Scars

Scars - Lexile Level 560 

The author, Cheryl Rainfield, drew on her own personal demons to write this book.  Like the main character, Kendra, Rainfield had been sexually assaulted when she was younger. 
Normally, I would have written about this book as I read it, but I read it in one night, so I will give my thoughts on it as a whole book. 
As a teacher, I really do not think that this would be appropriate for all students.  It is definitely for older middle school or high school students.  I found the book to be well-written, but the subject matter is very touchy.  I actually had a chance to discuss this book with one of my Adolescent Literature classmates, and she agreed that it is a good book, but it would not be wise to share this with a whole class.
The main character is Kendra.  She is a young girl that is a survivor of a sexual assault that she cannot fully remember.  She sees a therapist regularly, but is still unable to remember any tangible moments from the assault that would help her remember the man that abused her.  In order to calm her nerves, she cuts herself regularly.  Sometimes the cutting is to prove that she has control of herself, and other times the cutting controls her to the point that she severely harms herself. 
While dealing with the assault and her cutting, Kendra is also dealing with pressure from her mother to be a more successful artist, and also meeting a young girl with whom she falls in love.  Kendra expresses herself through her art, and it is because of this expression that her abuser resurfaces and starts to stalk her.  Kendra feels paranoid all of the time, but she knows that she is closing in on the memories that she needs as the abuser gets progressively closer and closer.
This book is not one that I would share with emotionally unstable students, which is why I would be unlikely to share this with my class.  The part of the book that I dislike the most, is when Kendra's therapist discovers that she is cutting.  Instead of trying to help her stop, she chooses to show Kendra how to keep it clean and protect herself.  This bothered me, and it makes me weary of sharing it students.