Below you will find print and digital titles about abuse in our SHS Learning Commons collection and the Libby collection from the Scott County Library.
All the Fighting Parts by
Sixteen-year-old Amina Conteh isn't afraid to speak her mind or use her temper when things aren't as she thinks they should be, which sometimes causes clashes between her and her strict father. When she gets in trouble for cursing at a peer, her father sends her to volunteer with a respected member of their Black church, Pastor Johnson, who unbeknownst to them all is a sexual predator.
Punching Bag by
Growing up in the 1990s, young Rex Ogle lived with the trauma, dread, and heartache of an abusive stepfather and a violent mother with a mental illness. In this heartbreaking-turned-hopeful memoir, Rex describes the extent of the abuse he suffered, how his mother blamed him for the death of his stillborn sister, and how the spirit of his sister Marisa followed him throughout his life, imparting an unseen presence that helped him turn away from darkness and towards survival.
Exit, Pursued by a Bear by
Hermione Winters plans to make her senior year of high school, and final season as the captain of her small town's popular cheerleading team, legendary. But things change when she is drugged and raped at cheerleading camp. Now the school's star cheerleader is also the pregnant girl, but Hermione refuses to let the assault or the resulting pregnancy define her.
Irreversible by
Keir Sarafian must finally confront his past when tragedy strikes during his first year of what has been an eye-opening first year of college.
How You Grow Wings by
Cheta, sharp-tongued and stubborn, is always ready to fight back whereas her sister Zam is timid and tries to avoid her confrontational mother and sister whenever possible. When Zam is invited to live with her aunt's family, she suddenly suddenly experiences wealth like she's never imagined, and Cheta grows jealous and runs away from home. As the siblings traverse their own paths, they must overcome generational trauma, domestic abuse, colorism, and classism. But when their paths cross again, the sisters must decide what they both want for the future.
Take Me with You When You Go by
When eighteen-year-old Bea runs away from home with no explanation, her brother Ezra is shocked and hurt. He knows life with their neglectful mother and abusive stepfather isn't easy, but he hates being left behind. He finds an email address Bea leaves for him and the siblings begin communicating. Bea tells Ezra that she received a message that prompted her to finally leave her life behind. Meanwhile, things get much worse for Ezra and he flees to the home of his Black boyfriend. As Bea learns more about their family's past, the siblings help each other survive and find a way forward.
We Are the Ashes, We Are the Fire by
Furious at her sister's rape by a frat boy, biracial Em Morales takes matters into her own hands, becoming her sister's advocate on social media. When the trial ends in a conviction, but with no jail sentence, Em's activism turns to thoughts of revenge. Knowing she needs to move on, Em channels her rage into writing a fictionalized novel-in-verse about fifteenth century noblewoman Marguerite de Bressieux, who fought as a knight to avenge rape victims.
Ordinary Hazards by
Told in verse, African American author and poet Nikki Grimes chronicles her childhood as the daughter of a schizophrenic mother and absent father, as well as the abuse she suffered at the hands of babysitters and foster families. She also discusses how magical and cathartic writing is in her life and how it got her through tough times throughout her young life.
A Girl Like That by
In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, sixteen-year-old half-Hindu/half-Parsi Zarin Wadia is the class troublemaker and top subject for the school rumor blogs, regularly leaving class to smoke cigarettes in cars with boys, but she also desperately wants to grow up and move out of her aunt and uncle's house, perhaps realizing too late that Porus, another non-Muslim Indian who risks deportation but remains devoted to Zarin, could help her escape. When the two end up dead in a car on a highway in Jeddah, it becomes clear she was far more than a "girl like that."
Rani Patel in Full Effect by
Seventeen-year-old Rani Patel's outer appearance is that of a rocking Indian girl breaking cultural norms in her hip-hop performances. On the inside she feels like a nobody, separated from her school peers by her Indian culture where "husband is God," made all the worse by her father's incestuous advances toward her. Meeting Mark, a hot older man who frequents her parents' store, Rani discovers an underground hip-hop crew that fuels her imagination, but she ignores the red flags of Mark's intentions toward her and is led down a dark path.
I'm Glad My Mom Died by
Chronicles the life of Jennette McCurdy, and details her struggles as a former child actress including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her abusive and overbearing mother. Explores how her mother controlled every aspect of her life after she was cast in the TV shows, "iCarly" and "Sam & Cat," and discusses McCurdy's path to recovery after she stepped away from acting and began therapy.
Every Body Looking by
Growing up with a Nigerian father and a drug-addicted mother leaves seventeen-year-old Ada with emotional scares she only begins to unpack when she leaves home for college in Washington D.C. Told in flashback scenes of her childhood, Ada comes to grip with the trauma inflicted by her absent mother, the pressures put on her by her strict father, and the sexual abuse suffered at the hands of male relatives. Through dance, Ada explores life outside of her family, learns who she is, and defines who she wants to be.
Maid by
The author shares moments from her life as she found herself unexpectedly pregnant and struggling to make ends meet while still holding onto her hopes of attaining a college degree and becoming a writer. Sharing insight into life below the poverty line through her own struggles as a low-income single mother, the author offers an eye-opening glimpse into the meager hope offered to those who must rely on government assistance to survive even as they work themselves to a state of exhaustion with little respect, inadequate compensation, and only their hope and determination to keep them putting one foot in front of the other.
Fights by
Author Joel Christian Gill pens a graphic novel memoir about the brutality of his younger life as the child of a single mother whose restlessness forced him to become a survivor of bullying at new schools, abuse at home, and violence on the streets.
