My goal this month was to read a new book. That book was Wrecked by Maria Padian. I’m always so busy with schoolwork but this month I promised myself I would read a book in my free time. I wanted to pick a book about something relatable and an issue that is very current in the news recently: sexual assault. I do think that I can be naive about this topic, so I wanted to become more aware of different people’s perspectives and emotions. Not just statistics. Every victims’ story is different but they all involve one thing, which is violation.
Wrecked tells the story about a girl, Jenny, who was raped at college frat party by a student named Jordan . However, the story isn’t from her point of view. The story is from her roomate Hayley’s point of view., who has also never had experience with this issue. The narrative switches from Hayley’s point of view and from Jordan’s best friend, Richard. It is interesting to see not only Jenny’s perspective about what happened that night but the character being accused as well. I do believe there are always two sides to every story, but the book shows how easily words can be twisted and used against the victim. I also thought it was interesting to see the whole process unfold after Jenny reported it to the school. It was frustrating to see witnesses at the party covering their own tracks instead of defending Jenny, which sadly probably happens far too often.
In think in today’s society, when we think of rape, our minds automatically go to an extreme scenario of violence and screaming in a dark alleyway. However, this story sets the scene of at a frat party. Jenny isn’t the stereotypical girl who goes out and parties every night and gets drunk. She is pre-med, works at a research lab, and is always studying and carrying around tons of books. I think that is why this book resonated with me even more. Especially at Stony Brook, where many students are in the same position. It could happen to ANYONE. Of course I realized that before the book, but I felt it was even more eye-opening.
You also learn more about the process of reporting sexual assault to the university that you attend. Obviously, the process of reporting rape is not identical to all university policies, but I actually do think the process described in the book was informative and is realistic to what might happen in real life. That being said, I think the process has flaws, can be biased, and isn’t always fair.
I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants a book you can pick up in your spare time without forgetting what happened. The plot is simple and easy to follow. Overall, this book introduced an important topic and keeps the message clear and to the point.