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WHAT UNBREAKABLE LOOKS LIKE by Kate McLaughlin

WHAT UNBREAKABLE LOOKS LIKE

by Kate McLaughlin

Pub Date: June 23rd, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-17380-5
Publisher: Wednesday Books

A trafficked teen readjusts to the outside world after her rescue.

At the motel, she was Poppy, but now she has to find her way back to being Alexa “Lex” Grace. Although Lex’s stable and loving aunt, Krys, and uncle, Jamal, take her in, she makes supportive friends, and even adopts an adorable puppy, the voice in her head tells her she isn’t worthy of it all, and she struggles with trust. Plus, her pimp is still out there, so she knows she’s not truly safe. Lex starts dating Mike, who uses her for sex, which is what feels normal for her. Things go too far when Mike and his friends corner Lex in a school bathroom and sexually assault her. With the support of her aunt and uncle and a couple of new friends, Lex learns to value her self-worth and speak up. This story of resilience and recovery is gritty and heavy but ultimately hopeful. Lex’s first-person narration is straightforward and authentic. Frank discussions of rape, drugs, and abuse can be hard to stomach but are not overly graphic. Lex’s story ends well, but it’s made clear that, unfortunately, she is an exception. Other girls she knows return to prostitution and drugs, with grave consequences. Lex and her aunt are white, and her uncle is black; other secondary characters are racially diverse, and one new friend is gay.

A gut-punch story with an uplifting ending.

(Fiction. 14-18)