In this essay, I will analyze Sarah Dessen's Dreamland for feminist themes. Sarah Dessen is not a self-proclaimed feminist, but this book addresses topics strongly related to feminism. This is a book about domestic violence, family dynamics, and a girl's journey to self-discovery. It begins as a typical book in which a woman meets a "bad boy", but things quickly take a dangerous turn. It shows how power and control in relationships can be very unhealthy, and also focuses the blame on the abuser, instead of the victim like many other books fall into. The book also, like most, has some drawbacks, most clearly being the lack of diversity within the characters. Although this book may not be intentionally feminist, I think it presents many feminist themes when describing family dynamics, the abusive relationship, and the aftermath of the relationship. Dreamland by Sarah Dessen is about a 16-year-old girl, Caitlin, who wakes up one morning to find that her older sister has run away instead of going to college. Caitlin has always felt like she's in her sister's shadow and is forced to come to the forefront when her sister disappears. She soon meets Rogerson and sees, through him, a way to reinvent herself completely different from her sister. At first they are inseparable, she accompanies him when he sells drugs and immerses herself in his danger. However, he soon begins to become controlling and begins hitting her when she is late or talking to a classmate. Caitlin never told anyone what was happening; because she liked the way he made her feel, like she hadn't always been second priority her whole life. She soon outgrows the invisibility she once felt, to get by...... middle of paper... Caitlin and Rogerson's relationship presents a clear power imbalance and shows the struggles of women, especially teenage girls, experience relationships like these. Caitlin's family showed the decline of the traditional family, torn apart by the loss of a child. It also calls into question why men abuse women and why people so close to the victim do nothing about it. It was the story of a girl who was broken by a man and was able to rebuild herself. Although it could have easily included more feminist messages, I think it worked pretty well. BibliographyShaw, Susan M. and Janet Lee. Women's voices, feminist visions: classic and contemporary readings. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print. “What are the causes of domestic violence? PsychCentral.com. PsychCentral, and Web. April 18. 2014. .