Sentenced to Shakespeare
by Iris Dorbian
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Young Adult, Fiction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
"Sentenced
to Shakespeare" is a contemporary young adult novel set in suburban New
Jersey. The story revolves around Leah, a smart and sensitive 15-year-old girl
who is pushed too far by a bully and snaps. Arrested for assault and battery,
Leah is sentenced to an unusual form of rehabilitation-she must take and
complete a Shakespeare workshop or else risk incarceration. Ostracized by her
classmates, abandoned by her only friend, Leah finds comfort and solidarity
with the other juvenile offenders in this same program, with one offering her
something she's never experienced before--love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
As she recounted her parents’ astonishment at her arrest,
silence enveloped the session room, and Leah was stung with a pang of regret
and embarrassment.
I should have kept it short and simple. Even that cranky
girl, Kelly, is looking at me with pity.
“Your parents never
knew what you were going through at school?” asked Downey, breaking the lull
that seemed excruciating to Leah.
“No.”
“Why didn’t you tell them? Were you afraid of their
reaction?”
Leah bowed her head, her eyes on the ground. “I didn’t want
to bother them. And I didn’t want to tell my brother because I knew he would
tell them.”
“So, you said nothing?”
Leah nodded her head in assent. After a minute elapsed— a
minute that seemed like an eternity—she conceded, “I thought this was my
problem, and I needed to think of ways to solve it. But it wouldn’t end. It
still hasn’t. I’m still treated like an outcast, although no one picks on me
anymore. At least not directly.”
“That’s a shame,” answered Downey. And judging by the bobbing of the heads of a
few of the teens, including Rob, Tiffany, and Jake, the rest of those in the
room roundly echoed Downey’s sentiment.
“I’m glad you smacked the hell out of that bitch,” said
Kelly in commiseration, her glower yielding to a more congenial bearing.
Leah mouthed back, “Thanks,” to her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Iris Dorbian
is a professional business and arts journalist whose credits include Forbes,
Wall Street Journal, Crain's New York Business, Venture Capital Journal,
Buyouts, Investopedia, DMNews, Jerusalem Report, the Forward, Playbill,
Backstage, Theatermania, Live Design, Media Industry Newsletter and PR News.
She is the former editor-in-chief of Stage Directions magazine and author of
"Great Producers: Visionaries of the American Theater," which was
published by Allworth Press/Skyhorse Publishing in August 2008; and
"Sentenced to Shakespeare," which was published by Milford House
Press, an imprint of Sunbury Press. Her personal essays have been published in
Blue Lyra Review, B O D Y, Embodied Effigies, Jewish Literary Journal, Diverse
Voices Quarterly, Adanna Literary Journal, ThisSpace.org, Skirt! and Gothesque
Magazine. A New Jersey native, Iris has a master's degree in journalism from
Columbia University.
Book buying links:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks so much for sharing a book description and giveaway also. Sounds great!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThanks for being a host on the blurb blitz tour for my book. It's deeply appreciated. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteThank you to this blog for introducing me to Iris Dorbian and her work. I am excited to read this.
ReplyDeleteWho is your favorite character in the book?
ReplyDeleteWhat inspired you to write this story ?
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds so interesting.
ReplyDelete