SUBURBAN DANGERS

SUBURBAN DANGERS by Megan Whitson Lee

I recently decided it was time to purchase a Christian YA read to try, so I settled on Suburban Dangers. While this is a difficult read due to heaviness of content, I do feel that it is pertinent to today's youth.

Let's start this post with a look at the author. Megan Whitson Lee is a current high school English teacher in Virgina. Increasingly concerned about the high school trafficking, sexting, drug epidemic, etc that are currently on the rise with our youth, she penned this book.

Kaki Jones is your typical high schooler. A good student and decent in track, she flows along with life and doesn't cause worry or concern for her parents who keep her needs met, but don't pay her a lot of attention. That is until she befriends the new girl in school, Sydney. Sydney's popular, and she already seems to know everybody. When she introduces Kaki to an older guy, Damien, that has taken an interest in her, Kaki is seriously flattered. She just doesn't know what Damien's true intentions are. They aren't innocent. Before she realizes what's going on and with the aid of some heavy duty manipulation, Kaki becomes the latest victim of high school trafficking for a local gang.

There is no other way to say it, but this book is heartbreaking and as raw as it gets. It doesn't go into intimate details behind closed doors, but the reader understands without a shadow of a doubt what is going on and how slippery the slope is paved by attention, compliments, gifts, and threats.

Trafficking isn't the only topic dealt with in the book. Heavy duty alcohol and drug use, sexting and pornography are all included, because frankly, when trafficking is involved so are all of these.

While the characters in this story are broken almost beyond repair by the end of the story, notice I said almost. Lee doesn't leave the reader with complete despair and hopelessness. She serves a Savior who is a master at repairing shattered lives, and He shines through the darkness of this story.

I will just leave you with this. Know where your teens are. Know what they are doing. Know who their friends are. I'm not suggesting helicopter parenting, but I am advocating for accountability parenting.