SHOUT for Harry Ainlay

At Harry Ainlay, both The Prince and the Dressmaker and Shout are welcome additions to our library and classrooms.

Reading The Prince and the Dressmaker takes a reader on an undeniably sweet experience into another world. It is visually stunning and the ink choices/artwork bring out Paris during this time period. Things we enjoyed:

- refusal to pathologize the prince's love for dresses;

- father's denial and then the realization of his son's need AND his confident and supportive  participation in the fashion show;

- dressmaker's refusal to be hidden and her commitment to her craft and passion

From a structural perspective, the characters' motivations are not always discussed adequately. It is a unique subject matter where a young man who likes dressing up in clothes not socially acceptable. At the heart of the story, there are deeper issues that just are not covered or discussed. Sebastian does not really know why he likes dressing up in his mother's dresses, besides the fact that he feels more like himself by sometimes feeling like a princess and other times feeling like a prince. This concept needs to be addressed more thoroughly; what does this really mean? It goes beyond clothes, and it must be hard to depict through text, however, that probably was not the author's main purpose or intent.  The character development of Sebastian is shown well through the use of close-ups and specific facial expressions. The reader can feel for him as he feels like he has to hide what he likes doing from society and his family. That part of the story was interesting so that even though a reader might not understand him, they could still see his struggles.  There is a positive message of acceptance, from Frances and from the King. The novel does not discuss the depth of the relationship between Frances and Sebastian, though, and somewhat leaves the reader wondering what is happening or why. In this sense, there is a lot happening with Frances, as she is starting this relationship with Sebastian that is undefined and becoming a celebrated designer...there could be more character development for Frances.

Shout

Shout. Laurie Halse Anderson. Speak is still a novel used in our ELA classrooms and in junior high programs. Twenty years later Melinda's story and empowerment still grant readers to speak and shout their stories twenty years later. In the world we live in, we are now more open about consent, sexual assault, and the trauma that surrounds it, at any age. Given the Weinstein trial starting and the #metoo movement - Shout got our vote easily. We enjoyed:

- the rawness of emotion, sensation, language

- the reflective and recursive revisiting of her trauma in different stages of her life

- the inclusion of her adult experiences as a writer, as someone that people confide in and have connected with - the Melindas

Structurally, this novel is unique as the poetry takes the reader on a journey with the author. She has been shaped by her family, her rape, her international journey, and her work as a writer. There is power in her reflections, and power in the fact that she finds healing, strength, and then comes back to help others. Her words are sometimes heartbreaking, and sometimes pack a painful punch, when one realizes that what unites humanity might be more traumatic than positive. At any rate, the stylistic choices the writer uses, sound techniques and strong imagery, can allow readers to experience with her the trauma she faced, and how she managed to address it. Shout might not be something that would be accessible to many teens, though, in the sense that this is an adult reflecting and writing from an adult's perspective. That being said, this is poetry that tells a story, and students who are mature enough will gravitate to this style. The voice and the stylistic choices are in a league of their own.

After reading this novel, it made me want to write my own poetry. My own life story. How many books have this capacity?

This was in a way an unfair match up -- they are just so very different. As an authentic voice, allied with #metoo, this book matters, and Anderson's story matters.