SHOUT
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4.4 • 41 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A memoir in poetry by one of the most crucial activists for sexual assault survivors writing today.
“A captivating, powerful read about clawing your way out of trauma, reclaiming your body, and undoing lifetimes of lessons in order to use your voice as the weapon it is.”—Booklist, starred review
“Speak[s] for the still-silent among us, and forces all of us to acknowledge the real and painful truths that are too dangerous to ignore.”—The New York Times
When she was thirteen years old, Laurie Halse Anderson was a shy, bookish girl who was raped by a boy she trusted. Today, she’s known as the New York Times bestselling author of Speak and many other novels, a two-time National Book Award nominee, and an advocate and activist.
In this powerful and searing book of free verse, Anderson tells the story she’s never shared publicly before: what happened to her as a teenager, the path to recovery she built herself, and how she turned her pain into art that would go on to help millions of readers the world over.
This book is for anyone who has ever been lost, ignored, silenced, abused, assaulted, harassed, talked down to, made to feel small, or knows someone who has. It’s for the writers and the readers, the dreamers, story weavers, poem collectors, song traders, word eaters. It’s for the heartsick and the hope-filled, the furious and the fierce, the creators of call-outs, and anyone with the courage to say “#MeToo,” whether aloud, online, or only in your own heart.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Already one of young-adult fiction’s boldest and most important voices, Laurie Halse Anderson takes another fearless step with Shout. Her vivid memoir in verse tells her own story of surviving rape and healing enough to write about it. Throughout, Anderson’s gift for storytelling allows her to extract meaning from a challenging childhood and adolescence and to illuminate her winding path to becoming a writer. Her compassion and wisdom are a treasure—by choosing to loudly break the silence around sexual assault, she turns herself into a source of hope and inspiration.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this powerful memoir told in free verse, Anderson delves into her past and that of her parents, sharing experiences at the root of novels such as Speak (her rape at the age of 13) and The Impossible Knife of Memory (her father's PTSD after World War II). In language alternately raw and lyrical, she traces the years from her childhood to the start of her writing career, describing how the memory of her rape finally spurred her to write the truth and to become an activist against censorship and rape culture, which are both addressed in the book along with confusing social messages surrounding sexuality ("the rules they fed you/ were the wrong rules"). Exploring the impact of silence on truth ("I learned then that words/ had such power/ some must never be spoken"), she also portrays her parents' marriage, her shifting relationships with them, and her closeness with her father after her mother's death. In one especially contemplative poem entitled "how the story found me," Anderson turns on its head the common refrain "follow your dreams," recommending that readers "follow your nightmares instead/ cuz when you figure out what's eating you alive/ you can slay it." Her potent words and willingness to shout her message are proof of the soundness of that advice. Ages 12 up.
Customer Reviews
Stunning
Through tears I am writing this to say this is one of the best books and memoirs I have ever read. Stunning, thoughtful, truthful. A true wonder.
SHOUT
We have to take about sexual violence and it starts with awareness. SHOUT is a great start.
If I Had Eight Stars Instead of Five...
Everyone should read this because we should all be co-conspirators to the honesty, to the horror and to the hope. If there were eight stars here--I'd give them all to you, Laurie, not just for the book, but for being brave enough to SHOUT and also for being someone who inspires the rest of us to speak. Thank you.