Towelhead

Towelhead, by Alicia Erian, sounds harsh and it is. This is a novel about a 13 year old girl from a Lebanese-American dysfunctional family. Jasira, the main character, is coming to terms with a changing body and life. She is forced to live with her Lebanese father in Texas due to too much attention from her mother's boyfriend. Moving does not help Jasira. Her father treats her poorly, her neighbor sexually abuses her, and kids at school tease her.

I read this book in one night. It is not difficult reading because it is written through Jasira's eyes. But it is extremely difficult to read due to the content. This poor, touch-starved girl is molested and raped and then made to think that it is okay. And due to Jasira's lack of functional, loving parents, she falls into love with each person she comes in contact with. From my experience working with troubled teens, this is a very realistic thing that happens to many young girls. Their hormones and bodies are changing at insane rates and they don't know what to do with all of it.

I've read several reviews of this book in which the readers love it and want to read it again. However, I did not like it. I think lines were crossed. Yes this sort of stuff happens all too often in our world, but there is only so much you can read about a girl pleasuring herself over & over again. It became redundant and sad. Also, there is no point to the book. It's just rape, masturbation, and sex. Sorry, it's not my type of fun reading.

And now I find out that the movie of this book will be opening soon! Honestly, I can't see how they are keeping with the book since they would have to censor every single scene for being too graphic! But if you are one of those people who must read the book before seeing the movie - read on. Email me & I'll send you my copy because I am done with it.

(I figured I didn't want only books I liked here. What may be a good book to me might be horrible to someone else & vice versa. So I'll post what I think.)