Title:  Want to Go Private
Author: Sarah Darer Littman [website] [twitter] [facebook]
Genre:  Contemporary
Publisher: Scholastic
Format: Paperback (ARC)
Source: Provided by publisher
Parental Advisory: emotional & physical abuse, language, drugs, sex, pedophilia, child pornography, criminal activity, bullying
Teachable Moments: digital literacy, internet safety, bullying, self-esteem, grooming

“Glancing down, I realize I’m doodling Luke’s name again.  I guess thinking about him makes the rest of this seem bearable, because to Luke I’m not just social plankton.  To Luke, I’m someone special.  I hope he’s online when I get home, so I can finally hear what it was he was going to tell me before Mom called me for dinner last night.  The suspense is killing me.”

Summary (from the publisher):
Abby and Luke chat online.  They’ve never met.  But they are going to. Soon.

Abby is starting high school 00 it should be exciting, so why doesn’t she care?  Everyone tells her to “make an effort,” but why can’t she just be herself?  Abby quickly feels like she’s losing a grip on her once-happy life.  The only thing she cares about anymore is talking to Luke, a guy she met online, who understands.  It feels dangerous and yet good to chat with Luke 00 he is her secret, and she’s his.  Then Luke asks her to meet him, and she does.  But Luke isn’t who he says he is.  When Abby goes missing, everyone is left to put together the pieces.  If they don’t they’ll never see Abby again.

Opinion:
A brutally honest depiction of a troubling and important topic, Want to Go Private follows one young girl’s journey as she falls prey to an internet predator.

At the outset of the story Abby is entering into a series of life altering changes.  Vulnerable in an emotional and physical way she’s desperately clinging to the status quo as much as she can.  Unfortunately, as she transitions from middle to high school she’s confronted with unexpected developments.  First, she’s set apart from her long time best friend.  With no classes together Abby watches passively as her friend begins to embrace high school (and all it brings socially) in a way she’s not capable of.  Furthermore, continued strain at home has Abby isolated from any kind of emotional connection or bond.  As a result of her loneliness she begins to spend more and more time on her favorite social networking site.

Enter Luke, a young man who makes Abby feel special.  He tells her everything she wants and needs to hear.  He makes her feel important and loved in ways that she’s not yet experienced.  All at a time when she’s desperately craving some sort of connection.  As a master manipulator he hones in on her desire to have someone in her life that prioritizes her.  In knowing that he takes advantage of the situation, and her dangerously low self-esteem, to insinuate himself into her romantic good graces.  He’s shrewd and manipulative and knows how to work Abby over to get what he wants.

Interestingly, this story was told not just from Abby’s point of view.  There were from a variety of perspectives to lead me through the experience more completely.  Typically I’ve experienced multi-POV books told by only two people.  What really works in this book is that there are a variety of voices heard from.  The primary voice, as one would expect, is Abby’s — as the central focus and victim she is the clearest and most prevalent character in the book.  However, this story also takes into account her friends and family.  Through them Abby’s situation is further emphasized.  Each character’s thoughts and actions are tightly woven within all others to create an experience that shows the whole entire picture.  How the effects of Abby’s choices don’t just impact her but those around her as well.  Littman has created a well rounded story that accounts for and emphasizes the all perspectives.

Further, I also liked the fact that Littman told an engaging story about a real world issue that wasn’t overly preachy.  There were a great many lessons to be learned but it was done realistically and without confusion or diminishment of one vital component for another.  Want To Go Private is not short on disturbing moments.  Graphic, at times, Littman does not sugar coat Abby’s experiences with Luke to make the reader more comfortable.  In fact, it is in the discomfort that I felt I learned the most.  It’s the moments in Abby’s experience where she’s most disquieted that readers will be provided the biggest take-aways.  The critical moments that provided the most instruction and insight into how predatory nature works and how it impacts the victim.  I give major kudos to Littman for handling the more uncomfortable sexual moments with as much dignity as possible without minimizing the reality or impact of what was happening.  To me, this was what was most important.  While these experiences were the most uncomfortable I did appreciate that they were shared as they were the catalyst for the larger more significant moments of change in the story.

To say that this book is a must read is a giant understatement.  The entirety of this book, from characterization, to plot, to scene and dialogue worked for me.  It was horrifyingly compelling and just so scary for a person who has a young teenaged girl active on social media in her life.  I strongly encourage everyone to read this book but most especially I think it should be read by the teens who would be most affected.  An excellent resource for any library or classroom I would also encourage school systems to adopt this as required reading or at the very least part of the curriculum in some way.  There is much to be learned from Want To Go Private for both adults and teens.