Unslut - Emily Lindin (Partial Review)

Sometimes I hear people say "I wish I could go back in time to when things were easier, more simple." Most times, they're referring to their preteens or even younger than that. When I hear this, I bite my tongue to stop from interjecting "Why the hell would you want to be a preteen again? It wasn't easier then and it sure as hell wasn't more simple!" All vulgarity aside, I really wouldn't want to relive my preteen years and Emily Lindin's book "Unslut" demonstrates why.

Between the years 1998-2001, I was a preteen. This was during the time of Britney Spears, *Nsync or Backstreet Boys (whichever side you were on at the time). Girls were taught how to be super cute in order to appeal to boys and boys had no clue what they were doing with their growing bodies. One thing was clear though, we had no idea who or what we were during this time. We made fun of others for being different and were scared when we would do something that didn't conform to the norm. If one person was being ostracized by the group for any reason (literally, it could have been that they just didn't like that person that day), the whole group picked on them un-mercilessly. I was usually on the receiving end of the bullying, whether it was because of not dressing like the others, reading books that people thought were stupid (Harry Potter), or just because I tried so hard to fit in with the others. Middle school was/is still brutal to this day. In "Unslut," Lindin walks us through several key points in her life as she goes from normal girl to "slut" in the eyes of her classmates. The entire book consists of entries from her actual diary and it brings up the brutal nature of a "hive mind" in middle school. She ends up going to third base with her boyfriend at the time (third base meaning under the shirt) and thus becomes labeled as an easy girl. I haven't finished the entire book yet but I had to stop and post something about it because it hits close to home. Lindin and I are about the same age so reading her entries, I feel as if I'm transported right back to my own middle school existence.

I would recommend this for anyone who was a preteen during the late 90's, early 2000's or for parents who want a better understanding of what life is like for middle schoolers. They don't have it as easy as we think. With the way we're constantly connected today, they have it even worse because the bullying follows them no matter where they go. I look forward to finishing this book and being able to sing its praises more when I do. For now, read it and let me know what you think in the comments below.

Happy reading!