, the issue of the moment. She does it bravely, honestly and without any apologies.
Big Girl Small is an important book for our Young Adults. DeWoskin skillfully leads the reader through every teenage girl’s (and teenage girl’s parent’s) worst nightmare and she spares no detail. Nor should she. This is not an issue we should be shying away from, nor is it an issue we should avoid talking about openly, with our teens.
In Big Girl Small, DeWoskin has given parents, teachers and teenagers an opportunity to broach and discuss openly and honestly, the dangers of trusting too much, ignoring your instincts and the risk of losing self control.
I honestly believe that Big Girl Small should be at the very least, prominent on all Secondary Library shelves, if not studied as a class novel in Years 10-12. Intricately layered with topics rich and important for open discussion, I can think of no one who would NOT benefit from reading this novel. Every angle and aspect has been covered – what happens to your family, your friends, your community and more importantly, what can happen to YOU, if you are unfortunate enough to be victim to such a horrific breach of trust?
DeWoskin has crafted a protagonist that readers will never forget and in doing so, might help our teens think twice before they get drunk and pose for the camera…
