Because I Am Furniture

by Thalia Chaltas

Anke’s father is abusive. But not to her. He attacks her brother and sister, but she’s just an invisible witness in a house of horrors, on the brink of disappearing altogether. Until she makes the volleyball team at school. At first just being exhausted after practice feels good, but as Anke becomes part of the team, her confidence builds. When she learns to yell “Mine!” to call a ball, she finds a voice she didn’t know existed. For the first time, Anke is seen and heard. Soon, she’s imagining a day that her voice will be loud enough to rescue everyone at home—including herself.

Genres: Young Adult, Poetry, Realistic Fiction, Abuse, Fiction, Contemporary, Novel In Verse

352 pages, Hardcover

First published April 16, 2009

About the author

Thalia Chaltas (Author, Because I Am Furniture, Viking, 2009) worked hard at her luck to get her Young Adult novel Because I Am Furniture published by Viking. She has been writing for children since just before the turn of the century. The current century. Running her medical transcription business has taught her the value of editing, since most physicians don’t sound brilliant without a transcriptionist. Raising five-year-old daughter Kaeva has taught Thalia the hard work of love, and she feels lucky to have that job as her first priority. She currently has her butt in the chair, working on another novel for Viking.

As a teenager Thalia Chaltas wanted to do everything, and she envied people who knew without question what their life goal was. Thalia did preliminary training to be a kinesiologist, a helicopter pilot, and a fire fighter, and has at times been a bus driver, a ropes course instructor, and a contralto in an a capella group. Along the way she has played lots of volleyball, written poetry, and collected children’s books. And eventually, that anvil fell from the sky and she realized writing was what all this previous intensive training was for.

She has kept every poem she has ever written – except one. Because she can’t find it.

Thalia lives in California with her daughter.
BECAUSE I AM FURNITURE is her first novel.

Where do I write?

First, I will tell you where I usually do not write. At home! Why? Because most of my life is there! Laundry in a pile. A new blackberry ice cream to create. Dust bunnies to pet. Very distracting.

Reviews

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is disgusting, disturbing, horrific and sad
yet so beautiful and honest.
So deep and moving,
So heart-wrenching.
How terrifying it must be
to be terrified of your own Father.
How mind-f*&^ing it must be
to want any attention from him,
to be jeaouls of your sisters rape,
to desire to be beaten
or yelled at
just something to know he knows you exist.
How powerful you must feel
knowing you are the reason he was sent to jail,
how powerless you must feel to know he is now out.
You are no longer furnature.
You exist, you have a life.


If you have never really read any books with verse/poetry to tell the story, this might be a good one to start on. It's super quick and easy to follow. I still feel like I read a story, not just a collection of pretty words. This is not like that. My heart breaks, because you know this sort of thing goes on all over the world. There are so many people who are left so powerless and feel like they have no way out- I am so glad this one ended on a good note.
Try this one out... but be prepared that it is a sad story.

https://www.amazon.com/Because-Am-Fur...


This and other reviews (and other fun stuff) over on my blog
Messyhousehappylife

[Cornmaven · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book just didn't work for me. It's a novel in verse, which I usually like very much. But I don't think that the story should have been told that way. I think it should have been a regular novel.

The 'verse' alternated between pretty sophomoric stuff, I supposed in an attempt to make the voice of the 14 year old protagonist authentic, and some high level word usage within the verse,which would not fit a 14 year old living in the situation.

The father is over the top abusive - beats up the son, beats on and rapes the middle daughter, but doesn't touch the younger daughter. Hence the title. The mother, out of fear of something, has looked the other way, tried to not rock the boat. It's freaky, creepy, and I suppose accurate for some situations. The middle daughter does nothing because the father has told her he will kill her if she tells, and indeed, his anger is such that it would be reasonable for her to believe him. So she goes to great lengths to protect herself, including using the pill (but how did she get the scrip without parent involvement? - she's a minor - only through a Planned Parenthood office/clinic perhaps -except she's not indigent, and someone should have put 2 and 2 together).

There's an attempt to use volleyball as a some sort of metaphor for confidence, I think, but it doesn't work for me. In fact, the creepy sections are thrown in amidst a large amount of volleyball practice, and it was so weird. If that was the point, OK, but I am not so sure.

All in all, not my favorite book within the genre of abusive parents.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am always there.
But they don't care if I am
because I am furniture.

I don't get hit
I don't get fondled
I don't get love
because I am furniture

Suits me fine.

Anke has a difficult home life, though that is putting it mildly. Her father is abusive. She sees all. Hears all. Yet though a witness, she's somehow avoided being the subject of his abuse. (Though witnessing it is damaging enough as it is.) Can a teen girl break out of her silence and get help for her troubled family?

Because I Am Furniture is a verse novel about hard issues: physical, verbal, and sexual abuse. With all the negative going on in her life, Anke finds great joy in the one positive of her life: volleyball. Can what she learns on the court change her life off the court?

Here's one of the poems I enjoyed from the novel:

They call us
Nopes
the "out" crowd,
we don't fit their
dog-show guidelines
wealthy-beautiful.

We call them
Yups
they have to
all agree,
yup each other
every day on every thing.

And we say
Nope, don't
want any part
of your Yuppitude
so tight
society will burst
with any change
of thought.

But being a fractured, momentary gathering
and not an actual collective,
we say
Nope
individually
with scrambled cadence

and their
Yup
is way
louder.

(25-26)

[Amanda D'Alonzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goodreads asks "what do you think? " Well, where do I begin? I read this book in one sitting, roughly one hour. Took me roughly another hour to return to reality.

Written in verse, a form I absolutely love, when done correctly, I am Furniture unravels the lives of a family plagued by abuse - sexual, physical, mental, and emotional abuse. The story reveals the rawness of emotion and the roller coaster of feelings that exist when an individual develops her ability to want something better.

There were moments when I questioned the insanity of not speaking up sooner, but Chaltas weaves a story in which it is easy to understand the protagonist's choices. I found myself feeling guilty devouring the book in an effort to find out what happens. Embarrassment ran through my cheeks when certain aspects of the abuse were so blatantly described. In the end, pride in Anke trumped all emotions.

I am Furniture tells the powerful story of taking back ownership of one's life and standing up for those that may not have the courage to stand up for themselves. A heartfelt reminder that we are in this crazy thing called life together.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

{This review was originally published on Clear Eyes, Full Shelves.}

Thalia Chaltas' Because I am Furniture exemplifies the unique power of novels in verse. There are a lot of yougn adult novels about family violence, and many of them are excellent. However, in Because I am Furniture, the verse form allows the reader to experience the house of horrors in which Anke, the main character, lives.

Fourteen year-old Anke's siblings are terrorized by their abusive father while her mother passively watches, seemingly accepting the violence and sexual abuse of her children. Anke, however, is simply ignored.

I am always there.
But they don't care if I am
because I am furniture.

I don't get hit
I don't get fondled
I don't get love
because I am furniture

Suits me fine.

Anke is a younger narrator than I usually prefer--she's 14 and a high school freshman. I do think this was a barrier to my getting into the story initially, because she lacks some maturity, particularly in how she deals with friends at school. However, Anke joins the volleyball team and it utterly transforms her, as sports often do (and other activities like music, drama, debate team, whatever).

Her on the ground holding up the wrapper,
me with my hands up in victory,
"The CROWD GOES WIIILLLD!"
Two senior guys stroll by,
eyebrows raised.
We grin.

Volleyball has taught me to yell.

Not only has volleyball taught Anke to yell, and stand up for herself and others, it's also taught her about friendships.

She develops a friendship with another girl from the team with a troubled homelife, Rona, and this helps her grow more self-assured. I loved that in this novel, while there is a minor love-interest plot, this new friendship is more important to the novel and Anke's transformation. That aspect to Because I am Furniture was extremely uplifting.

Unlike the previous book I read dealing with family violence, I really connected with Anke--she's tough and intelligent, but not artificially so. It read as appropriate and realistic for someone her age who's been through a lot and has managed to remain whole. The character development is quite outstanding for such a relatively short novel.

However...

If you are bothered by intense descriptions of violence and abuse, I have to warn you that this is likely not be the book for you.

I struggled through Because I am Furniture at points, particularly when Anke witnesses the abuse of her siblings and wonders if it would be better to be in their places, not so she can same them from their suffering, but because she at least would not be ignored and invisible. It was a struggle being in Anke's head at many, many points in Because I am Furniture,

He went into Yaicha's room
last night
after he hit her
across the mouth
for reading
Cosmo magazine.

I burned in my blood,
I turned to Mom
as we stood in the hall
and inside my head screamed,DO something!

Her eyes glazed and wide
like an injured cat,
her mouth pulled tight,
Mom sighed in a voice that didn't match,

"It'll be okay.
He's just making peace with her."
And she walked away.

Because I am Furniture is filled with moments such as these. The experience of reading this book was extremely frustrating at times because I, like Anke, was extremely angered by her mother's apathy toward what her children are experiencing (that's what it appears to be, given that we're experiencing everything through Anke's eyes). And then I had to pull myself out of the reading book, and take some deep breaths before diving back into the pages.

And, that, as I mentioned earlier, is why Thalia Chaltas' debut is such a strong example of the power of the verse form.

FNL Character Rating: Tyra, in the Humble Pie episode.

A younger voice than I usually read, but the intensity of the verse made up for that for me. Tough read because of the violence and abuse.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot was good and the verse was actually not terrible, but the ending felt abrupt and I didn't really connect to the characters at all.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only are the verses in this book beautifully written with meaningful poetic devices, if you're inclined toward noting that sort of thing, the topic is unfortunately, always contemporary.

There's so much I could say about this fantastic book, but I'll focus in on a couple of points. Anke believes it's better to be like a piece of furniture in her family. Those who are noticed are hit and sexually used and abused. She's the youngest and somehow ignored in nearly every aspect of the family's life, most importantly by her abusive father.

The mother, who most will have no sympathy for, is somewhat more human and sympathetic at the end of the book. She speaks of how she had thought doing nothing was best for her family, that she'd once truly loved this man she called her husband.

Yikes! It is horrible to think that a mother could turn her eyes away from the horror of her and her children's lives to protect the sanctity of the family. There's nothing sacred about a man who rapes and beats. Still, it's not an atypical response from wives of such men.

Finally, Anke becomes noticed and does something to bring the beast to justice. The message in the book is that victims have power, if they will take it. It's also about the love that the family had for one another and how they can pull together to changed what seems destined to spiral down until it's reached the very depths of hell.

I caution people who may read this book. It's tough. It's horrific. It's a welcome-to-a-world-of-horror read.

On the positive side, it's beautifully written, demonstrates an attitude of personal power and change and it brings you into the mind of a girl of fourteen who has many qualities to admire and who finally overcomes circumstances that appear so abysmal that hope seems buried so deep that it can never see the light of day.

It's from the heart of a person who writes with empathy and hope. It demonstrates that those who feel powerless can prevail.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a heartbreaking look at abuse within a family, and most times I forgot about the story being written in verse.

Anke lives in a nightmare. Her father repeatedly beats her older brother, rapes her older sister, and terrorizes their mother, who does nothing to stop the abuse. But Anke is, for the most part, left alone. She struggles between feeling relieved that her father rarely chooses to speak or acknowledge her and feeling hurt that he doesn't "show his love" in some way. She knows she shouldn't WANT to be beaten or abused, but she can't help feeling unloved and unwanted.

At first the chapters switching from horrible home life to normal school day (classes, volleyball, boys) was a little jarring, but it's a realistic look at children who are raised in abusive situations. They are taught from a young age to hide everything and pretend things are normal. Anke, however, doesn't think she can continue doing that.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because I Am Furniture is written in verse, and it works. It's quite a powerful novel that deals with an interesting subject: child abuse. Of course, we've seen it, read it, heard it all before. But Anke's not the one being abused, she's the witness of the abuse, which is probably equally as tough.

Even though it's a thick enough book, because it's in verse, it goes very quickly. I was able to read it in one day, almost in one go. I however, thought that maybe it was a little too short. There perhaps wasn't as much depth and detail as I may have liked. It describes her life, her experiences with volleyball, her journey to finding the strength to speak out. But that's really it. I would have liked to learn about more of the characters' opinions. Exactly why her father abused them, why no one really did anything. I mean, obviously the family was scared of the father. But... I just think there could have been more to it.

It's a very simple book in that way. There isn't really that much other stuff or subplots. It isn't really a bad thing, but well... I thought there would be more to it.

I do like the change in Anke. I like how at first she's timid and frankly a little weak, but as she plays volleyball, her confidence grows and grows. She learns a lot and I like the fact that it comes from a sport, in this case volleyball. Through volleyball, Anke discovers a strength and beauty within herself, and others notice. For instance, she attracts the attention of males now, including her father. Which is disgusting.

Overall, it's a great fast read that encourages one to be able to stop abuse. It reminded me a little of North of Beautiful, but with a lot less. But the abuse is the same, always from the father. Why is that? Or maybe I just haven't read a lot of books with an abusive mother, except for Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen.

Read it if you like verse. Read it if you're interesting in learning and understanding more of child abuse. Read it if you want to be able to feel good at the end. Read it if you want to feel empowered.

[Hanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Because I am Furiture, is not the best book ever. It is written in verse, but I think that it should have been written as a regular novel. I read the excerpt and saw how she plays volleyball and I knew that it was going to be cheesey. I still gave it a chance, though. Then I saw how it was in rhyme. Noone should ever write poetry about volleyball. I could not stand it!

Then rest of the book was rather...

Her dad is a creepo and I don't know why Anke's (the protaganist) mom ever married him and why she was still married to him. He beats up Anke's older brother and older sister and I'm pretty sure that he rapes them both. I know he rapes the sister...

And her mom does absolutely nothing. I do not know why. In fact it seems like she thinks that it is like helping them or something. When he goes in their rooms, I think we all know what that means, she said that he was just making peace with them.

So we have the peverted, abusive dad, the mom who does nothing, not because she is scared, because she thinks it is for the best, the abused brother and sister, and the youngest daughter who wishes that she was beaten up by her very own father, because then he would love her. Quite a disfunctional family.

In the end, she catches her dad trying to rape one of her aquintances. She finds her voice through volleyball (how touching) and tells him to stop, saving her friend. When her dad comes home, she explodes. He throws an armchair at her and the bone of her leg comes out. That was pretty cool. I wish that they had told what happened after that. I think that it woudld have gone better with the story if he had beaten up someone else then, or maybe he could have kidnapped the sister and run away. Just some suggestions to juice it up a bit. Then they all live ahppily ever after once he gets thrown in jail. The end



(Sorry if this review was a little perverted, but so was this book)

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be perfectly honest, this book would have been better in my opinion if it was not poetry. Poetry is just not my thing. The character development of Anke was great, she finally spoke up about what was going on at home. You got to read what you got to read in school. Still a good book though.

[Rachel Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although hard to read, I am glad that I read this book. It was recommended by a teen at the library I volunteer at. I was somewhat surprised that there were not resources in the back of this book on how to identify and report abuse and would have liked to have seen that.

[Charline Beaulieu · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 really an worthy book, fast to read, well written and emotional

[Melanie Carpentier · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a stream-of-consciousness/poetic type of young adult book about abuse, alcoholic fathers, and the gift that a sports team can be to the high school spirit. If you like Speak, this is definitely up your ally. I love poetic books and this one is quick read. Very sad, but it's something I would ~maybe~ share with a student if I thought they were mature enough for the content and had parental approval.

[Joe_Girlboss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was definitely good, and I would totally recommend it to anyone. The only problem I had with it was that I felt like it ended abruptly, and I wish more questions would've been answered. Other than that, I loved the characters and how everyone came together after the climax. <3

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sooo sad but it's a fast read and very beautiful

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review can be found on my blog.

My thoughts:

I think the correct feeling I had when I finished this book is that I wished it was more. More emotional, more depth to the characters, more engaging to the reader. It was undoubtedly all of these things, but not to the point where I was a sobbing mess or screaming at the characters.

The abuse portrayed in this novel is described with the best mix of detached denial and up-close horror. Anke’s feelings about it is conflicted which both surprised me and was realistic. She hates her father for what he is doing to her siblings, but she feels worthless because he doesn’t pay the same ‘attention’ to her. It’s a twisted way to think, but when you consider a daughter’s longing for her father’s appreciation it is scarily probable.

Another part I thought made the novel unique is the strong imagery that I wasn’t sure a verse novel could achieve. I loved the references to leaves and trees, along with the attached symbolism. Anke’s voice served her character well, both with the hints of fear and longing. I do wish I was more engaged with her character though, there were quite a few times I felt like I was “on the outside looking in” when I would rather, as a reader, be experiencing her emotions as well (you know what I mean?).

I did feel the secondary characters excluding her family were a bit weak. They felt mostly flat, especially the two love interests, Jed and Kyler. I wanted a bit more from Rona as well but I can understand Anke’s desire to keep her at arm’s length when regarding the personal issues. I loved the way volleyball was incorporated into the novel, kind of like the forbidden activity but something she can’t help but love.

Lastly, I thought the ending was only okay. The way the abuse was resolved felt a bit clichéd, not to mention (just a tiny bit) reminiscent of the novel Speak. I wanted a bit more, and wished it could have been a bit less tidy. I also thought that throughout the majority of the novel Anke’s emotions are always strongly portrayed until the very end where it kind of fell short.

Rating in HP Terms (OWLs): Acceptable

3.2/5 because I enjoyed this one quite a bit. It didn’t take long to get used to the verse style and it dealt with a tough subject with poise and directness. It never shied away or sugar-coated a very serious topic that deserves attention. Anke’s character is exceptionally written and the conflict portrayed in the novel is very strong. I wanted a bit more emotional attachment to Anke along with secondary characters with more depth. Figurative language is very well used (ugh, English teacher, go away!).

[Lizzie Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good book if you like sappy stories it is a sad story to begin with it is about a girl whose family ignores her. She has an abusive father but only to her brother and sister. Her dad ignored her all the time. Anke's older siblings, Darren and Yaicha, put up with the abuse their father gives to them and act as though nothing is really going on. She goes out for the volleyball team and makes varsity she is a good volleyball player but her dad doesn’t like competition so he doesn’t like that she plays. She still continues to play even though her dad doesn’t approve. Her confidence builds more and more the longer she's on the team. She's wishing this would capture her father's attention but not even this seems to do the trick. Until one day at home she finds her voice with him and from there the book really takes a turn. Her sister, brother or her mom won’t say anything to anybody about her father will she be the one to say something?? This is a book you won’t want to put down. It is a super easy to read.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because I Am Furniture is a book that tackles many hard subjects such as rape, verbal and physical abuse. Thalia defiantly doesn't shy away from the hard parts with these topics, making this a gripping and startling novel told in verse style.

Normally, I'm not a huge fan of verse, with the exception of Ellen Hopkins and Sonya Sones, because of the lack of character and plot development that they usually have. With Because I Am Furniture it worked perfectly with the story, because both were ragged and intense. Also, Thalia Chaltas created a excellent lead character in this, her name being Anke. Anke was someone that you could only hope to be in a situation like this; brave and strong. Throughout the novel, I was rooting for her and her loved ones to overcome the hate and abuse her father put on them.

(Minor spoiler alert) One of my favorite parts of this novel was when Anke finally stood up to her father, leaving her family with the feeling of hope. Hope that they would be all right. Hope that her father would never hurt or see them again. Since, with these types of novels you don't really experience that feeling or strength. (end of spoiler)

Overall, Because I Am Furniture was defintly an incredible book with little faults. I hope that whatever Thalia comes up with next is just as great.

Grade: B+

[Josie]

This is a poetry book that is about a freshman girl named Anke who definitely lives a hard life. Anke tries as hard as she can to live a normal life, but her father makes that impossible. Her father is a child abuser and sexual harasser. He abuses Anke's brother and sister, but strangely not her. She goes unnoticed, hence the name "Because I Am Furniture". Throughout the story she watches her father's rage on her siblings and is too scared to do anything about it. The story isn't all bad though. She gets to know a boy named Kyler who she eventually starts dating. She makes the volleyball team and they almost win the whole league. To others who know her, everything seems to be fine with Anke, but that is hardly true. After witnessing her father try to rape her friend, she finally stands up to him to try to save her family and friends. It was a hard thing to do, and it caused his rage to flair and ended up putting Anke in a hospital bed. She went through a hard injury, but it was worth it to bring her family back together. The story ends with her family burning her father's chair as a symbol of his leaving their family. This is a great and well written book that I highly recommend.

[Shayne Bauer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe a 2.5. The abuse in this book is just too much for me. I can honestly say that this is the only book that has ever made me really uncomfortable. It is written in verse, which works well for the plot, but the content seems so forced. The main character gets her "voice" to speak out against her father from playing volleyball. The symbolism is not subtle enough to be effective, and with the tree thrown in at the end, it just seems like a weak attempt to parallel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. I'm not a fan, and I will give a strong warning to any student who wants to read this.

[Katie R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a disgustingly sad novel, yet full of hope. I like verse novels and this was one of the better ones. A quick read where each page flowed together.

I'm so proud of Anke, I really felt attached after reading her story.

This is not a happy family. Warnings of verbal, physical, and sexual abuse from the father.

[Allye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I didn't absolutely love the writing, the story was good, which made up for it. It was a quick read and my last of 2014!

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anke is the youngest of 3 children and has just begun her freshman year in high school. When she was little she adored her handsome professor father who played with his children and read to them. Now that they are teenagers, sister Yaicha and brother Darren receive all of Dad's attention and Anke feels ignored. Unfortunately, that loving father has changed over the years and attention he shows to his two oldest children leaves bruises and secret sessions in bedrooms. Anke knows that she is lucky to be spared what her siblings are dealing with but she finds that she envies the attention they get even while she dreads it.

Anke makes the school volleyball team and she thrives in the competitive arena. Once quiet and shy, she learns to have a voice and opinions. Attention from a handsome boy helps to booster her self-esteem. At home she continues to feel like a stick of furniture that everyone ignores. When Anke notices that a friend of hers has become quite infatuated with Anke's father she knows she must speak up before it is too late for her friend and her own family.

This was a difficult story because of the abuse and Anke's feelings of despair. It is wonderful to see her character blossom into a self-possessed young woman. The novel itself is interestingly unique in that it is written in free verse which flows nicely. This is a great debut young adult novel.

[Caelea · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read. Story told in verse about a high-school girl narrator (Anke) whose physically and sexually abusive father whomps on her older brother, sister, and then neighbor/friend. For some reason, her father does not seem to go after her, which both relieves and frustrates her. Her mother, a traumatized battered wife, does not protect her children...not until dad whomps on Anke by breaking a chair over her and breaks her leg---THEN, apparently, mom's eyes are fully opened, restraining orders are filed, therapists are booked, dad is no longer in the picture, and they burn his chair over a backyard bonfire. While I value and respect the importance of survival stories, this one felt too much like a 1/2 hour dark Brady Bunch episode where the problem was neatly wrapped up at the end of the episode.

Appropriateness for school....yes to have on the shelf. Not recommended for class novel. There are no graphic sex scenes, but it is implied. There is violence. Language is tame. More appropriate for high school than middle school. I think a student enduring abuse or a survivor of abuse may find hope in this. I think it reinforces a message that people are going through traumas that we cannot see, and so it is important to be kind and gentle with others.

[Sam Lyon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anke has a different kind of family. Her brother and sister are physically, verbally, and sexually abused by their father. Even though Anke is not abused in these ways she is invisible in her house and feels like she has no voice. She feels like furniture in a way. Thalia Chaltas was a very good writer and I would read other books by her. One of her strengths I noticed was that she was able to get across a big point in a just a small amount of words. I think this because the book is written some kind of poetic form and she doesn't directly say things. She is able to reveal different things about the characters or big things in the story by using figurative language and different literary devices. A weak point in the book was in the beginning I didn't really understand the characters that well because there was so much going on at the same time in the book. I would recommend this book to many people because it teaches a lot about hardships. I wouldn't think to recommend this book to younger kids but maybe teenagers and parents. This is because it helps show different feelings of people going through these struggles. Also is teaches about different types of abuse.

[Savannah Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

tittle: Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas. Genre: poetry
Setting: doesn't say a year or a specific time but it does take place in the girls homes.
The main idea is that this family has an abusive father/husband and the main girl is trying to get her family to tell someone about what is happening. The theme of the book is to not wait to tell someone if something bad is happening that could endanger you this is what the theme is to me.
my favorite part is how brave this person is my least favorite part is how they did not tell someone sooner.

[Jamie (The Kansan Reader)]

This is probably one of the oldest books on my TBR. I got it on audio I want to say a year ago but could have been longer. I decided since I have to start getting ready to do inventory, I'll get an audiobook ready.

This ain't it for me. It sounds way too young for me and it was hard for me to follow along. This book is only two hours long. For me it's probably one of those that should be read physically and not listened to.

[Hannah Michaels · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had some tough material in it, and it was told in verse. Very interesting to read. Even though there were few words, there was such a big story. Simplistic writing that said exactly what needed to be said. And you weren't missing anything. Highly recommend!

[Sammy Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a super quick read. Read it in 2 sittings. This novel dealt with some hard hitting topics, but I feel like it could have been a little longer and taken its time to discuss the topic at hand. Overall, a solid novel in verse.