Selective Mutism

Fiction and non-fiction which have characters suffering from selective mutism (also called "elective mutism"). This is when a person can speak but, for psychological reasons, does not. Often they speak in some settings (like home) but not others (like school).
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90 books · 75 voters · list created July 19th, 2010 by Meaghan (votes) .
34 likes · 
Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.


Meaghan 4145 books
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Laura 2825 books
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Sophie 177299 books
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Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) 546 books
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Sarah 1967 books
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Tay 0 books
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Jessica 723 books
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Catherine 1803 books
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More voters…


Comments Showing 1-7 of 7 (7 new)

dateDown arrow    newest »

message 1: by Meaghan (new)

Meaghan Do NOT add "Speak" to this list. The protagonist in the story did NOT suffer from selective mutism. Although she was deeply traumatized and didn't talk much, she spoke when spoken to.


message 2: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited Feb 09, 2015 02:01AM) (new)

BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) I noticed both The Poisonwood Bible and The House of the Spirits on this list, and even though I can't remember the selective mutism in either exactly (vaguely rang a bell but it's a long time ago since I've read the books), I've voted for those two books.


message 3: by Meaghan (new)

Meaghan Never read either of those, so I can't say myself.


message 4: by Marie (new)

Marie I am looking for a book I recently spotted. I can't remember the name. IRC the blurb said it was about a girl who hadn't spoken for a few years following a tragedy. The male MC was an athlete of some sort who was also dealing with something regarding his father. They were at some kind of party and he told her all his thoughts and then she spoke (I think)?


message 5: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited Apr 12, 2015 03:40AM) (new)

BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) Booklovinglady wrote: "I noticed both The Poisonwood Bible and The House of the Spirits on this list, and even though I can't remember the selective mutism in either exactly (vaguely rang a bell..."

I remember who wasn't speaking in The Poisonwood Bible: One of the daughters.
And I remembered another book as well, Scented Gardens For The Blind...


message 6: by Debbie (new)

Debbie There's a new book out, to add to this list - The Thing about Jellyfish, by Ali Benjamin.


Ferdinand Balcita This list reinforces the myth that Selective Mutism is caused by trauma. There are actually very few in this list that correctly portray SM. Check this blog post for a more accurate list.


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