The Me Too Movement was founded in 2006 by activist Tarana Burke with the goal of bringing resources, support, and healing pathways to survivors of sexual violence. These conversations expanded in 2017 in response to news reports of sexual abuse by filmmaker Harvey Weinstein. Shortly after the newsbreak, the #MeToo hashtag went viral, filling social media with firsthand testimony from survivors.

I remember reading in real time about the experiences of people brave enough to share their stories. It was the first time I saw such a huge outpouring of public support for survivors, and while the stories enraged me, the support encouraged me. Through the hashtag, I learned of young adult author Joy McCullough, whose survival story shared similarities to mine. Reading Joy’s experience, and her #MeToo novels Blood Water Paint (2018) and We Are the Ashes, We Are the Fire (2021) challenged the notion that I was alone—a notion I wrestled with for many years.

In the fall of 2020, I enrolled in Joy’s virtual course on verse novels , where I workshopped excerpts of a project I had begun earlier that year. The novel was inspired by my own experience of sexual abuse within my former religious community and the challenges I faced in pursuing justice through a judicial system that often fails survivors. This project ultimately became my debut novel, All the Fighting Parts (Amulet/Abrams, 2023). Joy’s vulnerability and resilience inspired my own—all because of the simple words me too.

Stories featuring sexual assault are heavy, but they also encourage and inspire. The following young adult novels are not monolithic. They offer different perspectives and experiences, but all of them ultimately center the voices, vulnerability, and resilience of survivors, and should be amplified during Sexual Assault Awareness Month and beyond.

I Kick and I Fly by Ruchira Gupta (Scholastic, 2023): Set in the red-light district in Forbesganj, Bihar, India, this novel tells the story of fierce and fiery 14-year-old Heera. Heera knows—from her father’s debt and the experiences of girls in her community—that she will eventually also be sold into the sex trade. Although she lives in fear of this perceived fate, she maintains her grit—so much so that she gets expelled from school after defending herself against a bully.

After the family debt is paid, Heera is given the opportunity to learn the art of kung fu. Through this education she grows both physically and mentally, eventually using her newfound strength to make a change within her community. Activist and writer Gupta delivers a powerful story about reclaiming one’s fate and finding the strength to fight.

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson (Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins, 2020): Loosely based on the R. Kelly trials, this novel explores grooming, power dynamics, and sexual abuse through the voice of 17-year-old Enchanted Jones. When superstar Korey Fields hears Enchanted’s voice at an audition, he offers to mentor her. Enchanted believes her life is about to change for the better, that this is the chance to finally pursue her dreams of music professionally. She quickly learns that those dreams come with a high price when Korey’s behavior becomes more and more abusive. But when Korey is murdered—and all signs point to Enchanted—she must defend her name while processing the abuse she endured.

A page-turner in every sense of the phrase, Grown is powerful and poignant, exploring the effects of abuse, victim-blaming, and the adultification of Black girls.

Dear Medusa by Olivia A. Cole (Labyrinth Road, 2023): Cole tells the story of 16-year-old Alicia Rivers, who is assaulted by the popular teacher at her school. She keeps the secret close to her chest—but that doesn’t stop the anger from festering. Alicia’s behavior completely changes as she lashes out and begins hooking up with older men; eventually her body becomes the topic of conversation at school and she even loses her best friend. As Alicia learns to reclaim her narrative, the author addresses, with grace and honesty, the behaviors for which many survivors are often condemned.

Drawing on the Greek myth of Medusa, the novel dismantles the idea of the “good” victim, showing us that anger can be a tool, while also exploring themes related to mental health, queerness, and racism.

The Luis Ortega Survival Club by Sonora Reyes (Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, 2023): This novel is told through the voice of 16-year-old queer Mexican American Ariana. When Ariana is sexually assaulted by Luis at a party, she is left wrestling with doubt: She didn’t verbally say no to him, but she didn’t say yes, either. When Ariana becomes the subject of rumors at school, she learns that she isn’t the only victim when a note that reads “me too” is left in her locker. Invited to a support group with other students who have also been assaulted by Luis, the group seeks revenge—and forms an unbreakable bond in the process.

A question that many survivors know all too well is explored through Reyes’ novel: What does it mean to give or withhold consent? Sonora Reyes explores the question with compassion, ultimately showing that in any case assault is unacceptable.

Red by Annie Cardi (Union Square & Co., Jan. 30): A modern retelling of Nathanial Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, this novel tells the story of 16-year-old Tess, who is ostracized by both her school and church community after being exposed for having an abortion. Despite her mother’s negative feelings towards the church, Tess loves the comfort her religious community provides her. But when a photo of Tess leaving the clinic is shared publicly, she loses friends and her spot in the church choir. Facing public ridicule, Tess is left with a hard decision: Does she keep to herself the secret of who she is pregnant by? Or does she speak up, ultimately exposing a beloved figure—and herself—in the process.

Cardi explores religious bigotry and the stigma surrounding abortion in this pro-choice #MeToo novel, upholding personal choice and shining a light on abusive cycles within religious communities.

Hannah V. Sawyerr is the author of All the Fighting Parts, which received 2024 Walter Honors in the teen category and was a William C. Morris YA Debut Award finalist.