The Female of the Species

by Mindy McGinnis

This is a book everyone should read. Told from three different characters, The Female of the Species tells the story of Alex Craft and her final year of school. Alex has been shaped by the events of her past - mainly that of the rape and murder of her older sister, Anna. The police know who did it but could never find enough evidence for a conviction. Alex takes matters into her own hands - she plots and plans and then murders him without regret and without guilt. But as much as that has shaped Alex - this book isn't really about that.

It's not even really about Alex - because Alex is just one part of the story. What happened to her sister was horrible and tragic - but the real story is about the fact that it KEEPS HAPPENING. Anna isn't the only girl in town to be raped. She's definitely not the only girl in the world to be raped. The Female of the Species examines the culture we live in - the way in which rape jokes are still made, sexual assault is just the way it is and "not being molested as a child is considered luck." It examines the language we use and the behaviour we accept and the comments we make and it brutally shames us for it. And frankly - rightly so.

There is so much to be said about this book. So much so I don't even really know where to start. I loved the portrayal of the parental figures. Peekay's parents especially, but Jack's were great too. Supportive parental figures are so rare in YA and I really liked how they weren't just placeholders, but were contributing characters. I loved that Peekay's parents loved her so much and were so accepting of her.

I loved Alex's determination to end bad behaviour. She constantly speaks up against rape jokes and gossip and judgement. She calls out Sara on her jealousy.

"She looks nice," I say, and she does. Branley always looks put together in a way that tells me she spends hours in front of a mirror before going outside. And while I don't understand that, I can respect it." And let's face it we need more of this. Because just because we don't understand something doesn't mean we should mock it.

I love that she defends Branley. She defends her outfits and she defends her behaviour and she puts the blame back where it should be. (In this case, on Adam.)

"She likes boys, and she can get them. You were hurt by that, but it wasn't Branley who hurt you. It was Adam." Too often women fall into the habit of blaming the "other woman" but it isn't the other woman who should be faithful.

Branley and Jack used to hook up all the time, Alex. [....] So how would you feel if you found out Jack still had Branley on the side?"
"I'd be pissed," she says. "But not at Branley. She doesn't owe me anything."

She normalises sex and the fact that women can like sex and have casual sexual relationships too and that they should be able to without judgement. But she also acknowledges that sex shouldn't be something one has to do because everyone else is. And perhaps most importantly, she calls Peekay out on her casual slut shaming.

"Only you would describe sex like that," I say.
"Well, that's what it is," she shoots back.
"Yeah, and now I, like never, ever want to do it."
"Yes, you do," she argues. "And I do too, and there's nothing wrong with that. But it's not something that I'm going to do with Jack just because I'm his girlfriend and we're supposed to.
"So in other words, you're not Branley Jacobs," I say, going for a joke that falls flat. I hear it not cover the distance and immediately wish I hadn't said it.
"You shouldn't be that way about her," Alex says. "I hear what people say and I bet half of it isn't even true. And even if it is - fine. She's not different from you and me; she wants to have sex. So let her."

One of my favourite parts was the graffiti in the bathrooms and how Alex and then later Peekay and Sara fought to remove it. But it was also perhaps the saddest part. This idea of girls writing about date rape and who to avoid - it made me angry because it's so honest. Women often don't report rapes or sexual assault - because they were drinking or because they were wearing particular clothing or because it was their boyfriend or friend or they think they'll be judged and perhaps the worst part of that is the fact that they will be. I wish that wasn't the case. I wish there were more police like Officer Nolan and more people like Alex to help women feel like they can report these crimes. But it isn't and the writing on the bathroom wall was perhaps the most honest part of this novel.

And that said, this book isn't a condemnation of all men. It recognises there is good and bad in all of us. And maybe we don't always get it right but we can try to be better. Jack is constantly trying to repent for his playboy behaviour. And Adam who drops Peekay for Branley because she's "hot" is redeemed.


I'm crying by the time I go into the first stall, the door clicking shut behind me as I pump the Windex, ready to wipe away anything that pisses me off. Instead I end up sitting on the toilet, reading things I never expected.
I love Jessica.
Yr mom blew me, followed by
My mom's dead
Then -- Sorry, dude. My bad.
Peekay won't put out
My fingers tighten into a fist, but underneath it I recognise Adam's handwriting; U don't deserve it.
And on the back of the stall door graffitied in letters as high as my arm:
REST IN PEACE ALEX

Both men and women are guilty of contributing to the way in which women are perceived and treated. As much as men get a lot of the blame - women are guilty too. Our judgement of women's clothes, their behaviour and their sexual relationships all add to the problem. But we can change it. We can change how we respond to this behaviour and speak up when things aren't right. Whether that's reporting rape or sexual assault, warning others about what to watch out for and being there for each other and not tearing each other down.

Alex is gone but she's very much still here, and not only in my mind. I've seen her in Sara's willingness to skip class and erase dicks with me; in a loud complaint from a freshman instead of just rolling her eyes when a senior smacks her ass; in a not cool, man from Park when one of his friends made a rape joke. And she's here in the bathroom stall with me, her hand behind the writing on the wall even if it wasn't her fingers holding the marker.
stay away from Blake C. - date rape 3/26
me too 2/4
chad will roofie you don't party with him.



This book maybe isn't perfect but it is an unflinching look at our society and one which everyone should read.