Two Decades Later, A Companion

Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson

When I was in grad school getting my MLS, I had to read Speak. I liked it. Earlier this year, I read the graphic novel of Speak. I like both. When I heard that Ms. Anderson was publishing a follow up to that book, I knew I would read it. It's rare, in my experience, for an author to write a memoir about their own sexual assault experiences after writing a hugely successful fictional book over the same topic. In fact, the only other author I can think of who has done so (and that I read both the fiction book and the memoir) was Alice Sebold. Being a victim myself, I find myself drawn to these books to see if the way I handled things is "normal." There is no "normal," by the way.

This book is in three parts. The first part is Anderson's background, her history. The second, is her response to sexual assault in general, rather than her specific experience. It also deals with people's response to her books, and people who have come to her with their own stories. The last is a way to tie up some loose ends. It's all written in free verse, which makes this a fairly quick read. I loved how open and honest Anderson was in these pages.

I liked this enough that I will likely buy a physical copy for the shelves of my classroom, and encourage students to read it.