Exit, Pursued by a Bear received some buzz when it first released in 2016, but it has died down since then. Advertised as a contemporary retelling of The Winter’s Tale, one of William Shakespeare’s lesser-known tragedies, the story follows Hermione Winters, a high school cheerleader who is drugged and raped at cheerleading camp. The book chronicles her senior year, as Hermione faces challenges at being labeled “that raped girl” and refuses to allow herself to become a cautionary tale, with her best friend Polly beside her.

The writing in Exit, Pursued by a Bear is not flowery nor the best or worst I have ever read. It is short—less than 300 pages—but it packs a punch. If you are in school studying Women's and Gender Studies, like I did in college, I highly recommend this book to you. Actually, I recommend all high school and college girls make a point to read this book, for various reasons.

The abortion scene.

In an early synopsis of the book, it is stated that Hermione becomes pregnant as a result of the rape. She chooses to have an abortion and use the DNA from the fetus to help police catch her rapist. While she does not show any fear or anger towards the baby, she knows she is only 17 and is nowhere near ready to become a mother. Hermione goes through the abortion without interference from anyone. All she has to do is wait about two weeks for her appointment, has the procedure, and that is that.

A common argument made by pro-life activists is that women who have abortions will feel guilty afterwards. For Hermione, there is no such thing. Her choice was her own. She did not want to be pregnant, but the fetus provided the evidence she needed to prove the attack occurred. E.K. Johnston does not shy away from describing Hermione’s abortion, showing young female readers there is nothing to be afraid of and there is no shame is the choice to end an unwanted pregnancy. And proving women are not ducks: you can get pregnant because of rape and it’s not your fault if that happens.

The power of female friendship.

In so many teen books, movies, and TV shows (and in real life), you see girls tearing down other girls they call friends. The driving for of Exit, Pursued by a Bear is Hermione’s friendship with Polly. Polly serves as Hermione’s foundation throughout the novel. She reminds Hermione to never give into the victim blaming or the rumors or any self-doubt.

As for the other cheerleaders, I was surprised at the amount of support that came from them. I expected at least one of the girls to turn against Hermione. Yet, all the other girls on the cheerleading squad supported her as much as Polly did. Even some of the male members protected her.

Defying labels.

Hermione makes it clear she is not a victim. While everyone—save Polly—walks around her like they're walking on eggshells, she refuses to allow what happened change her. Living in a small town means everyone heard about what happened to her at camp and how she was found. Only she refuses to allow her parents to treat her differently and her classmates to stare at her or spread rumors. She makes it clear that, though she experienced a traumatic event, she is still Hermione Winters, co-captain of the cheerleading squad and Polly’s best friend.

For most of the book, it appears that Hermione has distanced herself emotionally from what happened to her. She thinks it is likely because she was drugged and cannot remember the assault. It is not that she pretends she wasn’t raped—her pregnancy confirmed otherwise—but she does not let the event take over her life.

The study of rape culture.

Though there is an overwhelming amount of people who support Hermione, there are still people who turn against her, such as her boyfriend Leo, who believed that Hermione would never had been raped if she had danced with him at the party like she was supposed to, so he could have protected her.

Before the attack, it is clear that Hermione and Leo had different views of their relationship. He was head over heels, while she was more focused on cheerleading. Hermione admits that she dated Leo simply because she thought it was expected of her. But she knew that Leo should not blame her for the rape because she didn’t make him her number one priority.

Later on in the book, Hermione and Polly are being interviewed for a newspaper article. The reporter asks Hermione what the other girls can do to protect themselves from being raped. Outraged, Hermione says no one would ask a boy what would stop him from raping a girl and that the only person at fault was her rapist. The reporter seemed to have no idea the offensiveness of the question she just asked, showing that society has a bad habit of blaming the victim as much as the perpetrator, if not more so.

Yes, girls—and boys—should know how to protect themselves and what to look out for in certain situations. But sometimes it does not matter how many precautions you take. You can still get hurt and it’s not your fault if that happens.

The positive support of family, friends, teammates, community, school, etc.

In her author’s note at the end of the novel, E.K. Johnston explains that, unlike Hermione, most rape victims do not have support from their communities, don’t have a compassionate police officer in their corner, don’t receive medical attention, and don’t know how to ask for help. I already knew this; that is why reading Exit, Pursued by a Bear was such a bittersweet experience for me. I wanted to believe that there were rape survivors out there who had the same kind of support and love Hermione received from those around her. And, honest to God, I hope there is.

Most importantly, though, I want girls to read Exit, Pursued by a Bear in hopes they will feel as empowered and optimistic about society changing like I did.