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“Accountable“ really made me reflect on how staying silent in the face of racism causes just as much harm too. Being a bystander isn‘t neutral, it allows the behavior to continue. A lot of people may think that staying out of it means they‘re not involved, but in reality, silence can show a sense of complicity. This novel is a powerful reminder that speaking up really matters and that accountability is everyone's responsibility.

One thing that stood out to me about this novel was how it blends real-life storytelling with a deeper exploration of social issues. It doesn‘t just tell you what happened, it makes you think about why it happened and what it says about our culture, especially when it comes to race, responsibility, and online behavior. Bringing in actual voices from the people involved added a layer of authenticity and complexity that made the story more powerful.

What struck me most was how the students struggle so hard to grasp the impact of their posts until it was too late, which really made me think about how we teach empathy in digital spaces. How do we properly help the younger generation understand that pressing “post” is no different than saying something out loud in a room full of people and is even sometimes worse, because it can be saved, shared, and seen forever?

I thought it was interesting that Slater showed the advantages and disadvantages to online discourse; and showed the importance of accountability and justice. Social media shapes behaviors of students in and out of school, how do we as upcoming teachers take this and teach them their actions have consequences even when it‘s posted online and not in school?

I will definitely be including this on my bookshelf, ideally it would be nice to have students read at least bits and pieces of this to teach on the importance of consequences of posting online but finding a unit to put it in may be difficult depending on the grade.
I think this book should be read by teachers so they can learn ways to advocate for their students and teach them accountability matters for ALL students

A nonfiction book that keeps your attention and informs the reader while telling of the story and dangers of digital media. I love that interviews and real accounts were pulled into this to be used by the author as evidence in a sense. Having the multiple perspectives and standpoints in this book is an interesting way to write and very much appreciated, it would have been nice to see more of the affected girls‘ story/side.

I enjoyed this book overall. I think it would be beneficial for young teens to read in an ever growing digital world of tiktok‘s, instagram, and snapchat. They could see real life consequences and actions that come with the misuse of such platforms, and the people it can harm.

The concept of accountability within the novel led me to think about a seminar I attended in which they discussed accountability in restorative practices. I found myself wondering about how a restorative approach would benefit their situation, or if it would at all.

This is easily one of the most impactful books I have read. It made me think about the power of communication in the digital age. Like I mentioned in my previous post, social media posts, comments, DMs, etc., are public to everyone, not just the involved parties. Using any form of social media is a huge responsibility and a social contract between all users. Slater highlights the reality of using social media and how it is prevalent in schools.

Accountable made me reflect upon the impact of remaining a bystander when hearing or seeing racism take place. Doing nothing DOES cause harm, even if you are not the one perpetuating racist comments. The old saying, see something, say something is so true in these situations. I can see myself using this novel in my future classes to set expectations in our classroom and build our community of learners without fear of prejudice.

Accountable is a sharp read that challenges how we think about harm, justice, and growth in the digital age. Slater shows that behind every post are real people and real consequences. For educators, it‘s a powerful tool to spark conversations about race, accountability, and what it means.

This section on humor in “boy world” is brutally honest and incredibly teachable. “Everything has to be funny or your masculinity is questioned,” captures how humor is used as both armor and currency among boys. As a reader,I felt the weight of that pressure, and as an educator, I see how important it is to unpack. This page opens the door for meaningful conversations about gender, social norms, and how silence and performance shape teen identity.

This passage is a wake-up call. It reveals how social media profits from our most volatile emotions and how easily we‘re drawn into cycles of outrage and shame without realizing we‘re feeding an algorithm. I can‘t ignore how normalized this behavior is becoming. If we want students to think critically online, we need to teach them how these platforms are designed to manipulate their attention and emotions.

While non-fiction is not normally my genre of choice, I was intrigued by this novel. It read very easily, and I loved how the information was presented. I think that this novel would be great for students to learn and read about the real harm of social media. Social media can be dangerous and I feel like not just students but also adults tend to forget this, and this puts it back into perspective.

I love nonfiction. especially non fiction that truly engages younger audiences and discusses relevant matters. Slater did a fantastic job at weaving the story together with a focus on accountability. Even more is this book isn‘t solely about accountability on social media but in general .I think it is important to read because it provides such good perspective and parts to personally reflect on matters.

I would 100% use this book as a mentor text. If it didn‘t fit into the schedule, it would be kept on the bookshelf and recommended to every student for non-fiction find. Students don‘t always like the idea of non fiction so this book is a great chance to show them how relevant it is to them and how it can be interesting. Slater‘s writing style is encouraging and fresh for young audiences.

Charles is representative of individuals who exist everywhere and more harmful than most can imagine. I'm so glad Slater draws attention to what happened in the context of how it happened. But not only did she focus on Charles but she really gave the entire narrative of events context and due diligence to ensure that the points were made accurately and fairly. There‘s a lot to say about integrity there.

I wanted a little more from the perspectives of the girls who were targeted, but I get what the book is doing. It‘s trying to show how a whole culture can create space for this kind of thing to happen. Still, the strong focus on the perpetrators rather than the victims felt a bit odd to me. I think hearing the girls' stories would add another layer to an already dense situation.

This is the kind of book that gets stuck in your head. Not even entirely because of what happened, but because it keeps asking the reader to think. What does it mean to be responsible? What happens when people get hurt and there is no easy fix? I kept pausing to think about my own high school and how things played out there, both in my personal life and in the lives of people I know.

The short chapters and shifting voices made the book easier to digest, even when the topic is rather heavy. I didn't breeze through it, but I don't think that's the point. Slater takes her time showing how complicated accountability can be for teens trying to belong. Being from a small town with a lot of racism present, I have seen firsthand how that sort of hate gets taught and passed down from generation to generation.

One of the few nonfiction books I've actually liked recently! It reads like a 60 Minutes documentary and does a great job at keeping readers engaged and invested with real people. No sides are TAKEN, but each side has a story REPRESENTED well. There are so many valuable lessons/info. about racism, the impacts of social media, and how people in a community are all connected. I would definitely have this in my classroom; there's so much to learn!

“The thing that made it so surreal was that everybody knew each other...“ (p. 233). — The interconnectivity of every person and event in this book makes it even more of a microcosm of how social media can impact the greater community too. It gives an important lesson for students on how their actions impact others whether they know it or not. There's a lot of lessons to make here involving relationship dynamics, cause and effect, and social media!

Aside from the obvious topic of racism, I noticed the author discussing gender with the account's poster and followers. Their choices were often brushed aside b/c they were “just boys being dumb“ and trying to adhere to the dynamics of male friend groups, but this is not an excuse of their actions toward (primarily) women of color. With this, students could explore how privileged vs. nonprivileged identities experience these scenarios differently.

The realness of this novel is a quality unlike the type of novels I read in middle and high school, but it is so desperately needed in those spaces. In an age of technological advances, including an explosion of social media platforms, YA readers need to understand the inherent risks and potential consequences that accompany social media usage. I believe that Slater suitably addresses the real-world impacts of likes, comments, posts, reposts, etc.

One of the things that actually made this nonfiction book a bearable and even ENJOYABLE read was the pacing. With short chapters each packed with a lot of information and new discoveries, I FLEW through this book, which surprised me given my hesitancy with nonfiction! There were also different formats of chapters, like poems and lists, which made it more entertaining too. Stuff like this can really boost engagement for newer readers to the genre!

My favorite moments of this book were the chapters that the overarching voice of narration slipped out of. The short one-page poems, lists, or rants about the present situation (from students or from the author herself) set the tone of the text and provided a space for emotion and creativity to shine through. While the text is very engaging otherwise and isn't bogged down with facts, I think these chapters aided in engagement with the story.

This book would be a great addition to my classroom library, and perhaps even as a mentor text. This book involves real people, and these people are those that students can relate to, in both age and character. The topics of racism and sexism make it even more important for study: actionable change should be a driving force of English Literature classrooms. This text can teach students much more through the real experience than any theory.

This book goes beyond what I considered non-fiction to be. Its originality and captivating voice as a true story, combined with research qualities and personal accounts truly makes it unique. Presenting a life changing story about teenagers to teenagers is fascinating, and the book presents many arguments that kids need to read, like the impact of social media and how real consequences shape intentional and harmful actions. Loved every second.

“When you are targeted for who you are, it doesn't just hurt your feelings. It hurts every cell in your body.“

What a quote. Talking about the intensified consequences of hate crimes, this quote reveals the sheer weight of racism to the victim. Everyone is on the road to figure out their identity; unless it is found in something higher than oneself, that identity can only be temporary. Regardless, when our identities are targeted, that hurts more

I think this is also an important book on the impacts of social media. Teenagers are stupid - that is a part of being a kid. In the past, these actions were covered up or unknown, but now, social media gives students an avenue to publicize their poor choices. I think having conversations not only about racism but about one's digital footprint and being wise online are easily done after reading this. Our world is only getting more digitized.

Alright, straight from the get go: another non-fiction that I did not dread. I think for our students (and us), the idea of a non-fiction read can bring dread and boredom before the first page is even read. However, this book was both interesting and relevant. The situation itself with the memes and social media is sure to keep students engaged, and this will lead to open doors for discussions about hard topics like racism and one's voice.

This book is a must for a classroom library! Social media isn‘t going anywhere and teaching that your digital footprint will follow you for the rest of your life is crucial. Plus it‘ll teach that racial jokes ARE that deep and it doesn‘t matter if you don‘t want to seem “cringe”. Individuals will likely change their behavior when there‘s just enough social pressure from people they care about. Let‘s stop reaffirming these kinds of jokes.

This quote is very real. As a black woman during my early years of school I was held to a higher level of scrutiny by my white teachers. I would be punished for things I did while my white peers would get away with it. It‘s crazy to me just how unworthy and undesirable we are made to feel yet we are held under a microscope. We feel pain too. We have feelings too. We need comfort too.

I found it fascinating how the author brought up the medical side effects of rascim. I‘ve always questioned why, if you were black, you were more likely to have certain chronic diseases. But since Slater explains that when you are casted out of a society and feel rejection and powerless based on something you cannot change about yourself (your skin color) that negatively impacts your health due to the stress of it all. Wow…this was sad to read.

I enjoyed reading the parents‘ perspectives on the whole matter, especially from both sides. There was so much blame placed on them under the belief that racism is taught in the home, but we also see that the parents of the “harmers” didn‘t explicitly teach their children racist language and ideas. Yes, they could‘ve done better, but it‘s unfair to say that everything the boys thought was rooted in ideas their parents taught them.

“By not addressing cyberbullying, we are perpetuating the problem and unconsciously cultivating it” (Slater, 62).
Was anyone else alarmed by the fact that this wasn‘t the first instance of cyberbullying the school knew about, yet the first one that they took action on? While nothing excuses the boy‘s actions, I understand why they believed it was okay. If the other instances didn‘t result in justice, why would theirs?

My middle school went through a similar, though not as extreme, situation with a “gossip girl” account on Instagram, targeting various girls in my grade. It happened at almost the exact same time as this account (2016/17). The administration handled it as well as they knew how. It was heartbreaking to read about it happening at another school, and made me appreciate this book for raising awareness on the topic.

If given the opportunity, I would love to use this book in my future classroom. While there are hard topics, they‘re topics that need to be discussed, as proven by these teenagers‘ stories. There is something that will resonate with every student in this book, whether they are bullied, they are the bully, they are complacent in bullying. My hope is that by opening a dialogue on these topics, we invite conversation instead of conflict.

I will say that I practically zoomed through this book! Although nonfiction is not my favorite genre of book, I appreciated that the chapters were short and flitted between multiple perspectives. These aspects made it incredibly engaging to read. Furthermore, students who may have difficulty reading nonfiction texts will likely find this reading easier to comprehend.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 #bookclub

Guilt, she says, is both helpful and healthy: “It‘s holding something we‘ve done or failed to do up against our values and feeling psychological discomfort,” she writes. Shame, on the other hand, is “the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging—something we‘ve experienced, done, or failed to do makes us unworthy of connection.