Length: 304 pages
Genre: Nonfiction Poetry Memoir
Publisher: Viking Books
Source: I received an eARC from the publisher. This did NOT affect my honest review. Thank you!
Purchase: Barnes & Noble | Amazon
My Rating:
Goodreads Synopsis: Bestselling author Laurie Halse Anderson is known for the unflinching way she writes about, and advocates for, survivors of sexual assault. Now, inspired by her fans and enraged by how little in our culture has changed since her groundbreaking novel Speak was first published twenty years ago, she has written a poetry memoir that is as vulnerable as it is rallying, as timely as it is timeless. In free verse, Anderson shares reflections, rants, and calls to action woven between deeply personal stories from her life that she's never written about before. Searing and soul-searching, this important memoir is a denouncement of our society's failures and a love letter to all the people with the courage to say #metoo and #timesup, whether aloud, online, or only in their own hearts. Shout speaks truth to power in a loud, clear voice-- and once you hear it, it is impossible to ignore.
My Review
Laurie Halse Anderson is brave. Her poetry memoir is powerful. Although Shout is geared towards teens since the author writes books for teens and discusses her own experience with sexual assault when she was a teen, her inspiration for writing Speak, everyone should read this book. Anderson is honest and raw in her writing, and Shout is a timely story for the important #metoo movement. Shout is a quick read, making it a nonfiction title reluctant readers can get behind. I found courage from her words, and I think others will too. Shout is at times difficult to read since it does openly discuss such topics as sexual assault, fat shaming, physical abuse, and alcohol abuse, but this book could lead to some open and honest discussion with teens about these issues. Shout should be on every library's shelf. Heck, everyone's home shelves too.