Going Underground

Going Underground
by
Susan Vaught
young adult contemporary fiction

I might not be the most up to date on what teenagers are up to these days, but Susan Vaught is. I would not have even thought of the plot of this story. A 14 year old and his 13 year old girlfriend are understandably curious about sex. They engage in some petting and they take photographs of themselves naked. They then send the pictures over their cellular telephones to each other - sexting.
Because of a wrinkle in a state law, even though the children are close in age, the boy is charged with rape, and producing and distributing child pornography. He will also be labelled a sex offender for the rest of his life. He is not allowed to socialize with children and a number of other restrictions. Everything about his future seems to be restricted. The only adult that even gives him a chance is a drunken cemetery keeper!
The book certainly brings up a number of ethical questions about the way that well meaning representatives may pass laws that don't work out the way they intended.
I would not feel comfortable recommending this book to a 13 year old, but others might. I recommend that this book be on a college reading list for an ethics or law class. It also could be the subject of an adult book discussion or for a reading circle for parents of teenagers, especially if those parents, like I, have never given the idea of sexting a thought.

Come Morning

Come Morning
by
Pat Warren
Romantic Fiction

I read this book because I remember how much I enjoyed the "Welcome to Tyler" series of Harlequin Romances from the 1990's. Pat Warren wrote a number of those books.

Welcome to Tyler
#1 Nancy Martin - Whirlwind (Mar-1992)
#2 Pat Warren - Bright Hopes (Apr-1992)
#3 Carla Neggers - Wisconsin Wedding (May-1992)
#4 Nancy Martin - Monkey Wrench (Jun-1992)
#5 Suzanne Ellison - Blazing Star (Jul-1992)
#6 Pat Warren - Sunshine (Aug-1992)
#7 Suzanne Ellison - Arrowpoint (Sep-1992)
#8 Ginger Chambers - Bachelor's Puzzle (Oct-1992)
#9 Muriel Jensen - Milky Way (Nov-1992)
#10 Marisa Carroll - Crossroads (Dec-1992)
#11 Ginger Chambers - Courthouse Steps (Jan-1993)
#12 Marisa Carroll - Loveknot (Feb-1993)

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/61343-tyler-multiple-series-various-authors-complete

In this book, the two main characters are both getting over devastating losses in their lives. Jeremy is a firefighter who can not forgive himself for allowing a little girl to die. Briana can't get past the shooting death of her 6 year old son. It is set in Nantucket and you can tell that the author loves the slow island pace of this New England town. The plot comes to a dramatic finish as a hurricane threatens to destroy this idyllic place in the sun.
This paperback came out in 1998 and it is amazing to think of how quickly technology has changed things. No one had cell phones or internet service. Briana didn't even have caller ID. An important plot point was that film had not yet been developed. Go to a store to have film developed? How 1998!