We are at a time when it is easy to feel alone, especially for those that have been through an ordeal such as sexual abuse, it is even harder to handle alone. Healing can come in different ways, and poetry seems to be fitting because what better way to repair one’s soul than to take in information in bits like poetry or verse. Authors like Laurie Halse Anderson and Amanda Lovelace are known not to shy away from this challenging subject. They work hard to give voice to those that have been silenced through abuse.
Shout and Speak
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Laurie Halse Anderson is the author of Speak, her most famous book, which was also adapted into a movie starring Kristen Stewart. Speak was published in 1999. It brought to light what we see today in the #metoo movement, the perspective and growth of a victim into a survivor of sexual assault. This theme is carried out in her memoir in verse, Shout. The book Shout explains where her idea for Speak came from, which was her own experience of sexual assault at 13 years old by an older classmate. Although this book has a heavy undertone, revolving around this theme are lighter moments. These books are recommended for those High School aged and older. Anderson has always been a vocal advocate of survivors of sexual assault and the teaching of consent.
Women Are Some Kind Of Magic Series
by Amanda Lovelace
NJ author, Amanda Lovelace, published her first book before earning her bachelor’s degree. Lovelace expresses her life of loss, resilience, and hope in her three-part series named “Women are Some Kind of Magic.” Through the series, she uses the women in her life and her experiences to express problems personal to her. Each book revolves around a different theme. In The Princess Saves Herself in this One, she speaks to the subject of resilience. In The Witch Doesn’t Burn in this One, she speaks of survival. In her last book, The Mermaids Voice Returns in this One, she goes between the themes of escapism and healing. Stay tuned for our upcoming Wednesday’s blog when another of our library’s staff talks more about The Princess Saves Herself in this One.
Written by:
Elbie Love
YA Library Associate
Hoboken Library Staff Picks 
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