The Luis Ortega Survival Club — Matthew’s Book Club

By Rashauna Herm

Recommended reading age for this book: 15 & up

“I want him to always remember, no matter what he does, that someone out there knows what he did. That he didn’t just get away with it. I want him to be afraid.”

High school student Ariana Ruiz wants attention for her bold fashion statements, but as a shy, autistic girl with selective mutism, it is hard for her to truly stand out. Because she doesn’t speak at school, she is largely ignored by her peers. That is, until cute and popular Luis Ortega starts to pay attention to her. Ariana finally feels accepted when Luis begins to be friendly to her by walking her home, or by not expecting her to talk to him. During a party, Luis’ attention turns to something more and they have sex, but while Ariana didn’t say no to Luis, she didn’t explicitly say yes. She wants to be upset with Luis, but she isn’t entirely sure if she has a right to be.

At school, the rumor mill begins to turn quickly, and Ariana notices that she has gone from being invisible to being seen as an object by several of the boys in her grade overnight, because they see her as an easy target who won’t say no. Harassed and isolated, Ariana’s anxiety is at an all time high when she receives a letter from an anonymous group of students who call themselves “The Luis Ortega Survival Club.” They have also dealt with Luis in the past and want justice for his misdeeds. Ariana finds true friendship with the group and also ends up discovering feelings for a girl that she never expected to fall for! But, in order for Ariana and the group to bring Luis down, Ariana will have to accept what happened to her at the party that night. She must be brave in order to follow through with her plans of justice.

The Luis Ortega Survival Club by Sonora Reyes (who uses they/them pronouns) handles the tough subjects of rape/assault, isolation and trauma with astounding grace and joy. There is so much care in these pages for these characters who are going through difficult, sometimes traumatic experiences, and it feels like Reyes kept real life victims in the forefront of their mind when writing this book, to provide them with some type of catharsis.

Ariana she doesn’t realize her experience with Luis is rape at first. She knows she didn’t say no or yes, and is so overwhelmed in the moment that she “just lets it happen”, making her feel like it was partly her fault. Ariana and her internal struggle that stems from her selective mutism reminded me of young adult novel: Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, a book also about the aftermath of a rape at a party, where the main character goes mute after the assault. Speak was published in 1999 and empowered an entire generation of girls and women to reclaim their voice, just as The Luis Ortega Survival Club will do for contemporary readers.

Ariana and her friends are all incredibly vibrant, lovable and multidimensional characters that reminded me of a few people that I attended high school with, and still am friends with to this day. They feel like real kids who are trying their best to empower themselves and take charge of their lives, as they grow from adolescents to young adults.

Luis Ortega is a fictional character in a book, sure, but I grew up with a couple of boys like him as my peers in high school and college as well. Boys who felt as if they had the right to do whatever they wanted to girls knowing that they’d get away with it, because of their social connections (athletics, connections to the school) or because they knew that society doesn’t believe rape victims. Unfortunately, the same rape culture that flourished during my schools days in the early 2010s is still prevalent in our society today. I applaud the girls in this book and in real life for naming and standing up to their abusers. It’s incredibly powerful to name your abuser and bring their actions to light. It holds predators accountable and ensures that no one will forget what they did.

After a traumatic experience, it is so easy to isolate yourself, as Ariana does in the book. But once she breaks out of her shell and joins the “survival club”, friendships blossom, and she feels less alone. I appreciate how Reyes highlights the support that victims can find in family and community. It is so important to have these kinds of books that tackle difficult subjects to fight back against rape culture and provide resources to victims. To let victims know that they are seen and heard, that there is space for them. You are not to blame and you are not alone!

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, here are some resources that might help:

RAINN — www.rainn/about-national-sexual-assault-telephone-hotline

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center — www.nsvrc.org/survivors

The National Sexual Assault Hotline — 1 (800)-656–4673

About the Author

Rashauna Herm is a 30 something Denver local. She enjoys a good potato-based dish, scary movies and glitter.