Shout

Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Shout", like Anderson's "Speak", is such a powerful book about Anderson finding her voice after a traumatic sexual assault. She doesn't just detail her traumatic experience though. She takes the reader through the process of losing her ability to speak for herself and then finding it again. That process is critical and shows how important it is that we share and we talk to our kids about the hard things in life. Basic human decency is at stake - it's that simple.

That initial description makes it seem like this book is just an issues book, but it's a human experience story. It's seeing people for who they really are and learning to be more humane. I can't say enough good things about Anderson's efforts to give voice to the unheard in her young adult fiction. I really appreciated the chance to hear Anderson's own voice. Also, it's a book written in verse. I love when authors do that effectively.

Happy reading and happy shouting--

(Book 34 - 2019)