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Speak of Me As I Am Kindle Edition

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 52 ratings

A moving story of grief, honesty, and the healing power of art — the ties that bind us together, even when those we love are gone.

Melanie and Damon are both living in the shadow of loss. For Melanie, it's the loss of her larger-than-life artist mother, taken by cancer well before her time. For Damon, it’s the loss of his best friend, Carlos, who took his own life.
 
As they struggle to fill the empty spaces their loved ones left behind, fate conspires to bring them together. Damon takes pictures with Carlos’s camera to try to understand his choices, and Melanie begins painting as a way of feeling closer to her mother. But when the two join their school’s production of
Othello, the play they both hoped would be a distraction becomes a test of who they truly are, both together and on their own. And more than anything else, they discover that it just might be possible to live their lives without completely letting go of their sadness.

Praise for Speak of Me As I Am:

"Debut author Belasco adeptly captures the tribulations of high school life while also celebrating art's ability to help clarify and contextualize its joys and sorrows. . . . The novel's most intriguing character . . . is grief itself, which the author illuminates, examines, and dissects with a surgeon's precision and the gentle touch of an artist. A stirring account of the trials of adolescence." —
Kirkus Reviews
 
"This book will undoubtedly be compared to Rainbow Rowell’s
Eleanor & Park. . . . Teens seeking a quieter but no less moving story will find this book a perfect read." —Booklist

"Never maudlin, always authentic, the portrayal of their struggles to deal with grief and with love will resonate with many teens." —
VOYA

"A good purchase for realistic fiction collections and for readers looking for books about survivor’s guilt and healing." —
School Library Journal 

"Belasco’s novel sends a powerful message about the complicated nature of grief. . . . This powerful, emotional work should be earmarked to be a favorite with teen readers." —
BookPage

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up—How does one cope with loss? How can a person move on from the death of a mother? Or that of a best friend? These are the issues Melanie and Damon have to confront as they embark on another year of school. Damon's best friend, Carlos, committed suicide, so Damon's family moved to give Damon a fresh start at a new school. Melanie's mom passed away over the summer from cancer, and Melanie and her father have a hard time dealing with the giant hole in their lives. Hoping to keep his connection to Carlos alive, Damon takes pictures with Carlos's camera, while Melanie, who has been avoiding any kind of artistic urge since losing her mom, a larger-than-life artist, is convinced to help paint the sets for the school's play, Othello, in which Damon is playing the lead. Maybe together they can figure out how to live with loss and sadness, instead of trying to ignore it. Chapters that alternate between Damon's and Melanie's perspectives begin by addressing the teens' late loved ones. Readers will come away with a strong sense of not only the protagonists but also the secondary characters, including the departed. In a moving author's note, Belasco includes helpful links to a variety of supportive organizations whose missions link to the story's themes. VERDICT A good purchase for realistic fiction collections and for readers looking for books about survivor's guilt and healing.—Natalie Struecker, Atlantic Public Library, IA

Review

Praise for Speak of Me As I Am:

"Debut author Belasco adeptly captures the tribulations of high school life while also celebrating art's ability to help clarify and contextualize its joys and sorrows. . . . The novel's most intriguing character . . . is grief itself, which the author illuminates, examines, and dissects with a surgeon's precision and the gentle touch of an artist. A stirring account of the trials of adolescence." —
Kirkus Reviews

"This book will undoubtedly be compared to Rainbow Rowell’s 
Eleanor & Park. . . . Teens seeking a quieter but no less moving story will find this book a perfect read." —Booklist

"Never maudlin, always authentic, the portrayal of their struggles to deal with grief and with love will resonate with many teens." —VOYA

"A good purchase for realistic fiction collections and for readers looking for books about survivor’s guilt and healing." —
School Library Journal 

"Belasco’s novel sends a powerful message about the complicated nature of grief. . . . This powerful, emotional work should be earmarked to be a favorite with teen readers." —BookPage
 


Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01IAUG974
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Philomel Books (April 4, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 4, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1027 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 269 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 52 ratings

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
52 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers praise the writing quality as beautiful and vibrant. They describe the book as a moving story about love and becoming oneself. The characters are described as human and timeless.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

13 customers mention "Writing quality"13 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing quality. They find the prose beautiful, with a lovely sense of hope. The book is described as real and vibrant, with a great writer providing depth and detail. Readers describe the writing as captivating, rich, and atmospheric.

"...The writing is lyrical without ever being excessive and the characters move around each other in ways that feel really true and age-appropriate...." Read more

"I loved this book for so many reasons. Belasco is skilled at writing about grief, how it can paralyze you until you embrace it as part of who you..." Read more

"...I Am" is a story about grief, very vivid and explored in depth from two different perspectives, two different experiences, Damon's and Melanie's...." Read more

"...Gorgeous writing, Shakespeare, and romance are added bonus points to this poignant and powerful story" Read more

4 customers mention "Romance"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the romance in the book. They find it poignant and powerful, with a moving story about love and grief. The writing is described as lovely, smart, and cathartic, with a lovely sense of hope.

"This is a lovely, smart, moving story with teenagers who sound and feel like teenagers who have teenager-y experiences while processing acute, fresh..." Read more

"...This is also a story about love and becoming you more than anything and it is beautifully executed. I want to give this book to everyone I know." Read more

"...Gorgeous writing, Shakespeare, and romance are added bonus points to this poignant and powerful story" Read more

"...Beautiful prose, beautiful feelings, and a lovely sense of hope." Read more

3 customers mention "Human characters"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the characters believable.

"...like a dream, in graceful soothing sentences, and the characters she creates are fully human...." Read more

"I loved this novel by Sonia Belasco. The characters are so real, deep, rich, vibrant...." Read more

"Speak of Me As I Am is modern and timeless and oh so human. It is a book for anyone who has ever grieved or loved...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2017
    This is a lovely, smart, moving story with teenagers who sound and feel like teenagers who have teenager-y experiences while processing acute, fresh grief without removing themselves from the world around them. The writing is lyrical without ever being excessive and the characters move around each other in ways that feel really true and age-appropriate.

    I love Damon and Melanie and I love the stuttering, delicate way they come to know and care for each other. I love how simply and clearly they enjoy each other and how honest they are about it with one another. I also love that they struggle to communicate without it becoming meaningless drama. I love Tristan and his effortless affections. I love Prague and how much he tries. I love the careful, concerned parents who respect their growing children's autonomy without forgetting that they're also grieving teenagers who need parenting. I love how much DC feels like a character too, rich and atmospheric and ancient. I love that Carlos and Dana are so, so present in a story that outlives them and that they are both able to evolve from burdens of grief to lights of memory.

    I worried that this would be too much for me, emotionally, because of my own personal relationship with both suicide and cancer, but the balance of pain and hope is pitch-perfect, gentle and real and cathartic. I felt lighter in the end and there is nothing more I could have asked for.
    4 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2018
    Endearing characters in a story about loss and healing. It took me a while into the book to become truly invested, but glad I stuck it out.
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2017
    I loved this book for so many reasons. Belasco is skilled at writing about grief, how it can paralyze you until you embrace it as part of who you are. She understands how you can know someone better after they die and you peruse their stuff. Belasco writes like a dream, in graceful soothing sentences, and the characters she creates are fully human. I especially like the way she captures the lives of teens growing up in a city, how the city challenges and thwarts them and how they make it their own by creating special shared spaces. I read this book straight through in one sitting and I highly recommend it.
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2017
    I loved this novel by Sonia Belasco. The characters are so real, deep, rich, vibrant. You want to become friends with them, and you do, you're there, sharing their lives, their grief. Because "Speak Of Me As I Am" is a story about grief, very vivid and explored in depth from two different perspectives, two different experiences, Damon's and Melanie's. Different, but shared. It is interesting, riveting, how Sonia Belasco weaves these stories together. This is also a story about love and becoming you more than anything and it is beautifully executed. I want to give this book to everyone I know.
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2017
    Melanie Ellis and Damon Lewis have both suffered terrible losses, with the death of Melanie's mother from cancer and Damon's best friend to suicide. A chance encounter at the park turns into something more when the teenagers end up attending the same high school. Will their mutual grief allow Melanie and Damon to bond in a way that others just would not be able to understand? Can they help each other to be happy, despite all of their pain?

    Dealing with a profound loss affects people in different ways, just like Melanie and Damon. As they navigate their feelings for each other, they learn that their loved ones are very much a part of their lives and their decisions. Although I was not blown away by the story, the author does have some good advice for dealing with grief and loss.
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2017
    The path to healing is steeped in pain, but Melanie and Damon find each other in their time of need, both of them still reeling from devastating loss. I loved Melanie’s complicated love for the parent she lost, by a daughter who often felt eclipsed by her mother’s larger than life presence. Damon’s struggle to come to terms with his best friend’s suicide is palpable on every page. You know there’s more to the story; you just don’t know what until the end. Gorgeous writing, Shakespeare, and romance are added bonus points to this poignant and powerful story
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2017
    the best thing about this book was the development of the characters; they really feel believable. I also loved the author's prose! great descriptions, metaphors, etc.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2017
    One of my favorite things about a good book is when the characters are people I want to spend time with, and this book delivers that to a T. It's not just the two POV characters, but the people in their orbit. A definite re-read, because I will want to spend time with them again. It's the kind of book I wish I had at times in my life when I was dealing with loss, and I am so glad that it's there for other people. Beautiful prose, beautiful feelings, and a lovely sense of hope.
    One person found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Anna
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous!
    Reviewed in Canada on April 23, 2017
    I want to swim in the depths of this book. I want to wrap its words around me like a blanket and hold them tight. Because SPEAK OF ME AS I AM is overflowing with some of the most gorgeous writing I've read. Reading it, I felt like I was reading a poem written on a tombstone under a tree bursting with pink apple blossoms.

    It's not flowery or inaccessible, though. Sonia's words are jam-packed with beautiful emotion, but they're still completely down to earth. Her characters speak beautifully, but also frankly (and sometimes crudely) about everything from sex to racism and homophobia to death and grieving.

    Since SPEAK OF ME AS I AM is about two grieving teens, I was worried it would be painfully sad. It wasn't, though. I mean, it was. It was heartbreaking and devastating. But it felt more beautiful and moving than sad. It was less of a book about losing a piece of your heart, and more of a book about learning to live with a heart that will never be whole again.

    I adored this book, and strongly recommend it.

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