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Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed Hardcover – August 22, 2023
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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.
- Reading age12 - 18 years
- Print length496 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level7 - 9
- Lexile measure1000L
- Dimensions5.8 x 1.45 x 8.55 inches
- PublisherFarrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
- Publication dateAugust 22, 2023
- ISBN-100374314349
- ISBN-13978-0374314347
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**YALSA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION WINNER**
California Book Award Young Adult Winner
Northern California Book Award Young Adult Winner
CALIBA's Golden Poppy Book Awards Children's Nonfiction Winner
J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize Winner
Russell Freedman Award for Nonfiction for a Better World Winner
A SCBWI Golden Kite Honor for Nonfiction Text for Older Readers
A Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award High School Category Nominee
A Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award Nominee
A Massachusetts Teen Choice Book Award Nominee
A Vermont Green Mountain Book Award Nominee
A Texas Topaz Reading List Selection
A Texas Library Association TAYSHAS Top Ten Book
A Florida Teens Read List Selection
A Missouri Association of School Librarians Dogwood Reading List Selection
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year
A Chicago Public Library Best Teen Nonfiction of the Year
A Common Sense Media Best Book of the Year
A Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year
A Booklist Editors' Choice List Selection
A BCCB Blue Ribbons List Nonfiction Selection
A Mother Jones Books We Couldn’t Stop Thinking About in 2023
A CrimeReads Best Young Adult Mysteries, Thriller and Horror Novels of the Year
A Junior Library Guild Selection
An Amazon Best Book of the Month
A San Francisco Chronicle Datebook 17 Books We Can't Wait to Read This Summer Selection
“Award-winning journalist Dashka Slater (The 57 Bus) brilliantly dissects a true-crime story, exhibiting its different parts for readers and presenting a balanced narrative that illustrates the nuances inherent in all interpersonal interactions, whether in person or online . . . While readers' instinctive response may be to say Charles deserves what he gets, Slater's meticulous research from multiple perspectives highlights the difficulties of attempting to define absolute right and absolute wrong . . . Slater does not solve problems or answer the questions; instead, she scrupulously illustrates the complexity of this case, and reminds the audience that there are no quick fixes.” ―Shelf Awareness, starred review
“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 . . . 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.” ―Booklist, starred review
“Journalist and author Slater once again achieves another level of introspection about society through the lens of teen behavior . . . 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 . . . 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.” ―School Library Journal, starred review
“In this gripping true story, Slater draws on her journalistic skills, utilizing interviews, court documents, social media and other sources to pull together a compelling full picture of an event that ripped apart a community and deeply impacted the lives of everyone involved. Short chapters keep the pace at a clip, as Slater’s reporting, direct quotes, and first-person poems document the emotional devastation and real world consequences over the following years of pain, flailing school administrators, protests, and lawsuits. No teen is absolved of their conduct, but everyone is understood and fully humanized . . . Perhaps Slater’s greatest feat is how successfully this nonfiction narrative informs about social media, racism, white supremacy, and restorative justice without veering into preachiness. She is able to cut to the core of the situation, searingly capturing raw pain and empathy for the harmed teens, providing enough distance to understand the complexity of the Instagram followers, and demonstrating what holding someone accountable looks like.” ―The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
“Award-winning journalist Dashka Slater (The 57 Bus) is brilliant at dissecting a true-crime story, exhibiting its different parts for readers, and relating a balanced narrative that illustrates the nuances inherent in all interpersonal interactions, in person or online . . . Slater ultimately shows readers that, while racist actions can be unconscious, they remain offensive and harmful, and the perpetrator should be held accountable. Silence, too, she communicates, is a form of condoning racism and contributes to the problem. But Slater does not solve problems or answer the questions; instead, she scrupulously illustrates the complexity of this case and reminds the audience that there are no quick fixes. This is a moving book with the power to make readers look deep within themselves for ways they can contribute to the solutions and keep from becoming a part of the problem . . . Journalist and author Dashka Slater expertly conducts a vivisection of an online racism scandal that reveals scars on the beating heart of a small town in California.” ―Shelf Awareness
“The author of the acclaimed The 57 Bus (2017) delves into another complex story involving teens, personal choices, and societal forces . . . 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 . . . Thorough, thought-provoking, and all too relevant.” ―Kirkus Reviews
“Slater (The 57 Bus) chronicles the fallout of a high schooler’s bigoted Instagram account in this emotionally raw work . . . Raising essential questions about accountability and complicity, this pertinent read encourages personal reflection and presents a balanced, non confrontational look into a situation that, as one student affirms, had gone ‘a little too far.’” ―Publishers Weekly
“In Accountable, Dashka Slater offers a nuanced look at multiple notions of justice while magnifying the impact of racism on those harmed and those that caused the harm. This book is powerful, timely, and delicately written.” ―Ibram X. Kendi, #1 New York Times–bestselling and National Book Award-winning author of Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
“Despite the plethora of books, both fiction and nonfiction, that take a stab at exploring American race-relations, I’ve never read anything like this one. Not only does Accountable reach far beyond Black and white, it gives readers―especially young ones―searing insight into the consequences of unchecked biases, both external and internalized. Again, Dashka Slater has gifted us with an immaculate page-turner of a book―made even more powerful by the fact that everything in it is true.” ―Nic Stone, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Dear Martin
“Accountable is a gripping look at the various impacts of racism, the gray areas of responsibility, and the boundaries of friendship. This is nonfiction at its finest.” ―Brandy Colbert, award-winning author of Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
“An urgent read for every teen who uses social media. Dashka Slater has created a deeply researched, nuanced story about the intersection of old wounds and new technology―and how a few thoughtless moments can undo an entire community. It is an absolute page-turner, more powerful because every word in it is true. Slater is at the top of her game. Don’t miss this book.” ―Martha Brockenbrough, award-winning author of Alexander Hamilton, Revolutionary
“I cannot even begin to say how important Dashka Slater's book is. Certainly every teenager should read it as a condition of being on social media, but honestly? Adults―especially parents and educators―need to read it too. Slater has compellingly, sensitively, and usefully distilled crucial issues in the zeitgeist in a way that no one else has managed to do. Accountable is magnificent.” ―Peggy Orenstein, author of the New York Times bestsellers Boys & Sex, Girls & Sex, Cinderella Ate My Daughter and Waiting for Daisy
“If I could pick a single book for a national book read it would be Slater’s just published Accountable . . . To read Accountable is to traverse a heartbreaking tragedy that deserves our deepest attempts at understanding. Remarkably it provides every reader with just that opportunity.” ―Kenny Brechner, owner of DDG Booksellers, Publishers Weekly Shelf Talker
"Slater’s book is an eye-opener. Her ability to treat both the victims of the harassment and its perpetrators with compassion and understanding, without minimizing the culpabilities of the latter, is masterful." ―Hank Reichman, Academe Blog
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (August 22, 2023)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 496 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0374314349
- ISBN-13 : 978-0374314347
- Reading age : 12 - 18 years
- Lexile measure : 1000L
- Grade level : 7 - 9
- Item Weight : 1.2 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.8 x 1.45 x 8.55 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #7,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
New York Times-bestselling author Dashka Slater has been telling stories since she could talk. An award-winning journalist who writes for such publications as The New York Times Magazine and Mother Jones, she is also the author of fifteen books of fiction and non-fiction for children and adults. Her work has been translated into more than a dozen languages and has won many awards, including the Wanda Gág Read Aloud Award.
Dashka’s true crime narrative, The 57 Bus, has received numerous accolades, including the 2018 Stonewall Book Award from the American Library Association, the 2018 Beatty Award from the California Library Association, the California Book Award Gold Award for Young Adult Literature, and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor. It was a YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award Finalist and an LA Times Book Award Finalist, in addition to receiving four starred reviews and being named to more than 20 separate lists of the year’s best books, including ones compiled by the Washington Post, the New York Public Library, and School Library Journal. In 2021, The 57 Bus was named to Time magazine’s list of the 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time.
The recipient of a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, Dashka teaches at Hamline University’s MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program. She has spent most of her adult life in Oakland, California, where she is always working on far too many writing projects.
Learn more at www.dashkaslater.com.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book well-researched and presenting different viewpoints clearly. They appreciate the good details and background information about experiences. Many readers consider it a must-read for teenagers and parents. However, opinions differ on the writing quality - some find it thoughtful and readable, while others feel it's poorly written with text language and slang.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers appreciate the well-researched book. They find it informative and engaging, with an excellent explanation of different viewpoints and understanding presented. The author intersperses parties' experiences with science, history, and culture for a balanced approach.
"...All of which is well-researched and a good read...." Read more
"...I found the research to be thorough and fact-based, yet very readable and sensitive...." Read more
"...that get inside the various parties’ experiences, interspersed with dashes of science, history, and culture, I couldn’t put it down...." Read more
"Loved this book!" Read more
Customers find the book well-researched and presented. They appreciate the good details about the experiences and background.
"...This is just one lens in the book. There is also a lot of good detail about the experiences of the victims and the families of all involved...." Read more
"...media daily, but the deep dive into their feelings and all the background was eye-opening...." Read more
"Well Researched and Nicely Presented..." Read more
Customers find the book easy to read and recommend it for middle and high school students and parents.
"...This book should be required reading in middle and high schools." Read more
"...This book should be required reading for all 8-9th graders (and their parents) on the dangers of social media, the dangers of racist thoughts and..." Read more
"This is a must-read book for both teenagers and parents of teenagers on the impact of social media in our lives...." Read more
Customers have different views on the writing quality. Some find it thoughtful and readable, while others feel it's poorly written and reads like a series of blog entries.
"...I was very impressed with the thoughtfulness of the writing and how this could inevitably impact our society's viewpoints on bullying and our..." Read more
"...Second, as noted above, this book reads like series of blog entries...." Read more
"Super important and well written story!!..." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2023Accountable helps provide understanding of what seems like a clearcut case of evil done by teenagers. A small private Instagram account uses racist tropes to make fun of classmates. The images get out with explosive results that reverberate throughout the community for years.
What's helpful is understanding how the kids could've gotten to this place where they could see racism as a tool to get laughs from their friends. Where they could keep pushing to new extremes to get more affirmation. How it could be so fun to be so naughty in playing with ideas they knew were wrong, but also had no idea how real the consequences would be.
Like a lot of things in the modern world, the roots are in the internet. In boys (typically boys) saying racist things online while playing videogames with strangers. In numerous edgelord videos that YouTube recommends to keep the engagement up. In memes shared in online forums.
A lot of this is by design. Genuine racists trying to lure in new recruits with "edgy" humor. And those jokes finding fertile ground in kids who only know about racism from schoolbooks and thus don't feel any emotional weight about it.
This is just one lens in the book. There is also a lot of good detail about the experiences of the victims and the families of all involved. In the long, slow path that everyone struggles through afterwards. All of which is well-researched and a good read.
But for me it's helpful to understand since this is a phenomenon that has happened, and will happen, in other towns. It happened in my own town this past school year with middle-school kids drawing swastikas. There was a lot of talk about the roots of the evil, but especially after reading this, I'm pretty sure it was just another kid who thought it would be funny to do it to get a reaction from their friends and the town.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2024I read this book because it won an award and wanted some extra background for a fiction book I'm working on. I was not prepared to get so much inspiration from one book! I found the research to be thorough and fact-based, yet very readable and sensitive.
She crafted the events in a way to show the effects on both the perpetrators and victims, their school, families, and community. It exposed layer after layer of effects and she followed up with some long term closure. I was very impressed with the thoughtfulness of the writing and how this could inevitably impact our society's viewpoints on bullying and our responses to these behaviors.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2024This should be required reading in schools.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2024I was a bit hesitant to read this book, as I was afraid the topic would be too much of a downer. Author Dashka Slater does a brilliant job of taking a heavy, complicated subject and making it page-turning my engaging. With short chapters that get inside the various parties’ experiences, interspersed with dashes of science, history, and culture, I couldn’t put it down. This book should be required reading in middle and high schools.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2025I couldn’t put this book down. I have used portions of this true story in my classroom to reiterate the dangers of social media.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2025If you have a teen or preteen - you must read.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2024As a school administrator, there were times I wanted to yell and say “what were they thinking?!?” in how this was handled. So very unfortunate and sad that the targeted students felt so little support. I will think for a long time about the steps needed to prevent this from happening again.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2024Loved this book!
Top reviews from other countries
- Huijun WangReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 11, 2025
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
It's absorbing and informative! I enjoyed the most about how the author is giving all the parties a voice and empathise as much as possible.
Gonna read other books of hers!