Accountable :

Material Type	Library	Call Number	Item Barcode	Location
Book	Searching... Andover - Memorial Hall Library	371.829 SLA / TEEN	31330009381645	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Billerica Public Library	YA 371.829/SLAT 2023	33934004663655	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Burlington Public Library	YA 371.829 SLA	32116004048175	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Carlisle - Gleason Public Library	TEEN 371.829 SLA	32117002209611	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Chelmsford Public Library	Y/371.829/SLAT	31480011715916	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Dunstable Free Public Library	YA 371.829 SLA	32118001116872	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Essex - T.O.H.P. Burnham Free Library	Y 371.82 SLA	32119000464966	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Georgetown Peabody Library	YA 371.82 SLATER	32120001436250	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Groton Public Library	YA 371.829 SLA	37003701945660	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Groveland - Langley-Adams Library	371.82 SLATER	32121000965414	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Hamilton-Wenham Public Library	Y 371.829 SLA	30470002106580	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Haverhill Public Library	YA/371.829/SLATER D	31479007638967	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Haverhill Public Library	SRL/371.829/SLATER D	31479007699001	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Haverhill Public Library	SRL/371.829/SLATER D	31479007699019	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Haverhill Public Library	SRL/371.829/SLATER D	31479007205619	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Haverhill Public Library	SRL/371.829/SLATER D	31479007205775	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Haverhill Public Library	SRL/371.829/SLATER D	31479007205783	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Ipswich Public Library	YA 371.82 SLATER	32122003044348	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Lawrence Public Library	371.829 SLA YA	31549005036867	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Lawrence Public Library	371.829 SLA YA	31549005057475	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Littleton - Reuben Hoar Library	NEW! YA 371.829 SLA	39965002456886	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Littleton - Reuben Hoar Library	NEW! YA 371.829 SLA	39965002515434	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Lowell - Pollard Memorial Library	YA 371.829 SLA	31481005716282	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Methuen - Nevins Memorial Library	YA 371.829 SLA	31548003492908	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Newburyport Public Library	YA 371.829 SLA	32128004207123	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... North Andover - Stevens Memorial Library	TEEN SOC SLATER	31478010238575	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... North Reading - Flint Memorial Library	YA 371.829 SLA	31550002584743	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Rockport Public Library	YA 371.829 SLATER	32129002605268	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Rowley Public Library	YA 371.829 SLA	32130001078218	Searching... Unknown
New books	Searching... Salisbury Public Library	YA 371.82 SLA	32131000997176	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Tewksbury Public Library	TEEN SOCIAL ISSUES / RACE / SLA	32132003412023	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Topsfield Town Library	YA 302.231 SLATER	32133002704071	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Tyngsborough Public Library	YA/371.829/SLATE	32137002217455	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... West Newbury - G.A.R. Memorial Library	YA 371.829 SLA	32135001608468	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Westford - J.V. Fletcher Library	YA 371.829 SLA	31990005280610	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Westford - J.V. Fletcher Library	YA 371.829 SLA	31990005225755	Searching... Unknown

YALSA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION WINNER ● From the New York Times -bestselling author of The 57 Bus comes Accountable , a propulsive and thought-provoking true story about the revelation of a racist social media account that changes everything for a group of high school students and begs the question: What does it mean to be held accountable for harm that takes place behind a screen?

"Powerful, timely, and delicately written. " --Ibram X. Kendi, #1 New York Times -bestselling and National Book Award-winning author

When a high school student started a private Instagram account that used racist and sexist memes to make his friends laugh, he thought of it as "edgy" humor. Over time, the edge got sharper. Then a few other kids found out about the account. Pretty soon, everyone knew.

Ultimately no one in the small town of Albany, California, was safe from the repercussions of the account's discovery. Not the girls targeted by the posts. Not the boy who created the account. Not the group of kids who followed it. Not the adults--educators and parents--whose attempts to fix things too often made them worse.

In the end, no one was laughing. And everyone was left asking: Where does accountability end for online speech that harms? And what does accountability even mean?

Award-winning and New York Times -bestselling author Dashka Slater has written a must-read book for our era that explores the real-world consequences of online choices.

Reviews (4)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 9 Up--Journalist and author Slater once again achieves another level of introspection about society through the lens of teen behavior. While The 57 Bus dealt with hate crimes and the juvenile justice system, her newest nonfiction deals with social media and school districts. In 2017, a racist social media account was outed in a small school district in Albany, CA. Followed by a handful of students, it targeted Black girls in the school and posted race-based memes for what was described as "edgy humor." What followed was a multi-year interrogation of prejudice, teen behavior, school response, and punishment that ended with adjudication in the courts. Wanting to tell a balanced story, Slater sought to interview as many involved families as possible and while not all of them sat for interviews, the book includes court documents, statistics, testimony, and more, which are included in the back matter. The book is an honest accounting of the event couched in a societal reckoning of free speech versus hate speech. Its length accounts for a full chronology with one flaw in its approach: sectioned into 15 parts with prose chapters titled, rather than numbered, and several unexpected poems, it creates unnecessary breaks in the intense narrative. The shocking reality that Albany could be any town is what sustains the rabid interest in seeing how the story plays out since it touches on many aspects of contemporary culture. VERDICT This is a well-timed page-turner due to Slater's investigative reporting and must be read, shared, and discussed. Make this a priority purchase.--Alicia Abdul

Publisher's Weekly Review

Slater (The 57 Bus) chronicles the fallout of a high schooler's bigoted Instagram account in this emotionally raw work, divided into 15 parts. In 2017, racist and misogynist meme posts from an Instagram account run by a Korean American high school junior leaked onto other social media platforms. This was just the beginning of the account's reach, which started with a following of 13 primarily white and Asian students in Albany, Calif., and soon consumed the rest of the town. Conversational prose paired with forthright interviews from the individuals who experienced the event document court cases, mediation attempts, and student protests against the account and its owner, as well as how the incident affected followers of the account, classmates in the periphery, and students who were directly impacted post-graduation. In addition to these eye-opening testimonials, Slater explores meme and internet culture, and its effect on teenagers' mental health and self-perception. Raising essential questions about accountability and complicity, this pertinent read encourages personal reflection and presents a balanced, nonconfrontational look into a situation that, as one student affirms, had gone "a little too far." Includes an author's note, statistics, sources, and a bibliography. Ages 12--up. (Aug.)

Kirkus Review

The author of the acclaimed The 57 Bus (2017) delves into another complex story involving teens, personal choices, and societal forces. Liberal Albany, California--where over half the residents are White and most are college educated--was the site in 2017 of a shocking discovery. A Korean American high school junior had created a private Instagram account and for several months shared racist, sexist memes with his 13 followers, all White and Asian boys. The targets were predominantly Black and Black biracial girls (a Black coach and Sri Lankan American boy were also victims). The violent, degrading images were even more horrific since the perpetrator, account followers, and victims knew one another, and some were close friends. Slater's thorough research includes candid interviews with those on both sides. She accessibly explores edgy meme culture, online hate speech, the students' social dynamics, a disastrous mediation session, the school district's actions, subsequent lawsuits, and how individuals were affected post-graduation. Short, punchy chapters offer interestingly varied formats and perspectives. The book will spark deep reflection on degrees of complicity, whether and when to forgive, what contributes to genuine remorse and change, and what parents and educators could have done differently. There's a missed opportunity to unpack questions about identity versus behavior when several young people describe fears of being labeled "racist." The book also would have benefitted from more explicitly addressing Black girlhood and misogynoir. Thorough, thought-provoking, and all too relevant. (author's note, content warning, resources, additional data, note on sourcing, endnotes) (Nonfiction. 13-adult) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

In 2017, an Albany, California, high-school junior started a private Instagram account. He wanted content that would make his friends laugh, so he copied ideas from popular accounts and went with what he considered edgy humor, including graphic, misogynistic, and racist memes. Inexplicably, he included photos of people he knew--friends and classmates, including several Black girls. He didn't give it all that much thought until his supposedly private account blew up, rocking his small community. This meticulous retelling from Slater, author of the best-selling, Stonewall-winning The 57 Bus (2017), documents the ensuing events: shock, outrage, accusations, protests, threats, firings, lawsuits, and the aftermath. Using multiple resources ranging from personal interviews to school board meeting minutes to media reports, she creates insightful profiles of principal players; weaves in community demographics, school-district regulations, and technical legalities; and offers additional content such as poems, statistics, and accessible essays on social behavior and emotional trauma. The most compelling parts are those in which she allows the young women victims to speak, sharing their anguish, betrayal, and outrage. This is a compelling and contemporary cautionary tale that should be required reading for any teen before they create, comment, or even like a media post.

Prologue	1
Part 1 Before	3
Part 2 The Account	37
Part 3 Revealed	49
Part 4 Undiscussed	97
Part 5 Investigation	107
Part 6 Laughing	131
Part 7 Justice	145
Part 8 Seeds of Destruction	187
Part 9 Parents	253
Part 10 Why Can't You Just Get Over It?	277
Part 11 Science	359
Part 12 Every Day Another Day	377
Part 13 Almost Out the Door	399
Part 14 Reckoning	425
Part 15 Making It Through	441
A Note on Sourcing	453
Acknowledgments	455
Endnotes	459

Available:*

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