Rules for Being a Girl by Candace Bushnell & Katie Cotugno
Marin, who is a top student and the editor of the school newspaper along with her best friend ,Chloe. Marin dreams of going to Brown University and her future seems vivid. Everyone, including her, admired their young, charming English teacher, Mr. Beckett, who is always constantly praising her writing and having tons of conversations about books with her. But that all came crashing down when he crosses the line of their friendship by trying to kiss Marin and terrifying her. Was this incident on her? Did she accidentally lead him on? She had trusted him and thought he valued her for her skill as a student. What angered her even more was that she felt like there was nothing she could do. As no one even questions Mr. Beckett, dismisses the case right away, and even suggested that is was Marin’s fault when she had finally gathered the courage to tell the school board.
Not even her best friend who has been recently acting cold and distant believed her. She felt alone and betrayed by everyone around her, the one person who has been with her though thick and thin didn’t believe she has been hurt. But she doesn’t stay quiet, instead she uses the power of the school press to push back by writing an article called “Rules for being a Girl”. She also starts a feminist book club where she finds allies, romance, and betrayals from the least expected people. She gradually learns the way the world discriminates against girls. Her eyes slowly opened up to the cold, casual sexism all around her. In their extremely sexist school where the principal spends everyday obsessed with girl dress codes she has to learn to change the rules that has already been set in stone.
This book was short and easy to read which is better suited for the young adult audience. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a provoking story. I really enjoyed reading this breathtaking book. Even though it is fiction there are many sections of it that are quite realistic. It really brings the discrimination the society has against women into the spotlight. This story was a perfect representation of a he say she say case. I liked how the author mentioned how supportive her family and fellow feminist book club members were which was where she got her strength to hold her place. Her best friend, Chloe, and her peers show how people can sometimes be pushed away by those closest to them. There was so many red flags in the relationship between Mr. Beckett and Marin and I could painfully see how he had gradually manipulated her. In conclusion, I rate this book 8/10, because the straightforward style did a great job at getting the message through, it felt a bit too simplistic at times. However, overall this book was fantastic and definitively recommend.
