Once again, reality far outpaces fiction. This is an investigation, a denunciation, a firsthand account of what happens today to adolescents no one would suspect — a warning for parents and everyone around them. Ever heard of afternoon discotheques?
The author, a journalist and special correspondent for Messaggero, tells the story of adolescents between eleven and fourteen years old who attend middle school. Girls who leave home in ordinary clothes and with various excuses slip into discotheques, where they transform into provocative go-go dancers performing in front of their peers — peers who snap photos and shoot videos on their phones.
The book uncovers stories of paid sexual exchanges, smoking, drugs, violence, unchecked consumerism, but also profound bonds between adolescents, their anxieties, overwhelming anguish, loneliness, and fears. The author immersed herself in their world, visiting schools, reading their blogs, entering the discotheques. She employs a vivid, unflinching narrative style that stays grounded in reality. Blog conversations are reproduced in full and organized by theme, offering readers a window into their pitiless communication — communication made bolder by the anonymity of the web. Reading it, you ask yourself: why? It's not easy. It hurts. It makes you angry. This is a book meant to help us understand them by listening to them. If we can move past indignation, we might actually think clearly about what we're seeing.
Laura Nardini, 2007
