This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Iris Dorbian will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
“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.
Enjoy an Excerpt
With each insult, Leah felt like she was shrinking more into herself until there was nothing left but a shell of a person.
Then, there were the prank phone calls: the stupid breathing, the hang-ups, and the taunting texts, each a deeper stab in the heart.
“Hey, hottie! How many boyfriends do you have?”
“Don’t you vomit when you look at yourself in a mirror?”
“You really are a joke. I’d kill myself if I were you.”
It got to a point where Leah couldn’t cry anymore. Either her tear ducts were worn out from crying so much or she was numb. And, even if she did cry, that would only make Dede and her followers ridicule her even more.
Sometimes, if the weather was permitting, Leah would hide near the local VFW hall rather than go to school, which was within walking distance to her house. It was safe to play truant there as usually, no one was around on the weekdays. Within the bowels of a staircase that’d slope into the subterranean entrance of the building, she’d seek refuge. Her legs splayed out on the concrete, Leah would huddle in the corner, staring at her watch, waiting for each minute to pass into the oblivion of another minute until she knew her parents were out of the house and on their way to work. Then she’d return to the safety of her home, away from Dede and the harassment. Free and happy.
About the Author:
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.
Buy the book at Sunbury Press, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble.
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Thanks for hosting!
favorite cookie?
Thanks for being a host on the blurb blitz tour for my book. It’s greatly appreciated. Have a great week!
You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Sounds like a good book.
Great post – I enjoyed reading it!
It sounds like a really interesting book. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks so much for sharing a book description and giveaway also. Sounds great!