Monday, August 12, 2019

Review: Maybe He Just Likes You

Maybe He Just Likes You Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When does harmless flirting cross the line and become sexual harassment? Mila knows that the basketball boys are giving her creepy feelings, so it can't be flirting. When she tries to describe some of the comments guys have been making and the inappropriate touching, one of her best friends counters with "maybe he just likes you." Why is it that we so often excuse a boy's bad behavior? We say "boys will be boys" like that makes anything they do okay. But the thing is, it's not okay. As a woman who was once a young girl with wide hips and a big butt, my body has been touched many times without my permission. I can vividly remember bending over to tie my shoe and having a male classmate grab a handful of my butt. He laughed, and the guys around him laughed, and I just kept on going with my day because it wasn't the first time it had happened, and I knew it wouldn't be the last. It wasn't always touching that crossed the line; as an adult, I often got suggestive emails or propositions from coworkers. None of this was ever okay, but I never felt brave enough to do anything about it.

Mila was in the same position as me. She knew what was happening to her wasn't right, but she didn't know what to do about it. Mila couldn't put the right word on what these boys were doing to her until she finally confesses everything to a teacher. Her teacher helps her understand that she is being sexually harassed and gives her the courage to confront her harassers. Barbara Dee's latest novel should be required reading for all middle school boys and girls, as well as teachers.

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