Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson: The Book that Broke Me

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This. Book. Fucking. Broke. Me. Excuse my French.

Wow.

This book is absolutely extraordinary. Everyone has heard of Laurie Halse Anderson's book Speak, a remarkable novel that is required reading for a lot of students these days that follows a teenager in the aftermath of her sexual assault. Shout is Laurie's memoir written in verse about her own experience with sexual assault, but it is also a commentary on rape and rape culture and the #metoo movement, and an empowering book that encourages victims to shout and speak their truths.

I had the pleasure of attending Laurie's Chicago event, and it was hands down the best author event I have ever been to. Laurie had a an empowering conversation with a local author and activist, as well as a Q&A. I asked her a question about the #MeToo movement, and her answer was so beautiful and eloquent and I really appreciated that she addressed Tarana Burke in her answer. Laurie's passion for activism and diversity just radiates outward, and just being in her presence is empowering. I really should have been taking notes like every other smart person there :/. 90% of the people there were educators, and I am so glad that those educators will be bringing back Laurie's important statements to their students. If Laurie is coming to an event near you, I highly recommend going because it is a truly remarkable and empowering experience. Click here to view Laurie's tour dates!

I don't really have much to say about this book except that it is one of the most important books you will ever read, and everyone needs to read it. Shout should be required reading along with Speak. This entire book gave me chills, but this passage made me shiver: "Too many grown ups tell kids to follow their dreams like that's going to get you somewhere. Aunt Laurie says follow your nightmares instead cause when you figure out what's eating you alive you can slay it." Also, the prose and messages are so beautiful that practically every page had a sticky tab on it. I even ran out of pink tabs (which I use for passages that I love, connect to, or resonate with me) and had to use a different color.


This book is somewhat graphic, and it does deal with the difficult subject that is sexual assault, so be aware of that going in. I'm not a psychology expert, but if you have recently encountered an act of sexual violence, I think this book has the power to help and heal you just as much as it may have the capacity to trigger awful memories. This book is a love letter to victims of sexual assault, and I know from personal experience that in the aftermath of sexual assault, you feel like your world is burning and crashing, you feel like you are all alone, even if the logical part of you knows that you aren't alone and that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men have experienced some type of sexual violence at some point in their lives. My point is, I wish that this book existed when I was dealing with the aftermath of my own assault, and had I read this book in the months after my own assault, personally, it would have been my salvation because, if anything, the most important thing you fill finish this book knowing is that you are really and truly not alone.


XOXO,

Isabella

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefeministbookworm/

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