Daisy Whitney
is not only an awesome local author, and adorable, and talented, she is
also a long-time Not Your Mother's Book Club attendee. And we love her
lots! Her first book, the brand-new MOCKINGBIRDS, is getting phenomenal
reviews, including a coveted STAR in today's
Publisher's Weekly. Congrats, Miss Daisy!
The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney *STARRED REVIEW*
First-time author Whitney boldly addresses date rape, vigilantism, and
academic politics in an intense and timely novel, set at the elite
Themis Academy. The facts about what happened to high school junior Alex
after a concert are fuzzy at first. She wakes up naked in a fellow
student's bedroom with a hangover and no recollection of how she got
there. Bit by bit, the horrors of the previous night come back to her,
forcing her to conclude she's had nonconsensual sex with someone she
barely knew. Avoiding the boy who took advantage of her during her
drunken state doesn't ease her anxiety; neither does the prospect of
telling authorities what occurred. Instead of going to the police or to
school officials, Alex solicits the aid of the Mockingbirds, a
clandestine group of students bent on serving justice. Candid
first-person narration expresses Alex's doubts and convictions while
raising relevant questions regarding her method of righting a wrong.
Besides showing skill in executing suspense and drama, Whitney
masterfully evokes the complexity of her protagonist's emotions,
particularly her intense longing to feel "normal" again. Ages 15–up.
