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A review by celia_thebookishhufflepuff
Panic by Sharon M. Draper
5.0
I'm finally on spring break. Yes, I started this book today for break reading, and yes I also finished it today because I just could not put it down.
There was so much I loved about [b:Panic|14800895|Panic|Sharon M. Draper|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1340200754s/14800895.jpg|20454207]. First off, I love the parallels between Layla's relationship with Donnovan and Justin. At the beginning of the novel, I saw Layla and Justin's chapters as unimportant to the story. Then, as the story wove on and we learned more about Diamond's plight, I began to see the parallels. I could see how Donnovan was on his way to becoming Thane English, Diamond's abuser. In that way, Layla and Diamond also had a lot of parallels.
This book contains the kind of things that you never want to think about, which become the things you think about at night, which become the things that need to be written in order to keep sanity in the world. Serial rape....threats of more rape, worse kidnapping, kidnapping Diamond's sister if she didn't cooperate....and abusive consensual relationships to boot. Author [a:Sharon M. Draper|51942|Sharon M. Draper|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1236906847p2/51942.jpg] perfectly combines these ideas into a work unlike anything I've ever seen before.
One other thing I loved was that this book really showcased female empowerment above everything else. Ultimately for both Diamond and Layla, they emancipate themselves with no help from a man. In Layla's case, it is only other women who help her see who she needs to be, but for both girls, it ultimately comes down to the power they have in themselves. I also love that this is achieved through dance. The arts are often something that get overlooked by society for their mental health benefits, but they are some of the most healing (non-psychiatric) remedies, and the way that this book explores that through dance is very gratifying.
I also want to say that I was slightly surprised to find out that the same author, [a:Sharon M. Draper|51942|Sharon M. Draper|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1236906847p2/51942.jpg], also wrote [b:Out of My Mind|6609765|Out of My Mind|Sharon M. Draper|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347602096s/6609765.jpg|6803732]. While I saw many of the same themes of perseverance, I found [b:Panic|14800895|Panic|Sharon M. Draper|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1340200754s/14800895.jpg|20454207] to be filled with more hope and empowerment. The books were published about three years apart, with [b:Out of My Mind|6609765|Out of My Mind|Sharon M. Draper|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347602096s/6609765.jpg|6803732] first, and I think that just goes to show how much Draper has changed as a writer and learned her audience.
There was so much I loved about [b:Panic|14800895|Panic|Sharon M. Draper|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1340200754s/14800895.jpg|20454207]. First off, I love the parallels between Layla's relationship with Donnovan and Justin. At the beginning of the novel, I saw Layla and Justin's chapters as unimportant to the story. Then, as the story wove on and we learned more about Diamond's plight, I began to see the parallels. I could see how Donnovan was on his way to becoming Thane English, Diamond's abuser. In that way, Layla and Diamond also had a lot of parallels.
This book contains the kind of things that you never want to think about, which become the things you think about at night, which become the things that need to be written in order to keep sanity in the world. Serial rape....threats of more rape, worse kidnapping, kidnapping Diamond's sister if she didn't cooperate....and abusive consensual relationships to boot. Author [a:Sharon M. Draper|51942|Sharon M. Draper|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1236906847p2/51942.jpg] perfectly combines these ideas into a work unlike anything I've ever seen before.
One other thing I loved was that this book really showcased female empowerment above everything else. Ultimately for both Diamond and Layla, they emancipate themselves with no help from a man. In Layla's case, it is only other women who help her see who she needs to be, but for both girls, it ultimately comes down to the power they have in themselves. I also love that this is achieved through dance. The arts are often something that get overlooked by society for their mental health benefits, but they are some of the most healing (non-psychiatric) remedies, and the way that this book explores that through dance is very gratifying.
I also want to say that I was slightly surprised to find out that the same author, [a:Sharon M. Draper|51942|Sharon M. Draper|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1236906847p2/51942.jpg], also wrote [b:Out of My Mind|6609765|Out of My Mind|Sharon M. Draper|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347602096s/6609765.jpg|6803732]. While I saw many of the same themes of perseverance, I found [b:Panic|14800895|Panic|Sharon M. Draper|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1340200754s/14800895.jpg|20454207] to be filled with more hope and empowerment. The books were published about three years apart, with [b:Out of My Mind|6609765|Out of My Mind|Sharon M. Draper|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347602096s/6609765.jpg|6803732] first, and I think that just goes to show how much Draper has changed as a writer and learned her audience.