Publishers Weekly
09/21/2015
From sixth through eighth grade, Emily Linden was shamed and bullied, in person and online, for being a “slut.” Upset about girls who committed suicide after being bullied for sexual behavior (real or rumored), Linden revisited the diaries she kept, put excerpts online, and founded the UnSlut Project, where bullying victims can post their stories and find support. This book is Linden’s diary, transcribed “word for word” and filled with detailed accounts of romances, rumors, bullying, poetry, and episodes of cutting and suicidal thoughts, alongside Linden’s present-day comments. Boys and girls come and go in the entries, and without any scenes or shaping, it’s hard to keep them straight. Linden’s annotations oscillate between snark regarding her younger self and sincere reminders about cultural conditioning and gendered assumptions (“One thing about my middle school self that really embarrasses me is my passive, unquestioned homophobia”). It’s alternately eye-opening and depressing to see how young all involved are, how little they actually know about sex, and how unhelpful parents, teachers, and friends are, but the lack of characterization throughout makes it hard to feel a deeper empathy. Ages 14–up. (Dec.)
From the Publisher
"Raw, illuminating, and frequently painful"—Refinery 29 “ [I]t's crucial to see present-day Lindin speak out for her past self and, in turn, speak up for young people reading her book.”—Bitch Magazine "[B]oth heart-wrenching and '90s-nostalgic"—Bustle “UnSlut can be found in the young adult section, where it belongs—not because the book isn’t a worthwhile read for adults (it is) but because preteens and teens need to be educated on the reality of social, emotional, and sexual trauma while they’re in the thick of it.”—Baltimore City Paper "[A] powerful and timely study for adults and their daughters or for counselors to use in groups."—VOYA "[A] sometimes tender, sometimes painful look at the stigmas that surround girls growing up in modern society."—Booklist "[F]ounder of an advocacy program The UnSlut Project, Lindin's analysis of her younger self definitely adds valuable context, levity, and keen insight into a number of different issues. "—Kirkus Reviews "UnSlut takes a stand against sexual bullying."—Publishers Weekly “Every young person and everyone who works with young people, I think this should be required reading for them. I think it's going to be a game changer."— Emily Crowe Odyssey books shop on WAMC's the Roundtable “Lindin shared her story to reassure other girls suffering from sexual bullying that they’re not alone and this time will pass and their lives will get better. Definitely a message that needs to be heard.”—Write On Sisters “Powerful”—Viva La Feminista “An abslote must-read for any young girl, parent of a teen, or school counselor.” –NY Journal of Books
School Library Journal
09/01/2015
Gr 8 Up—In 2013, Lindin created The UnSlut Project, an online community in which she posted entries from the diary she kept between sixth and eighth grade detailing her experiences being bullied because of untrue rumors about her sexual conduct. As a result of the positive feedback she received, she published her diary entries in book form. The adult Lindin adds commentary throughout. She reminds readers that her diary was written from her perspective only and admits that others may have had different perceptions of the events in question. The journal describes the girl's interactions with her peers, with only brief mentions of parents, family, teachers, or school work. Readers learn how as an 11-year-old, Lindin saw her peers drinking, using inappropriate sexual language, and engaging in sexual activities, which often made her uncomfortable. Because she wanted to be popular, she took part in activities that she found awkward or unpleasant. Often books of this ilk end unhappily in order to drive home a message, but the author makes it clear that in high school she was able to make a new start. Though Lindin was between the ages of 11 and 13 when she wrote her diary, the book deals with some mature sexual themes and situations. VERDICT The eye-opening revelations in this work may help to boost readers' self-confidence by illustrating that our destinies are not determined by others.—Elizabeth Kahn, Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy, Jefferson, LA
Kirkus Reviews
2015-09-21
A diary kept in the late 1990s by a middle school girl labeled a "slut" by her peers is transcribed, with footnotes adding her adult commentary, in this expository memoir. Prefacing this collection of intensely personal journal entries is a foreword written by Lindin, who explains the process by which she decided to make them public (with changed names) in an effort both to provide support to teens experiencing slut shaming and to make adults aware of the intricacies of this type of bullying. While it's a worthy intent, the monotony of these day-to-day entries, preoccupied to the extreme with the volley of relationship and friendship drama so common (and developmentally appropriate) to early adolescence, makes this a slow read. The founder of an advocacy program called The UnSlut Project, Lindin's analysis of her younger self definitely adds valuable context, levity, and keen insight into a number of different issues. Some of the most important center on how little agency many girls feel over their own bodies and the psychological disconnect often present for teens who engage in such self-harming behaviors as cutting. However, these same elucidations may turn off teen readers, rooted as they are so firmly in an adult perspective. While this direct presentation of events allows readers to see the nuances of this bullying experience, it's a difficult and at times tedious narrative. (Memoir. 12 & up)
