Rape – Philip Nel

Fighting Rape Culture: Steubenville, Activism, and Children’s Books

March 20, 2013Philip NelChildren's Literature, Laurie Halse Anderson, Radical Children's Literature, Rape, Young Adult LiteratureChildren's Literature, Laurie Halse Anderson, Radical Children's Literature, Rape, Young Adult Literature6 Comments

Laurie Penny calls Steubenville’s “rape culture’s Abu Ghraib moment.” As she says, “The pictures from Steubenville don’t just show a girl being raped. They show that rape being condoned, encouraged, celebrated.”Â In calling it the “Abu Ghraib moment” for rape culture, Penny says, “It’s the moment when America and the world are being forced, despite

Speaking Out

Wesley Scroggins, Associate Professor of Management at Missouri State University, thinks that Laurie Halse Anderson‘s Speak (1999) is “soft pornography.” Â Having read and taught Speak many times, I suspect that Mr. Scroggins either lacks some basic literary skills (such as how to detect tone) or is in need of psychological counseling. As an English professor,