April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Hi my loves, today isn't just going to be about books, nope today is going to be a serious discussion we should be having, with our friends, partners, family and mostly importantly our children.

It's been a while since I've had one of these discussion and recommendation posts;  so excuse me if I ramble.  This is going to be my attempt at collecting all the resources I use and like to share when it comes to the important discussion of consent.  Here's why it matters ( Taken ffrom SAAM's website)

In the United States April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). The goal of SAAM is to raise public awareness about sexual violence and to educate communities on how to prevent it. 

Sexual violence is a major public health, human rights and social justice issue. We need everyone’s help to end it. Thank you for getting involved and for supporting SAAM efforts. 

Since 2001, NSVRC supports SAAM organizers with resources, tools, and training. You can ask us questions about sexual violence, prevention, or planning a campaign.  

Now we all should be discerning for ourselves our ideas about consent and what that means, discussing it, reasearching, learning new thoughts and ideas while also honoring the *good*ideas we have.  One of the ways in which we can teach about life and the things that affects it is through books (I mean we all know that, it's why we love reading) 

Recommendations for Books:

My favourite resource for book recommendations dealing with Sex, Consent and Sexual Assault is The Teen Librarian Toolbox.  This blog is so informative, well organized and has clear cut labels and wonderful discussions of how to talk to teens about sex, and consent, as well as always sharing great book recommendations.

My favorite fiction books dealing with consent that I have read in the last few years are: ( Ihave reviews linked on each book)

• Easy Tamara Webber
• Live Through This Mindi Scott
• One Weekend Girlfriend and Second Chance Boyfriend by Monica Murphy
• Wait For You by J Lynn

Non Fiction Books:  These I haven't read, but they are on the TBR Pile they come highly recommend by just about everybody who has read them and especially by Book Riot (who have several lists with these books on the,)

1. Missola by Jon Krakauer
2. Surviving the Silence, Black Women's Stories of Rape by Charlotte Baker
3. Voices of Rape by Jane Bode
4. Men Explain things to Me by Rebecca Solnik
5. Against Our Will by Susan Brownmiller
6. At the Dark end of the street by Danielle Mcguire
7. Rape is Rape by Jody Raphael
8. Asking For It by Kate Harding
9. Transforming A Rape Culture by Emilie Buchwala
10. Redefining Rape by Estelle Freedman
11. Rape, Sexual Violence and History by Joanna Burke

Regular resources: who have links to local resources, classes and ways in which you can help.
RAINN: Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network
DVSAC: Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Coalition

A few years ago the concept of consent as being discussed all over Youtube and book tube and I as so proud to see some of my favorites taking the time to talk about consent and push the envelope on discussing what was acceptable and what wasn't    I'm sure if you look you can find a ton of videos about it.  But here are my fave videos about what consent is and what it isn't.

Sexual Abuse, Consent and Culture by Hank Green

Sex & Consent by Charlieissocoolike

One of my favorite Youtubers is a young man who is hopefully going to continue shining for the next few years Nathan Zed *who was 17 at the times of this video*  always has something good to say from the time he called Nash Grier out (to be honest I still don't know who Nash is and I'm not invested enough after seeing the reaction videos to him to find out) Nash Grier Rant to his video calling out youtubers who were accused of being rapist and their bad behaviors.

If you type in Consent in the Youtube search bar the following lists come up, I can't vouch for all the videos but a few of them are really good.

I recently sobbed my way through the Netflix original Audrie & Daisy.  This made me furious, it made me so sad and so damn tired.  We are failing our kids so badly in every way when these stories come out and then no one is punished.  We need change and we need justice.

You can read survivor's stories on campus like the Breaking Out Campaign run by students on the Duke University campus.

I'm sure there are tons of others we can discuss, these are just a few of the ones that I know of.  And that's it, share in the comments down below if you have any recommendations for books about consent that you think I should be reading and I'll see you tomorrow.

Happy Reading