I want to make it clear that I am not endorsing this book. I haven't even read it. I'm probably not going to read it. But... I am endorsing the content. This book is about a teenage girl who wins a competition and gets to meet her idol who becomes her mentor. This idol is an older man, who just happens to be a priest, who begins stalking her. When I first read the back cover, I thought he was trying to take advantage of her, and I became enthusiastic because I think that every girl should read about how older men will try to take advantage of them.
“Figuring out when attention has become inappropriate is a tough call for people of all ages, and this will engender a lot of discussion among readers on the issue, making it particularly suitable for a book-club entry.”—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
If they read this in the form of fiction, the story will seem more real, like they've already been through it, so if and when such a thing happens to them, they'll be ready. A lot of parents try to shelter their children from literature with such themes, but they are doing their children a great disservice. Should it happen to them, they'll know that their feelings are normal, and hopefully they'll draw the line sooner than later so bad things don't happen to them.
Yes, I personally have had people I admire and/or respect try to take advantage of me, and it always catches me off guard for some reason. This girl didn't think her priest would ever do anything bad, so I'm thinking she probably let it go too far. I have too much faith in married men. Since they're taken, their flirting must be innocent, right? His asking me to stop by his hotel room with him to drop something off on the way to the party is exactly as it sounds, right? His invitation to come over and watch TV means exactly that, right? When you respect someone and believe they have high morals, you let them get away with more than you should, and all young people should be forewarned. Maybe if there were books about priests molesting boys, they might identify the signs and know to run and tell someone in their family and/or law enforcement instead of staying and trusting the asshole.
