I quickly made my way through 'Fighting Words' with an attachment to Della and her upsetting yet powerful story. After escaping an abusive home to which we soon learn about Della and her sister Suki's experience with sexual abuse, this story is both uplifting and harrowing. I found myself wanting to 'fight' alongside Della as she encountered unwanted bra snapping/ back pinching from a boy in her class which she soon learns to stand up to as she must also stand up to her abuser from home. I loved this book and would recommend it to various grade levels in Junior High.
'Maybe He Just Likes You' could not handle sensitive subjects in the same way. A book with a lesson/statement really should read comfortably without that statement being pushed in your face to the point of wanting to stop reading out of frustration/ irritation. The protagonist Mila, deals with many unwanted, harassing behaviors from classmates and although it is clear that the author wants to make a point, the instances are upsetting and at times, I wanted to scream at our young Mila to stop hiding what was happening and stand up to these boys! In the #metoo movement, confronting an abuser and making them uncomfortable is powerful, but in this book, the reader is forced to feel this too and it just isn't the type of writing that I can agree with.
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