Hush Little Baby Don't Say a Word, Momma's Gonna Buy You a Mockingbird

Some schools have honor codes.
Others have handbooks.
Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.

When Alex wakes up in bed next to a guy whose name she can not remember, the evidence suggests one thing - she has been date raped. Her friends urge her to see out the help of the mockingbirds, a secret society which puts the students to trial for their crimes. If you are found guilty, you must give up the thing you love most. If you are found innocent, then your accuser must give up the thing that they love most.

The author, Daisy Whitney, was a victim of date rape in college. That is the reason that the after affects of the rape feel so real. Alex goes out of her way to avoid even a chance encounter with her rapist. She stops going to the cafeteria to eat. She maps out elaborate routes so she doesn't run in to him on the campus. She lives in fear as the details of that night slowly come back to her.

An interesting part of the story is the backstory of how The Mockingbirds came in to existence. They are based on the theory of justice and inspired by the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. And there are people involved that will surprise Alex.

Mockingbirds is a stunning, realistic read. From the very first sentence we are plunged into Alex's nightmare. Because of the subject matter, this book is recommended for older teens.