No Shame deals with the experience of a teenage rape victim who has chosen to report the crime and seek justice in court. The rape itself was described in an earlier book so here we follow Stacey through the ordeal of the court case and the awful realisation that her plausible attacker could well get away with his crime, since, as in many rape cases, it comes down to whose version of events the jury will believe.
This difficult subject is tackled in a straightforward and sympathetic manner, and the way the case progresses feels authentic and well-researched. The story was not as harrowing as I feared since Stacey did not appear to be as severely affected, mentally and emotionally, as in some cases. She is a courageous and resilient, though fallible, person with a number of supportive people to help her. Perhaps this approach was chosen to make the book, and its important lessons, more accessible for its Young Adult audience.
I still felt very emotionally involved in the outcome and though this was a relatively quick read the story stayed with me for some time.
This difficult subject is tackled in a straightforward and sympathetic manner, and the way the case progresses feels authentic and well-researched. The story was not as harrowing as I feared since Stacey did not appear to be as severely affected, mentally and emotionally, as in some cases. She is a courageous and resilient, though fallible, person with a number of supportive people to help her. Perhaps this approach was chosen to make the book, and its important lessons, more accessible for its Young Adult audience.
I still felt very emotionally involved in the outcome and though this was a relatively quick read the story stayed with me for some time.