Currently Reading: “The Knockout Queen”

Book: “The Knockout Queen” by Rufi Thorpe 

Genre: YA Fiction

Trigger Warning: Violence, Sexual Harassment

“The Knockout Queen” is my May Book of the Month book pick. This novel arrived at the perfect time since I just finished “Beach Read” and was ready to move onto a new book. “The Knockout Queen” tells the dysfunctional story of two teenagers, Michael and Bunny. These two characters both come from the famed town of North Shore, but they couldn’t be more different. Bunny is a tall, athletic and popular girl at school while Michael is a quiet outcast struggling with his sexuality. The book covers the topics of self discovery, identity and human connection against the backdrop of the high school experience. 

After reading about half of the book, I have become engrossed in these characters. Author Rufi Thorpe’s writing is outstanding as she provides a hyper-focused view and clarity of what it means to be a struggling teenager. This book is not light hearted, so reader beware. It contains adult themes like sex, drugs, harassment and violence. Although the book has teens as main characters, I would venture that the material is better suited for adult readers. As a high school teacher, I find myself more and more worried as I make progress through this novel, that today’s youth could be facing these types of hypothetical problems. Truth be told, this has been a stressful read for me so far. As I press on and continue reading this book, I have found myself dog-earing several pages and highlighting sections. When I finish the book, I’ll be sure to post a full review!

Till then, Happy Reading!