Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

From Goodreads,

"High school senior Tyler Miller used to be the kind of guy who faded into the background—average student, average looks, average dysfunctional family. But since he got busted for doing graffiti on the school, and spent the summer doing outdoor work to pay for it, he stands out like you wouldn’t believe. His new physique attracts the attention of queen bee Bethany Milbury, who just so happens to be his father’s boss’s daughter, the sister of his biggest enemy—and Tyler’s secret crush. And that sets off a string of events and changes that have Tyler questioning his place in the school, in his family, and in the world.

In Twisted, the acclaimed Laurie Halse Anderson tackles a very controversial subject: what it means to be a man today. Fans and new readers alike will be captured by Tyler’s pitch perfect, funny voice, the surprising narrative arc, and the thoughtful moral dilemmas that are at the heart of all of the author’s award-winning, widely read work."

Goodreads - Twisted

Awards and Nominations:

• Michigan Library Association Thumbs Up! Award Nominee (2008)
• South Carolina Book Award Nominee for Young Adult Book Award (2010)
• Missouri Gateway Readers Award Nominee (2010)
• Lincoln Award Nominee (2011)

In today's world we hear of young girls being raped at parties because they were intoxicated and were unable to say no.  In almost every case it is the woman's fault.  The men who did the heinous crime are never faulted.  It is always the woman who should say no, who should take care of yourself, etc.  This book should be a requirement for all boys and men so that maybe they can learn right from wrong.  

Twisted follows the story of a troubled boy named Tyler.  He is on probation after doing graffiti on the school, but he has spent his summer working to make amends and correct his behavior.  Tyler however is secretly in love with the girl down the street named Bethany, who also happens to be his Dad's bosses daughter.  Things progress until Bethany invites Tyler to a party.  They both attend and Bethany is soon intoxicated and tries to sleep with Tyler.  Soon it is clear that someone took photographs of Bethany and all fingers point to Tyler.  The book comes to a climax when it all becomes too much and Tyler take things into his own hands. 

As I said before, this book should be a requirement for all boys and men to read.  This book focuses a lot on the right and wrong of situations and about consent.  The entire book Tyler liked Bethany, but he always played by her rules and went at her pace.  He never once forced himself on her or tried to get her to do something she didn't want to do.  Bethany was drunk at a party and tried to force herself on Tyler, but Tyler was responsible and told her no.  He continued to keep an eye on her as best as he could for the rest of the party.  Boys and men alike need to learn that when a woman is drunk it doesn't mean she is giving consent.  Even if she is saying yes, she is intoxicated and is not thinking clearly.  Men need to be the ones to step up and say no.  That being said, I will also say that women need to protect themselves too.  They don't need to hope and trust that a guy will say no if she forces herself on them or that someone won't take advantage of her.  I believe that girls need to watch out for themselves and men need to be responsible with their actions.  We hear so cases of rape where a girl was intoxicated and that if a guy would have taken her home or watched out for her, she wouldn't have been raped.  Rape can be prevented, but it takes active action by all parties to prevent it.

One thing that I didn't like about this book was that it seemed to drag on.  There were a few exciting points throughout the book, but it wasn't very captivating.  After things were figured out about the party incident it seemed to plateau really quickly.  It felt like there needed to be a resolution between Bethany and Tyler that resulted in them dating or being good friends at the very least.  But instead, the book concluded with his family pulling their act together.  I just needed more fire and excitement throughout the book and definitely a stronger ending.

Overall, I felt okay at the end of this book.  It wasn't one that I would read again for the third time, but it was one that I would suggest to teenage boys.  I give this two and a half stars.  It was good, but it just wasn't there for me.  It lacked something, but was also a strong book at the same time.