The speaker, Laurie Halse Anderson

Laurie Halse Anderson is the award winning author of SPEAK, a YA novel that tells the story of an adolescent girl who was raped prior to entering high school. Anderson loosely based the work on her own rape. SHOUT is a poetic memoir that describes her journey of survival, and quest to find her voice following her traumatic experiences. Anderson begins by introducing her parents, both of whom suffered trauma, and this perhaps lays the groundwork of the various ways in which people cope with trauma. Early on, Anderson displays pluck and grit as she navigates the many trials and tribulations of growing up.

Following the rape, Anderson’s narrative is tormented as she tries to find a way to heal and express the pain and loss she has suffered. In the same vain as her parents, Anderson resorts to self-medicating preferring oblivion...