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A review by yorticia33
The Burning by Laura Bates
4.0
Thank you Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
➡️ (3.75 stars rounded up to 4 stars...)
Anna's life is in shambles. Her father is dead and some nude pictures of hers wound up online. To escape the torment of these two events, Anna and her mother move to Scotland and change their last name. Unfortunately, the internet is both worldwide and forever, so Anna is unable to fully escape her online shame. Hounded by grief and uncertainty in her new environs, Anna is assigned a local history research project that leads her to the sordid story of Maggie, a young woman who became pregnant out of wed-lock and later was "found" to be a witch. Fascinated with the similarities between Maggie's plight and her own, Anna digs deeper into Maggie's story as she tries to deal with, and escape, her own troubles.
For me, this was a troubling book to read, and it cemented my concerns over social media and how dangerous it can be for youth. Once something goes on the internet, it's there forever, and I think that teenagers need to not just know that, but feel it in their bones. If they can't remember, the world won't let them forget. I think The Burning is a strong YA debut for Laura Bates, and I appreciate that her story is actually trying to give insight to the reader about a topic that matters today. Any book can tell a story, but not all stories help you take something back to your real life. Maybe after reading it, a few bright kids will avoid getting burned, and will consider whether they want that special picture or that caustic joke to follow them the rest of their days.
➡️ (3.75 stars rounded up to 4 stars...)
Anna's life is in shambles. Her father is dead and some nude pictures of hers wound up online. To escape the torment of these two events, Anna and her mother move to Scotland and change their last name. Unfortunately, the internet is both worldwide and forever, so Anna is unable to fully escape her online shame. Hounded by grief and uncertainty in her new environs, Anna is assigned a local history research project that leads her to the sordid story of Maggie, a young woman who became pregnant out of wed-lock and later was "found" to be a witch. Fascinated with the similarities between Maggie's plight and her own, Anna digs deeper into Maggie's story as she tries to deal with, and escape, her own troubles.
For me, this was a troubling book to read, and it cemented my concerns over social media and how dangerous it can be for youth. Once something goes on the internet, it's there forever, and I think that teenagers need to not just know that, but feel it in their bones. If they can't remember, the world won't let them forget. I think The Burning is a strong YA debut for Laura Bates, and I appreciate that her story is actually trying to give insight to the reader about a topic that matters today. Any book can tell a story, but not all stories help you take something back to your real life. Maybe after reading it, a few bright kids will avoid getting burned, and will consider whether they want that special picture or that caustic joke to follow them the rest of their days.