Fall of Innocence, The

With the support of her family and friends, Emilia DeJesus has managed to move on with her life after suffering a traumatic assault as a child. However, the discovery that the attacker who went to prison for the crime was, in fact, wrongfully convicted forces Emilia to confront and relive the assault and her buried memories, taking readers with her as she questions everything she knows about herself and her experience. Suitable in a literature circle or as an independent reading novel for senior secondary students, the metaphors, tone, and language in “The Fall of Innocence” may be explored to assess how these elements convey the emotional experiences of characters. In the classroom, teachers could use the novel to inspire students to think critically, creatively, and reflectively about perspective and personal experience and to engage in classroom discussions about the themes and ideas in the text.