Shout: The True Story of a Survivor Who Refused to be Silenced

Description

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 her life and calls women to action through deeply personal stories from her life that she's never written about before. Searing and soul-searching, this important memoir is 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.

Laurie Halse Anderson is a New York Times bestselling author whose writing spans young readers, teens, and adults. Combined, her books have sold more than eight million copies. She has been twice nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Two of her books, Speak and Chains, were National Book Award finalists, and Chains was shortlisted for the prestigious Carnegie Medal. Text has previously published two of Halse Anderson's novels: Wintergirls in 2010 and The Impossible Knife of Memory in 2014. She lives in Philadelphia.

'Shout is for survivors, for abusers and assaulters, for consenting young men and women, for gatekeepers unwilling to let sex through. Immensely powerful, Shout is for everyone.... as bold (and beautiful) as the title suggests.' -- Shelf Awareness, starred review 'Anderson's novels...speak for the still-silent among us, and force all of us to acknowledge the real and painful truths that are too dangerous to ignore.' -- New York Times 'With her trademark hope, humour, and heart-breaking realism, Laurie Halse Anderson has given us a roadmap to heal. She is a treasure.' EndFragment -- Stephen Chbosky, author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, on The Impossible Knife of Memory 'A frightening and sobering look at the cruelty and viciousness that pervade much of contemporary high school life, as real as today's headlines...a novel that will be hard for readers to forget.' -- Kirkus Reviews, Pointer Review on Speak 'Seriously-does ANYONE write...with the realism, grace, and soul of Laurie Halse Anderson?' -- Jodi Picoult 'Shout is Anderson's reckoning; it follows a hurting cry to the universe that turns into a hard-won path to healing and ultimately unfolds into a powerful call to action...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.' -- New York Times '20 years after her groundbreaking book Speak was published, acclaimed YA and children's book writer Laurie Halse Anderson is coming out with an intensely personal follow-up...We don't exaggerate when we say you should buy Shout for everyone-especially the young men and women-in your life.' -- Refinery29 'Laurie Halse Anderson's raw autobiographical snapshots confront the learned and gendered shame so many of us feel. She lays out the horror of sexual violence, of inequality, and through this reassures her readers: these hurts are not small, the emotional scars will haunt. We have a voice, and we need to use it, collectively, to shout, loudly, that no-this has never been ok.' * Alice Bishop * 'Writing with honesty, vulnerability, Halse Anderson's Shout is a powerful testament to women's strength.' * Alice Robinson * 'A defiant, lion-hearted book, written with such perception and brevity that I forgot I was reading poetry and saw the lyrics of a new frontier anthem.' * Laura McPhee-Browne * 'Shout plunges deep into its ugly truth and spits back at systems that maintain a code of silence. Anderson's voice is hoarse, unrelenting and indefatigable in its denouncement of rape culture. This book is visceral, jarring-and an experience that will not easily wash away.' * Eloise Grills * '[P]erhaps the most significant contribution of any memoir of childhood sexual assault and abuse...Her book is a powerful testament that bears witness not just to her 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.' * LA Review of Books * '[Halse Anderson's] voice is enraged, but encouraging-resulting in a necessary read not only for teenagers, but also for the adults who have a hand in bringing them up.' * TIME * 'A love letter for those with the courage to say #MeToo and Time's Up.' * Chicago Tribune *