The Nowhere Girls

This book was heart-breaking and STUNNING and really dealt with rape and privilege and even feminism in the midst of it all and I was CRYING by the time I reached the end because I haven’t had a book make me feel and think as much as The Nowhere Girls did in a WHILE. THE NOWHERE GIRLS IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT BOOK FOR GIRLS EVERYWHERE. It’s uplifting, real, heart-breaking and filled with girl power. The story itself is centred on girls from different ethnic and economic backgrounds as well as just girls with different personalities. In fact, most of the chapters are told from the point of view of ‘Us’ – that is, all these different and wonderful girls and IT WAS SO TOUCHING. MY THOUGHTS: 1. Before we go any further, this book might contain a lot of triggers from someone who is a victim of abuse, so TRIGGER WARNINGS: Rape, sexual and physical assault, sexual harassment and panic attacks. 2. This book was INTENSE. Not only the story itself, but the descriptions that came along with it – from what all the girls banding together felt and thought to the descriptions of the abuse itself. It didn’t let up, because it was tackling such an important issue and I really appreciated the intensity. 3. The first character we’re introduced to is Grace Salter, who is an empathetic girl that is pretty much left to her own devices who lives in the room of a girl who was raped and run out of town. Her viewpoint is harrowing and I loved the growth she went through in this book. 4. Erin, the second girl we’re introduced to, has Asperger’s. I love that we got to know Erin outside of where she stood on the spectrum, as well as about her disease. We see how she views life and relationships and everything about her was wonderfully done. 5. I’m still on the fence as to how I feel about the third girl – Rosina. I felt for her, definitely, but I didn’t connect with her. 6. Like I said in the beginning, though we were introduced to the world from these three girls’ viewpoints, a LOT of the book was told from the Viewpoint of “Us.” Us stands for all the girls that are a part of the town, facing different battles in their lives. They talked about double standards, choice, reputation, beliefs, experiences and SO MUCH MORE. Honestly, reading this book from an “Us” perspective made me CONNECT. It made this book heart-wrenchingly read and it broke me. The Nowhere Girls is probably one of the MOST IMPORTANT BOOKS OUT THERE FOR TEENAGE GIRLS because it tackles the rape culture, patriarchy, double standards and misogyny and in the centre of it all, shows you how powerful girls standing by each other can be. I could not recommend it more. This should be on all essential reading lists.