Speaking about the Unspeakable: Sexual Violence in Young Adult Literature

Indianapolis, IN

Sexual violence happens closer and more often than we like to think. According to Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, an American is sexually assaulted every 98 seconds. Literature, especially young adult literature, can effect positive change regarding the topic of sexual violence and its survivors by providing an avenue for discussion on sexual violence. Society tends to avoid talking about sexual violence because this topic remains uncomfortable. However, the less people talk about sexual violence, the less survivors will feel able to report the violence they experience. This stigma around sexual violence often prevents survivors from speaking out and may prevent others from responding appropriately when they do. Stories of those who survive sexual violence shed light on the emotional, physical, and mental responses of both fictional and real people who experience such trauma. My senior project focuses on three young adult novels: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Weiss, and Maybe I Will by Laurie Grey. The fictional main characters of these three novels exhibit varying psychological responses to sexual assault trauma, which are consistent with research done on tonic immobility and other kinds of sexual assault trauma. Addressing the heavy topic of sexual violence in a fictional but realistic way adds relational and psychological aspects to these novels. This literature puts words and stories to an intense topic many shy away from discussing and could help readers find their own voices as well.