Audience/Genre : Young Adult/Contemporary, Family Drama.
Publication : February 28th 2012 by Premier Digital Publishing.
Mary's older sister, Gwen, has royally screwed up her life. Not only is Gwen pregnant at seventeen, but she's also decided to marry The Creep who knocked her up.
Now Mary is powerless to stop her family from imploding. Her parents are freaking out, and to top it off The Creep has a gross fascination with Mary while Gwen enjoys teasing her to tears for sport.
Despite her brother's advice to shut up, Mary can't keep her trap closed and manages to piss off Mom so much it comes to blows.
Mary doesn't know what to do, and all her attempts to get help are rejected. When she finally plans her escape, she fails to consider how it could destroy them all.
I'm kind of a fussy reader. I can usually relate only to certain writing styles (preferably from a first person's point of view) and a lot of times, I've found myself not being able to engross mysel in a novel because the writing doesn't appeal to me. To make things worse, I've been going through a reading slump and the past two weeks, I haven't been reading as much as I usually do. However, once I started reading Shut Up, I was relieved.
For a book that seemed so short at first, Shut Up really managed to get the point across. It's one of the rare books that can pull you in and make you feel a whole range of emotions in just a few pages. It was exactly what I needed to wake me up from my slump.
Mary's our protagonist: a girl who gets picked on at school and bullied at home. She has an evil witch for a sister and utterly careless parents. Paul, Mary's brother, constantly tells her to shut up through all the crap that gets handed to her but she can't take it anymore and obviously, stuff hits the fan in their household. Repeatedly. Her life is basically hell and not surprisingly, she tries to run away from home..and that pretty much leads to chaos.
It's amazing how Anne managed to create such a strong and story character in just around 100 pages. I'm not sure if I should applaud this book for its intensity or judge it for drama but it's honestly remarkable. Mary and Paul had my complete and total sympathy, I was silently fuming on their behalf throughout the novel.
Shut Up may be small but regardless of it's size, it's a highly deep and compelling story that will definitely take you on an emotional roller-coaster.
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Anne Tibbets is an SCBWI award-winning and Smashwords.com Best Selling author. Anne found her way to young adult fantasy by following what she loves: strong female characters, magic, sword fights and ferocious and cuddly animals. Anne is co-author of the middle grade time travel adventure, "The Amulet Chronicles," author of the young adult fantasy "The Beast Call," and YA contemporary "Shut Up." She divides her time between writing, her family, and three furry creatures that she secretly believes are plotting her assassination.
Strictness is not necessary in order to main balance as it can tip the scales too far. I do enjoy these YA Saves type of books, but I do need something light once in a while, too.
ReplyDeleteI do like books that explore deep issues. I don't think a completely stritch upbringing is needed but rather a balance of methods.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to this because I got knocked up at 17 and I have a younger sister too so this might add perspective to that situation. I love emotional books esp when I'm tripping, it helps break down my barriers and makes it easier for me to deal with my personal demons better.
ReplyDeleteTalk Supe
I really don't know because I don't have kids but I think there should be rules and boundaries and consequences.
ReplyDeleteChristina K. in the rafflecopter
ReplyDeleteI don't think being strict leads to a happy family - understanding does.
I love issue books and deep emotional tales:)
Thanks so much:)
I think parents need to be sort of strict, but not like army sergent strict.. I like emotional book only when I'm feeling emotional, I have to be in the right mood for it...
ReplyDeleteI do like books that address serious issues. I think that's really what books are for. As for strict parenting, that's up to the individual. All parents do what they think is right. Sometimes one approach works sometimes another, sometimes nothing works.
ReplyDeleteI think talking to your children and listening to them at a time of their choosing is the most important thing about raising children, not a strict upbringing. I do like stories that deal with emotional issues because I can relate to them.
ReplyDeleteI think an open relationship with your kids is important. I like strong emotional reads.
ReplyDeleteI think that there needs to be a balance between strictness and flexibility to maintain the balance in the family..pick your battles. I like emotional reads.
ReplyDeleteI think strictness is necessary in the younger years, but not so much with teens. By then we know better, so we do better. If a YA is still not right by then, there's not much a parent can do about it, because they're practically grown. I like to read a few books that address deep/emotional issues, so long as the parent's aren't abusive.
ReplyDeleteI think some amount of strictness is important. I think being too strict might make teens act out, but being too lax lets them run wild. There has to be some balance. I like emotional reads, as long as it doesn't involve any type of emotional or physical abuse towards children.
ReplyDeleteI think there need to be a balance between too strict and not strict at all. If you're too strict your kids will resent you after awhile, but if you have no strictness and let your kids do whatever they will think there are no consequences in life. I like books that address emotional issues because these issues do exist and are verry real.
ReplyDelete-JennyC
I love books that explore deep emotional issues--isn't that why we read, to feel something? I think, like most of the other commenters, that there should be a balance between strictness and permissiveness.
ReplyDelete