ACCOUNTABLE: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed by Dashka Slater

 

ACCOUNTABLE is a must-read for both teens and adults. Everyone knows the negative impacts of social media, but this book spells out the devastating consequences when the actions of a few teens changed everything in a small town.

In 2017 Charles decided to create a fake Instagram account to post memes he thought his friends would think were funny. The account was private so only a few people could follow it. As with many innocent pranks, news of Charles's posts became public and the destruction began.

The posts were mostly aimed at girls attending Albany High School in Albany, California. The memes were racist and sexist in nature and greatly offended those targeted. When the account was discovered and reported to the school administration, many missteps resulted in misunderstandings and disciplinary actions that missed the mark. As word spread throughout the community, anger built and tempers flared on both sides of the issue.

Author Dashka Slater writes bluntly and honestly about the toll these actions took on the small, tight-knit community. Students feared attacks on both sides, protests upset the workings of the school, parents and others demanded action, and eventually multiple lawsuits were filed in an attempt to seek compensatory damages. The careless actions of Charles and a few others changed the lives of numerous teens over the course of years.