Shout

If you have ever wondered where an author gets their ideas from, this book is for you. The author of one of my favorite books Speak has offered her readers a glimpse inside her life and thought process when writing her books. She shares her own experience with sexual assault, a dysfunctional family and her battle with censorship in a book of poetry. She takes the reader on a journey of victims and perpetrators and the way both are treated through time. She shares her time with young adults, and older adults and the way everyone reacts to her books and messages. She shows that you can overcome your trauma with time, and understanding and extreme acts of courage. She gives you permission to feel the feelings you have and not be ashamed of them. Lauri Halse Anderson has a way with words that will somehow cause you to all of a sudden be crying on the couch for the state of the world and the sheer number of victims there are out there. The incredible amount of evil in the world is only tempered by those who stand up to it and speak out against it. Or in this case, shout from the rooftops. Couldn't put this one down and I'm not one for non-fiction. If you haven't read Speak, please remedy that as soon as possible and then pick up this gem and round out your experience. Happy reading my friends!