Sixteen-year-old Sammy Wallach frets over AP exams, SAT scores, the prom, and getting her driver’s license. But when her CEO father’s gigantic, well-known financial company gets hacked, Sammy’s life is flipped upside down and turned inside out. Not only do leaked company emails reveal that her father tolerated sexist and racist conversations and workplace actions, the scandal has been picked up by major newspapers and websites. Even worse, as unfortunate “collateral damage” the entire Wallach family’s digital history and cloud information is also leaked. Suddenly, Sammy feels like her father is a stranger, and she helplessly stands by as everything she has ever texted, emailed, photographed or journaled on her computer is out for the world to see. The leaks change everything; after reading what she wrote about them, Sammy’s best friends won’t speak to her, and she is mocked by classmates. Sammy is no stranger to hiding things from her parents (such as sneaking out to a concert they forbid her to attend), and through her now public digital journal, they find out about the lies she has told. Even worse, the hack causes serious family secrets to come to light and Sammy is thrust into a world she never knew existed, with worries she never even imagined. As a result of these experiences, Sammy’s outlook on life is irrevocably changed. Along with typical teen angst and other YA topics, the book chronicles deep issues that can affect families: cancer, racism, sexism and the perils of overexposure in modern day. A well-written, thought-provoking read and cautionary tale.
Following the trajectory of her previous two YA novels, Want To Go Private? and Backlash, which also involve the implications of a technology-reliant society especially for teenagers, Darer Littman explores the darker side of social media and the ever-advancing age of technology in In Case You Missed It.
Recommended for ages 12 – 18.
