Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson

Title: Shout
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 12, 2019

Format: Hardcover
Price: $17.99
Page Count: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 9780670012107

Reading Level: Grades 9 and up (ages 14+)
Interest Level: Grades 9 and up (ages 14+)

Annotation: In free verse, Anderson shares a compilation of reflections and emotion-filled stories from her youth.

Plot and Content Summary: After releasing Speak, a young adult novel following high school freshman Melinda while she deals with trauma from a terrible event, Anderson found the strength and courage to share her personal stories in Shout. She does not shy away from the vulnerable parts of her life that she lived through: her family's struggle to survive, numbing painful circumstances with drugs, alcohol, etc. In Shout, Anderson tells her stories so teens who have experienced similar circumstances can feel no shame doing the same.

Evaluation: This is a powerful read, as Anderson's words are chosen so well to evoke emotion. Although her experiences are unique—but not rare, teens will know exactly where she is coming from and feel the sorrows she has felt. The themes explored in Shout are so personal and things that most people shy away from talking about, but Anderson writes in a way that is so understandable and honest. Shout is empowering, as the growth that Anderson goes through (shown from Part One, to Part Two, to Part Three) is very evident.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: With the platform that Anderson has, she uses her voice to encourage others to talk about the pain they are running from. She has spoken to other survivors who have been trapped in the same situations, and writing this book has given them a voice too. Much of Shout is Anderson's encounter with trauma, and it can be used to help teens cope with theirs.

Issues Present: Similar to the topics her other books address, Shout deals explicitly with topics such as substance abuse, sexual assault, PTSD, and physical abuse. All of Anderson's walls are done, and this book could be challenged due to its intense nature. Anderson herself was a teen going through all this, so there is no doubt that there are teens out there who feel the same way. This book can bring hope to those who are afraid to speak out and share. For parents, this could be an excellent book to discuss with teens. It is an opportunity to listen and understand.

Book Talk Ideas: "Sisters, drop / everything. Walk / away from the lake, leaning / on each other's shoulders / when you need / the support. Feel the contractions / of another truth ready / to be born: shame / turned / inside out / is rage." (p. 227)

  • Why do you think Anderson divided Shout into three different parts? (p. 5, 165, 265)
  • Discuss the metaphors and figurative language that Anderson uses to talk about "shouting" (i.e., p. 177-179, 195-197, 200, 214-215, 227)
  • In "blowing up" (p. 177-179), what does Anderson mean when she writes, "Pain won't be contained / by bars or marks / your scars deserve attention, too"?

Genre/Subgenres: Autobiographies and memoirs; Biographies; First-person narratives; Social issues

Readalikes: Things We Haven't Said: Sexual Violence Survivors Speak Out (anthology), I Have the Right To by Chessy Prout, No More Excuses by Amber J. Keyser

References
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