(I myself have often been outraged and disgusted at the actions and attitudes of men and the cultural spaces in which those actions and attitudes continue unquestioned.) Rather, it is simply untrue for her to insinuate that all men as a rule act and think like the men who have hurt her and so many others. As a man, I was not offended that she blasted men in Shout. I believe this was a rhetorical decision on her part, since it would have weakened the strident, prophetic tone of her critique if she had spent significant time on positive men in her life. One other thing that I felt was unfair was the categorical way in which she characterized men as manipulators, abusers, and power-mongers. Perhaps it would have been possible to mix in some prose for variety, or to be a little more selective about the number of targets she chose to attack (or the number of formative anecdotes she writes in the first part of the book). Although the poems are carefully crafted, nearly 300 pages of free verse is taxing to read. The book’s length wore on me a little bit. With unflinching, blunt words, Shout tells a true story that must be listened to and believed. Poem after poem launches missiles of rage at all icons of toxic masculinity and the warped, diseased world they have created. The poem ends this way:Īnderson lends her authorial voice to untold numbers of women who, like the author herself, have been raped, belittled, and silenced by men and the sociopolitical structures they inhabit.

As an example, there is a poem called “a boy, priest unholy,” a scathing denunciation of how men in institutionalized religion leverage their power to sexually abuse children.

Anderson assumes the role of the prophetic female voice declaring the sins of oppression, abuse, and indifference embedded within the male subculture since time immemorial. The book’s language is forceful and has a tone of anger and indignation. The vignettes woven throughout Shout show Anderson looking for her self-confidence and identity in spite of the fact that men – both at a personal and institutional level – are constantly attempting to undermine her efforts. Shout is a book of free verse poetry that describes the life journey of its author, Laurie Halse Anderson, the bestselling author of the 1999 book Speak. By Jay Trovato, adult contributor and librarian.

Shout by laurie anderson