“What about Justice?”: Persisting Girls in Young Adult Rape Fiction

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Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ This article began as conference paper given at The Child & the Book Conference, hosted by the University of Malta, Valletta Campus in May 2022. It has grown considerably in length and scope, and with the much-appreciated support of this issue’s editors and the peer reviewers.

² Such weakness forms a key part of Henderson’s argument, as she uses Foucault’s ideas to support her conclusion that self-defense programs are an important component to rape prevention. I remain unconvinced that even a full mastery of a martial art would prevent a date or acquaintance rape. The girls in these novels are on a date, at a party, or meeting with someone they trust. They are drugged and/or caught off guard, placed in positions where defensive moves only cause them more harm.