Shout

by Laurie Halse Anderson

Overview

A New York Times bestseller and one of 2019's best-reviewed books, a poetic memoir and call to action from the award-winning author of Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson!

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. Described as "powerful," "captivating," and "essential" in the nine starred reviews it's received, this must-read memoir is being hailed as one of 2019's best books for teens and adults. 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780142422205
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	03/10/2020
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	46,209
Product dimensions:	5.06(w) x 7.75(h) x 0.86(d)
Lexile:	NP (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Laurie Halse Anderson has received both the Margaret Edwards Award and the ALAN Award for her contributions to young adult literature. She has also been honored by the National Coalition Against Censorship in recognition of her fight to combat the censoring of literature. She is the author of the groundbreaking National Book Award finalist and Printz Honor Book Speak. She is also author of the critically acclaimed YA books Prom, Twisted, Catalyst, Wintergirls, and The Impossible Knife of Memory. She has also authored a number of middle grade titles including The Vet Volunteers series, and the historical fiction Seeds of America Trilogy, which includes Forge, ALA Best Book for Young Adults Fever 1793, and the National Book Award finalist and Scott O’Dell Award-winner Chains. She and her husband live in northern New York State. Follow Laurie on Twitter @halseanderson and visit her at madwomanintheforest.com.

Editorial Reviews

"Anderson’s prose is so gorgeous . . . that at times the book needs to be put down to absorb her utter mastery of language."—Entertainment Weekly

★ "In this powerful memoir told in free verse, Anderson delves into her past. . .Her potent words and willingness to shout her message are proof of the soundness of that advice." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "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. Fervent and deafening." —Booklist, starred review

★ "Readers new to Anderson will find this accessible. It's a strong example of how lived experience shapes art and an important book for the #MeToo movement." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ “A praise song to survivors, a blistering rebuke to predators, and a testament to the healing power of shared stories.”  —The Horn Book, starred reivew

★ "Will ring out to readers who themselves believe in the power of stories." —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, starred review

★ "In searing free verse, Anderson unloads decades of trauma on these pages . . . Longtime Anderson fans will appreciate this deeply personal look into how the author chan­neled her pain into the writing of Speak, and readers new to her work will be swept up in her singular style, which melds bold honesty with fluttering moments of lyrical beauty." —Bookpage, starred review 

★ "More than a gifted writer, Anderson is an advocate for anyone who feels alienated. Her sensitive, incisive book is essential for all young people." —School Library Journal, starred review

★ "Immensely powerful." —Shelf Awareness, starred review

★ "Poetry is very often written to be heard, and this collection in particular ought to be heard—spoken proudly by Anderson, outloud, and at full volume." —Booklist review of the audio edition, starred review

"With Speak, Anderson opened the door for more novels exploring the deeply felt and deeply personal aftermath of sexual violence. SHOUT serves as both a testament to the life-altering, lifesaving impact of these types of stories — and as an urgent and brutal reminder of their ongoing necessity." —The New York Times Book Review 

"A powerful testament that bears witness not just to [Anderson's] own pain, and the pain of others similarly abused, but also to the power of speaking persistently, time and time again, about topics that most people don't want to hear." —The Los Angeles Review of Books


"An absolutely essential read for teenagers and the people who know them." —Refinery29

From the Publisher

Anderson credits Speak…with helping her find her voice. Now, she wields the full force of it in Shout…Anderson excels when she narrows her focus, aiming her lens directly at the reader to speak about rape culture. Those who recognize their complicity in or perpetuation of it will, and should, feel uncomfortable. Those who are victims and survivors of it will be empowered by its anger and find comfort in its hope…With Speak, Anderson opened the door for more novels exploring the deeply felt and deeply personal aftermath of sexual violence. Shout serves as both a testament to the life-altering, lifesaving impact of these types of stories—and as an urgent and brutal reminder of their ongoing necessity.

The New York Times Book Review - Courtney Summers

★ 03/01/2019

Gr 8 Up—Novelist Anderson has terrified adults and earned nods of recognition from teenagers with her unflinching portrayals of sexual assault, eating disorders, and self-harm. With this searing memoir in verse, she revisits the trauma that sliced through her and her family: the father shattered by memories of serving in World War II, the mother worn down by picking up the pieces, and the rape that buried teenage Laurie in a deep depression and laid the roots for her novel Speak. Anderson's wordplay is sophisticated, disturbing imagery underscoring her pain—a girl without eyelids, a girl submerged in cement. She's as witheringly sarcastic as her protagonists, yet she possesses hard-won wisdom and a mixture of honesty and tenderness. It's as though Speak's Melinda made it through the fire, emerging as a warrior bent on combating rape culture. Though the rape devastated Anderson, she stresses that a lifetime of seemingly small injustices (entitled boys, flirtatious professors) also eroded her self-worth. Her rage on behalf of all those who have been wounded is palpable, yet she envisions a different world, where consent and respect are the norm. VERDICT More than a gifted writer, Anderson is an advocate for anyone who feels alienated. Her sensitive, incisive book is essential for all young people.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal

School Library Journal