Louder Than Words: The First Collection: 3 True Stories of Ordinary Girls with Extraordinary Lives

by Marni Bates, Chelsey Shannon, Emily Smucker

WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN YOU GIVE TALENTED TEEN girl writers a chance to share their life story with the world? The firstever series of teen-authored Louder Than Words. Each Louder Than Words book features a young author sharing her powerful story through unique prose, journal entries, and poetry. Louder Than The First Collection features three unique books written by three incredible teen authors in one riveting compilation. In My True Story of Stress, Hair-Pulling, and Other Obsessions, Marni Bates brings us inside her secret world of 'pulling' and the challenges of surviving high school while trying to hide an obscure stress disorder. Then in My True Story of Chronic Illness and Missing Out On Life, Emily Smucker takes us through the senior year that wasn't when chronic illness forced her to miss out on one of the most important times of her life. And finally in My True Story of Murder, Loss, and Starting Over, Chelsey Shannon uses writing as a way to recover from experiencing the unthinkable when her father was murdered the week before her fourteenth birthday. Because Truth Is More Fascinating Than Fiction www.louderthanwordsbooks.com

Genres: Young Adult

377 pages, Paperback

First published August 2, 2010

About the author

Marni Bates' autobiography MARNI (part of HCI's Louder Than Words series) was on the New York Public Library Stuff for the Teen Age 2010 List. She then signed a five book deal with KTeen. Her first YA novel, AWKWARD, has been optioned by the Disney Channel as a made-for-TV movie and translated into several languages. Her latest YA novel DIAL EM FOR MURDER is with Merit Press.

In her free time she can be found reading romance novels, hiking, singing really loudly (and off-key) in public and watching copious amounts of television--strictly for artistic inspiration, of course.

Reviews

[Jenny]

Louder Than Words is an inspirational book about 3 ordinary girls who have been selected to write about their own lives.
Marni,Emily, and Chelsey were ordinary girls, who have pretty interesting lives.
So heres what they do when they found out they were chosen..
They wrote about every little detail in their live. They explained their emotions through tears, and laughter. They explain it, and we sit and read it!
They go through all of these emotions, and actually let us go through them too.
I laughed, cried, and learned about 3 ordinary girls' lives.
Chelsey's mom just died. Thats all she explains, but she has to deal with those emotions. This is the part that made me ball the most. I have experienced death in my family and it is VERY hard to deal with.
Emily wants every little danger, and suffering to be gone. She does everything she can to make these things come true. Its amazing how just one girl can do so much.
And finally Marni who has MANY fears. She is trying to concure them, but it is very hard for her. She works so hard but she can never get over them.


THis book really inspired me to fight for what you believe in. It told me that coping with your fears and death is hard, but you can do anything you put your mind to.

I deffenently think you should read this!
It will change your life.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was ok...i dont really like biographies though

[BCPL Youth Services Librarian]

Click to see book in BCPL's online catalog

[Kelsey]

Bought this book for you, Chelsey! I need to read it, I feel so bad putting it off x)
WOOT SCPA!

[Joan 2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this series. I think they have a fantastic idea that can really help teens! Having 3 books together lowered the rating, since I did not like one of the stories. Still a great idea!

[Tessa Weisenberger]

it was good, just a lil boringg at parts..