SHOUT

By Laurie Halse Anderson

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Release date: Mar 12, 2019
• ISBN: 9780698195264

Laurie Halse Anderson

Laurie Halse Anderson is the New York Times-bestselling author of many award-winning books including the groundbreaking modern classic Speak, a National Book Award finalist which has sold over 3.5 million copies and been translated into 35 languages. In 2023, Anderson was named the laureate of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, which is given annually to authors, illustrators, oral storytellers, and reading promoters "for their outstanding contribution to children's and young adult literature." In 2009, Anderson was selected by the American Library Association for the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature." A passionate spokesperson for the need to combat censorship and promote diversity in publishing, she has been honored for her battles for intellectual freedom by the National Coalition Against Censorship and the National Council of Teachers of English. Mother of four, grandmother of dragons, and wife of one, she lives in Pennsylvania.

Reviews for SHOUT

[ravennight-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"after you shoutyour open mouthwill breathe inthe light for whichyou've hungeredand your backbonewill unfurl untilyou can again dance to the beatof your steadfastheart"I really loved this book. As my favorite author since I was only 12 (7 years!), Laurie Halse Anderson never disappoints me. I have read Speak so many times, I don't even remember the number. I already know that Shout is about to join it. The writing style is fast, making it easy to devour the book. I wish I had had the time to sit and read it all in one sitting. I read it over the course of three days, but it only took about two-two and a half hours in all for me to read it. So far this is one of the first books about rape that was extremely relatable, but that I didn't find triggering. It motivated me to want to share my own story and shout my own truth.

[lilibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Anderson tells her own story in free verse, speaking of her childhood, her rape, her books, her life as an author and telling some of the stories of young people she has met who are also survivors of sexual abuse.

[skstiles612 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I often wondered how Laurie could write such raw, emotional and spot on books. After reading Shout I understood how her writing has evolved. The authentic voice in each book came out of her own pain and experiences. Shout is one of those books that reaches inside of you and grabs your guts and twists them. It is painful yet for some of us it is also a release. You know that someone has grabbed hold of your guts to help untangle them. That is what this book does. I met Laurie years ago at an English conference. I stood in line with her book "Speak" to get it signed. I handed it to her but would not look at her. She held on to the book as she handed it back forcing me to look up at her. Then she said, "You're Melinda." My lip quivered as tears slid down my face. She hugged me and and for the first time I felt the strength to do something. Laurie never knew how she helped me. My abuser was a family member. My meeting with her gave me the courage to put myself into counseling. The next time I saw that family member I pulled them aside. They had long ago sought counseling for the incident. At the time I felt so dirty and ashamed that I didn't want anyone to know. and I didn't want anyone to talk to me about it. My mantra was, "God forgave them so it's done and over with." For me it wasn't. On that day I walked up to them and told them. "God forgave you and so have I, but I haven't dealt with it. I'm doing that right now. Understand there will days that I hate you as I go through this process. There are days you can't talk to me or hug me or anything else. I hope you will respect that." They sidestepped and said they would do whatever to help me heal." That was not what I expected. Healing is a long process. If you read Laurie's book you will understand it. We all have to find our path and our voice. Laurie's book is raw. It takes you through her painful life. It takes you through the events that led up to her getting her voice back. I read and thought about the different people and events in my own life that paralleled hers. My family life unlike hers was not as volatile. My parents were very strict Christians. This is one reason I suffered so long. As Christians we were told you don't talk about certain things. You let things go and let God handle it. I walked through each painful moment with her. When she is accepted as an exchange student she became a new person. She was away from her old life and was given the opportunity to see what a healthy life is like. She was given the strength to grow and become the person she is today. This event put her on the path to healing. It is never done and over but you gain the strength to move on. I know of no other author who's books have helped both students and adults as much as Laurie's books. I highly recommend her book "Shout". It explains so much about the other books.

[billiebook · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A memoir in verse and a call to arms for the #MeToo era, Shout will make you cry; it will make you rage; and it will, I hope, make you stand up and say, "Enough. No more. Silence and shame and "boys will be boys" and "that's just how he shows he loves you" end here and now with me and mine."

[villemezbrown · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I only cried twice reading the book. But then I cried a third time when I tried to explain to my daughter why I admired it and the author so much. Not only does Anderson have to bear the weight of what happened to her in the past, but by finding the strength to speak up -- in her books, in our schools and libraries -- she has become a person to whom others feel they can speak their terrible truths, meaning she bears that weight also.Damn. Fourth time.Read this. Read Speak: The Graphic Novel. Read all the books that are telling us the same sort of terrible truths. Then do what you can to help take on the load. To change our culture. To stop this violence.

[sweetiegherkin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Anderson, well known for her YA novel Speak that addresses sexual assault in a high school setting, writes her own memoir here. She starts with stories about her parents and her upbringing, her own rape at the hands of a fellow high school student, her career in literature and stories that have been shared with her. All of this is written in the format of a series of poems. This book is heartfelt and touching, but not in a feel good way per se. Although Anderson has some optimism, the many stories she presents are rather tragic. They are important stories to share though, and it's good that Anderson is speaking up not only for herself, but for other survivors as well.The audiobook is read by Anderson herself with emotion.

[mjspear_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Emotionally gripping personal account of Laure Halse Anderson's early life, including a sexual assault in high school. Her unhappy dysfunctional family life is balanced by a student year in Denmark and discovering athletics. The book includes some details of writing SPEAK and the fame that followed. The final third of the book is a manifesto for women's rights, and a call to support the Metoo movement. These segments were not as authentic and, at times, the writing was histrionic, IMHO. That said, Anderson's fans will be riveted for the "real life" details of her life.

[djlunchlady91404 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was a really hard review for me to write because I really love Laurie Halse Anderson as an author. I wish this book was as good as her others but it seems to have fallen very short for me. Part 1 of this book seems well written and original but it reads quite slow. Parts 2 and 3 come across as a collection of the scraps of her previous story's regurgitated and smashed together into a giant mess. I really held hope that it would pick up at the end of the book but that just never happened

[lindsay_w_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In heart wrenching prose, Halse Anderson lays bare the trauma of a sexual assault that happened to her as a teenager and left deep wounds. Like Melinda in Speak, Halse Anderson does find her voice to begin the healing. Laurie Halse Anderson is now leading campaigns to help other survivors and is a model of what a survivor looks like. Released on the 20th anniversary of Speak.

[acargile-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A raw, emotional , realistic memoir about living as a female.Laurie Halse Anderson writes about her experiences growing up with her family, living overseas, being raped and how she helps others when she tells her story. I listened as opposed to read it, so I sometimes had trouble following because she does jump around in time. It's also raw--very earthy with language to reflect the true emotion that some may find uncomfortable. Just because it's uncomfortable doesn't mean it should be avoided. She tells about the real world--real things that happen to people that shape each of us. She doesn't sugar-coat, so be prepared to be hit with truth.She writes a verse memoir, so it's short and powerful.

[maowangvater · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Anderson’s poetic autobiography is about hard times growing up, her family, her season in Denmark as a high school exchange student, and most significantly her experiences as a victim of rape when she was thirteen and its profound impact on her life and sense of well-being. It’s also her experience as an author who first explored the experience of a victim of rape in a young adult novel Speak: the attempts to censor or suppress the novel by people who desperately want to pretend that this could not be the experience of any child or teenager in their community, and the author’s encounters with the young people who were victims of sexual assault, grateful that someone had the courage to tell their story. On one hand, this is a tough book to read. No one likes to read about the ugly truth of evil. But it is also a wholesome, healing book, because without facing the pain caused by the evil of the assault, it’s impossible to recover, face reality, and stay sane. Pretending that it never happens, or it never happens in my neighborhood, is a lie that only perpetuates the pain for its victims.

[dairyqueen84 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Searing, powerful memoir. Some of the poems didn't work for me because they were too opaque.

[katielibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

powerful, timely, and WOW CAN SHE WRITE. Highly highly recommend.

[drfuriosa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Laurie Halse Anderson is my favorite young adult author, and this book reminds me again why that is so. This is by far her most personal work to date, and it is a memoir, not only of her own survival of rape, but of the way her writing career has been shaped by hearing others' stories. This is a book penned with rage and love entwined. TW for candid and frank language about sexual assault and its aftermath.

[shannonrose4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The conversation shared in Speak continues with the volume turned up... way up. The breath-taking prose invites the reader in and gives a view of her past that lead her to the path of possibilities. Anderson's reality echoes so many stories never told and reminds us that we are not alone in finding our voice.

[lflareads · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Powerful read! I want my daughter to read this.

[sboren-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I purchased this book from Amazon to read. All opinions are my own. ????? Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson. I have wanted to read Shout since I picked up Speak almost a year ago. The two books say something so loud you need to listen. The one thing these two books say is silence to stay quiet. There is no shaming involved but the book was deep, personal, almost so personal anyone can relate. It is about not being silenced when you feel you are wronged either by someone else or by a family member or friend. It is about finding your voice when you feel like you don't have one. A set of poems that will inspire you to Shout not be silent. Review also posted on Instagram @borenbooks, Library Thing, Goodreads/StacieBoren, Amazon, Twitter @jason_stacie and my blog at readsbystacie.com