You Won't Know Her Name

By Shanti Hershenson

A #1 new release in "Teen and Young Adult Poetry", and, "Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Peer Pressure"
All proceeds earned on this book will be donated to support foundations that help with anti-bullying, anti-sexual assault, and suicide prevention.

 

A haunting, shocking novel told in poetry.

"I thought they were my best friend…"

There lives a little girl whom you will never know the name of, and for her, a terrible storm is coming. She is going to a new, public middle school knowing no one but her sister, and the horrors are absolutely endless.

But she doesn't expect what is to come.

In her first few months of school, terrible and unspeakable things begin to happen, that go beyond what is considered "normal". Finding the courage to get away from the wrong people is a difficult thing, but when a horrific incident occurs, she finds herself running from who she once thought to be friends.

Now lost and alone, The Girl turns to one thing to help her get through her darkest moments. Writing poetry is the one way she can express her anger, and when her school announces that they will be hosting an open-mic night, she knows she has to enter. But entering means that she will have to face her demons, and it could be her worst nightmare…

From a teenaged author, You Won't Know Her Name shines a light on a heartbreaking reality that often goes unspoken about - the issue that is bullying in middle school. From hateful comments to real, shocking violence, this book shares what cannot be ignored.

Ages 14 and up. Some topics may not be suitable for younger readers

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shanti Hershenson
• Release date: Jul 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201075873

Book preview

YOU

WON'T

KNOW

HER

NAME

This poetry novel is a work of fiction. It would be rather concerning if any of the events in this book were to happen at a real school. Any resemblance to real people would be strange, considering that the characters have no names, and are only personalities created by the author. Again, this novel is a work of fiction. Or is it? Dun, dun, dun....

Copyright © Shanti Hershenson, 2021

shantihershenson.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by an electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

First edition

Dedicated to the (fictional) star of this book.

AUTHOR’S WARNING

This book may contain topics not suitable for younger, and/or sensitive readers. Topics include, suicide, self-harm, sexual assault, bullying, verbal abuse, one somewhat descriptive scene of physical assault, and more. If you are sensitive to any of these topics, please put this book down and don’t read further - I entirely understand if you do.

This book is meant to portray a darker aspect of middle school and growing up. I have put content warnings before all of the poems that deal with the darker topics. Please know what you can handle.

A COMING STORM

There lives a little girl

Whom you will never learn the name of

But she exists; she’s real in these pages

Her features, you may never learn

But you can know one thing

She is a survivor

Or, she thinks she is

She thinks she’s faced the worst storm

But that’s a lie, and things are only calm

Because a deadly hurricane is coming

THREE DAYS LATE

The Girl is starting middle school three days late

Once because of a car accident

Then, because of a tragedy

And lastly, because of what is supposed to be good news

She’s moving to a new school

WALKING THROUGH THE DOORS

The Girl walks through the doors for the very first time

Her sister by her side

She takes in a deep breath

Other kids flooding around her

The public school is like nothing she’s ever seen before

LOST IN THE DARK

The school floors are grey

They feel dark and dreary

And for The Girl, everything feels like a nightmare

She is lost and cannot find the way

HEADING TO THE CLASSROOM

The Girl is given a fresh slip of paper

With bold lettering telling her where to go

It’s like a map, and it gives her a classroom number

She needs to go there soon, or else she’ll be horribly late

On her already chaotic first day

STAIRS AND STARES

The Girl hurries up the stairs

And makes it to a large door

Where she can hear voices inside

Preparing to start the day

And with her backpack slung over her shoulder

She steps inside, and is met with the stares

Lots and lots of stares

TOO MANY CLASSMATES

Up until this point, The Girl had attended private school

But now she’s struggling to fit in

In a new city

With too many classmates

That she does not know

She’ll come to learn their names, in time

But for now, they are strangers, and she is alone

INTRODUCTION

She is asked to introduce herself to her classmates

To make new friends in the process