Target

Publishers Weekly

Grady West, 16, is recovering from a vicious attack in which two men pulled him into a van, then beat and raped him. According to PW, "This painful, explicit tale is as difficult to read as it is worthwhile." Ages 14-up. (Dec.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

Still emotionally numb eight months after he was victimized in a vicious sexual assault, sixteen-year-old Grady West avoids human contact. He attends a new school, where an unethical reporter might be planning to expose his traumatic past. An angel in the shape of fast-talking Jess takes Grady under his wing, showing up at Grady's house whenever self-doubt and humiliation immobilize him. Jess and shy artistic Pearl stand by Grady as he gradually reveals his ordeal. Slowly they pull Grady toward life, hope, and tenderness, reconnecting him with old friends who were shut out by Grady's well-meaning but obtuse parents. Johnson's sensitive imagery evokes Grady's searing isolation. And his compulsion to anchor his volatile emotions by touching concrete objects—buttons, fabrics, books, rings—authentic. Occasionally Jess, whose scene-stealing combative humor leavens the heavy theme, feels less believable. Why is race-conscious Jess so interested in Grady, the white recluse? But this powerful, exceptional book will comfort rape victims and encourage friends to stay engaged. Johnson does not hedge the brutal facts of the assault or avoid Grady's need for professional therapy to heal trauma this deep. A male who is raped is less likely to report the crime than any other victim of violence. Readers of Target will understand why. Appropriate for older teens. 2003, Deborah Brodie/Roaring Brook, Ages 15 to Adult.
— Ann Philips

VOYA

Grady starts his junior year at a new school terrified that someone will discover his secret. Brutally raped by two men the year before, Grady is hiding from his old friends and hoping to disappear altogether. He starves himself, unable to bear the image of the strong body that did not defend him. Did he want them to do what they did? Did he ask for it? If not, why was he their target? The impact of rape is made brutally clear in this new novel that follows Johnson's strong debut with Parallel Universe of Liars (Roaring Brook, 2002/VOYA December 2002). Two new friends struggle to pull Grady out of his self-loathing and into a group art project that requires him to look at himself and at how others see him-opening Grady to an identity beyond victim. Readers understand their desire to rescue him, but it is Grady's battle against his demons and the recurring images haunting him that drives the taut narrative until the reader is nearly as tense as he, wondering when he will finally have to face the truth in the eyes of his friends. The brutal opening scene and the honesty with which Johnson treats this uncomfortable subject will turn off some teens, but readers in search of catharsis will find the novel painful, tough, and hard-to-put-down. This haunting book hits its mark. VOYA CODES: 5Q 3P J S (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Will appeal with pushing; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2003, Roaring Brook, 192p., and PLB Ages 12 to 18.
—Angelina Benedetti

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-Grady, 16, takes a dark and quiet road home after a carefree night with a date. At six-foot-three, he is more surprised than frightened when he is tackled to the ground by two thugs. They beat, gag, and bind him, and, later, rape him. This is a story of recovery; of coexisting with loving parents who are helpless to patch up the pieces; of beginning a different high school to avoid old friends with curious glances. In his new school, Grady is instantly befriended by Jess, a fast-talking black student with an abundance of wit and attitude. Grady, a skin-and-bones shell without appetite, barely a voice, and hardly enough energy to keep on going, is no match for Jess's constant verbal diatribes. Grady, Jess, and another student, Pearl, become an unlikely trio when they are partnered for an art class project. As Grady battles increasing psychological trauma from graphic recall of the rape, Jess and Pearl rally to his side. Riddled with self-blame for not fighting off his attackers, Grady becomes the target of his own paranoia and humiliation. Confusion over his battered sexuality plagues him relentlessly. Jess's prying and funny banter keep tugging him back, while Pearl's quiet acceptance makes him feel a little safer, a little warmer. There are no easy solutions or quick fixes here-but there are sound friendships from credible characters offering a kid a reason to hang on. Miraculously, Jess even spills a bit of wry humor onto Grady's fragile soul.-Alison Follos, North Country School, Lake Placid, NY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Kidnapped and raped repeatedly, Grady survives, but the emotional cost is huge. His parents accept his wish to change schools and the need to stay away from his old friends. The graphic nature of the rape by the two men is never far from the reader as it's never far from Grady's mind. In a new school he strives to be anonymous. But starting with motor-mouth Jess bugging him and a note from the school paper, it becomes apparent that vanishing in senior year is going to be tough, especially with a group art project. Anorexic, practically never speaking and trying to keep all emotion from his face, Grady hoards his secret. The contrast between what is going on in his head and the outer world keeps readers on tenterhooks, just as Grady never knows when some slight comment will bring his horrible memories to the fore. He's unsure if he is a victim or an accessory, gay or straight, and Johnson carefully explores Grady's suffering while having the angry homophobe, fat girl, and gossipy insider emerge in their own right. Painful and riveting. (Fiction. YA)