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Reviewed by: Kathy Jaccarino, High School Librarian Title: Whistleblower
Author: Kate Marchant
Publisher: Wattpad Books
Year: 2023 Good for Grades: 11-12 Genre/Type of Book: Realistic Fiction
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: The characters are in college, there is binge drinking, explicite sexual references
Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: I was intrigued by the theme of a strong female journalism student fighting injustices on a collage campus.
If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be:
Is the truth worth it?
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Review:
Whistleblower tackles sexual harassment, assault, and the classic themes of finding and using your voice. Laurel Cates is a junior at Garland University, studying journalism. She is assigned to write a "fluff piece" on the revered college football coach and his team. She uncovers things about him that could blow the lid off the well-constructed image of this coach. The author portrays the football team as the focus of their school community, the college pours millions of dollars into the program, while delegating scraps to the school paper! The school is fictional, but I am sure this is a realistic portrayal of how things go on college campuses. Laurel connects with Bodie St. James, the star quarterback of the team, who badly wants to do the right thing, but has trouble reconciling with the side of the coach that Laurel uncovers. To Brodie the coach is someone who has been like a father to him. As Laurel sets out to find the truth, and the evidence against the coach mounts, Brodie realizes he needs to make a choice. Does he do the right thing? Does he risk his potential football career to help Laurel? Laurel and the journalism team are also faced with a choice...the college tries to suppress the truth- to what lengths should they go through to expose the truth? What will it cost them? The characters realistically struggle with navigating these difficult choices. Laurel is a strong character who deals with the issue of social justice. I could see this being used in a journalism class to demonstrate the importance of seeking and printing the truth.
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