Speaking Me Reviewed by APOOO Book Club - 4 out of 4 stars

[Pam Osbey]

Speaking Me: A Youth Anthology is a collection of prose, poetry, and short fiction penned by teens and young adults that is awakening, inspiring, and very much needed. In Forgetting Yeye, by Carmen Li, a young girl grieves not only the loss of a dear family member but also the memory of him. With lines like:

Both our eyes were wet; the only difference was that you had drops of water, the size of grapes, because you had to leave the world. I had them too because you, my Yeye, were leaving us behind.

There is no denying they need to be heard.

In Gabriel C. Tyler's poem, Red Black Green, he revels in his culture, transforming his skin color into art and music. His passion for his ethnicity is displayed in lines reading:

For we transcend limitations
We intricate revolution
We notes in the key of jazz
We the silky voice that strums the valves of the trombone...

There is no denying they need to be heard.

Other themes that are intricately woven through Speaking Me touch upon suicide, love, anger, confusion, and cries to be heard. Who better to hear them than other youth and their parents? There were a few grammatical errors but overall it was a good read. If you want a glimpse into the minds of today's youth, Speaking Me would be a good starting point.

Reviewed by Darnetta Frazier
APOOO BookClub