DNF Review: Dawn of Hope by Peter Prichard

Title: Dawn of Hope
Author: Peter Prichard
Rating: 1/5 Stars (DNF Review)
Paperback, 203 Pages
Published 2015
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Summary: Dawn Mortenson moved to Fair Shore, Connecticut and within 24 hours of her arrival at Fair Shore High realized that the town condoned the sexual assault of young girls. She alienated most of the population of the town after her confrontation with the All-American football hero found him in the hospital. The ensuing battle landed many friends and foes in jail, the hospital or an early grave. Dawn uses music, the media, a team of young and old allies and a combination of personal courage and mental toughness to change the town's attitude toward the sexual abuse of young people forever, although at a huge personal cost.

I received a copy of Dawn of Hope's author, Peter Prichard, and as you can tell by the summary, it's pretty heavy stuff. A town that condones the sexual assault of teenage girls is pretty much unfathomable to me - and I'm sure to many others - but it definitely happens out there. That's probably the scariest part of all.

I don't know if it was the way the book was written (AKA: Dawn sounding far too prim and proper to be a teenage girl living in Connecticut) or the characters themselves or just the story in general, but I couldn't get myself into this book. And I tried. I really did. The topic is so heavy and so hard to understand and grasp that in a way, it made the book seem unreal to me. 

I waded through this book for a good few chapters before I realized that it was so heavy that my mind was starting to wander. And that's when I knew I had to put it down.

However, from what I've read, I like Dawn's character. She's a strong-willed girl who won't tolerate anything from anybody, especially from boys with the intent of raping her. Even if she did technically shove one of them into a fountain and put him in a coma, it was for self-defense...right? 

Dawn and her mother are both strong-willed women who know what they stand for and will defend it to the death, and I liked that. The book just wasn't for me.

Overall, Dawn of Hope was a book that I couldn't finish and found very hard to get into. However, Peter Prichard is a kind, respectful man that I've spoken to personally many times and I'll definitely dive back into this book when I'm in the state of mind to do so, because this is a topic that should definitely be explored more and hopefully I'll find the time to explore again.

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