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Spoken
Winner of the 2019 Readers' Favorite International Book Award Bronze Medal in the Young Adult - Social Issues genre.
High school freshman Roman Santi has everything -- good looks, great friends, a mansion with an infinity swimming pool -- except the one thing he really wants. A relationship with his father.
When Roman’s life gets turned upside down, (thanks, Mom!?), he is forced to leave his pampered Hollywood lifestyle and move into his grandparents’ Midwestern home. Sleeping on a lumpy pullout sofa and starting at a new high school is the worst, but Roman’s life starts to look up when his pink-haired friend, Zuzu, and his crush, a classmate named Claire, introduce him to performance poetry through the high school's Spoken Word Club. While his mom is flying back and forth to L.A., trying to return them to the life they had, Roman becomes part of a diverse group of characters who challenge his rather privileged view of the world. Through Spoken Word, Roman recognizes the hole in his own life he needs to fill and discovers his voice. Spoken Word leads Roman on a journey of new friendships, first love, and finding the dad he never knew.
“Spoken” is an uplifting, funny, and heartfelt coming-of-age story that captures how the honesty of performance poetry binds together students from all different walks of life and forever changes Roman’s life.
High school freshman Roman Santi has everything -- good looks, great friends, a mansion with an infinity swimming pool -- except the one thing he really wants. A relationship with his father.
When Roman’s life gets turned upside down, (thanks, Mom!?), he is forced to leave his pampered Hollywood lifestyle and move into his grandparents’ Midwestern home. Sleeping on a lumpy pullout sofa and starting at a new high school is the worst, but Roman’s life starts to look up when his pink-haired friend, Zuzu, and his crush, a classmate named Claire, introduce him to performance poetry through the high school's Spoken Word Club. While his mom is flying back and forth to L.A., trying to return them to the life they had, Roman becomes part of a diverse group of characters who challenge his rather privileged view of the world. Through Spoken Word, Roman recognizes the hole in his own life he needs to fill and discovers his voice. Spoken Word leads Roman on a journey of new friendships, first love, and finding the dad he never knew.
“Spoken” is an uplifting, funny, and heartfelt coming-of-age story that captures how the honesty of performance poetry binds together students from all different walks of life and forever changes Roman’s life.
- GenresYoung AdultPoetry
196 pages, Paperback
Published October 4, 2019
50 people are currently reading
442 people want to read
About the author
Melanie Weiss
6 books47 followersMelanie Weiss is author of two Young Adult novels, Crossing Lines and Spoken, which received a 2019 Readers' Favorite Book Award for Young Adult -Social Issues. In December 2020, she published the illustrated middle grade book, Oliver's Birthday and the Robin's Nest.
She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and worked as a journalist for newspapers and magazines for 20 years. She began writing her novel, Spoken, shortly after her younger child left for college in 2015 and she became an “empty nester.” She currently manages a scholarship foundation at her local high school that provides scholarship support to more than 60 graduating high school seniors each year.
She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and worked as a journalist for newspapers and magazines for 20 years. She began writing her novel, Spoken, shortly after her younger child left for college in 2015 and she became an “empty nester.” She currently manages a scholarship foundation at her local high school that provides scholarship support to more than 60 graduating high school seniors each year.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
March 18, 2019
Great Read
I loved this book.It kept my interest right from the beginning and I couldn't put it down!I never heard of The Spoken Club and loved all the different poems in the book.They really expressed the true feelings of the students who wrote and read them.
I loved this book.It kept my interest right from the beginning and I couldn't put it down!I never heard of The Spoken Club and loved all the different poems in the book.They really expressed the true feelings of the students who wrote and read them.
March 30, 2019
Weiss’s debut young adult fiction captures the angst and inner workings of a teenager, Roman Santi, whose life is turned from mansion with a housekeeper in LA to sleeping on grandma’s sofa bed with a statue of the Buddha staring at him. The novel is a lovely, refreshingly sweet and poignant story about a kid not warped by society whose goal is to simply live happily ever after, be a friend, find friends, but also to find the father he’s never known. One of my favorite lines is from Roman’s first day at his new school, when he’s challenged by his mother’s over-the-top appearance as a minor movie star in exile: “Welcome to my world, where I’m happy my hippie grandma is the one taking me to school today.”
Everybody knows about being fifteen. Teens suffer amid the transcending moments. Roman finds his transcending moment when a poem and a girl spark his interest and he joins an after-school poetry club. Weiss, a trained journalist, writes what she knows about Midwestern living and the experiences of the Spoken Word movement in high school. She shares about her inspiration for the novel. During the late nineties, when the character Roman was born, Spoken Word was incorporated into the English classroom in Oak Park. Weiss credits this performance writing as a means for students to share their struggles and triumphs. Her character. Roman, found his niche in his program, although he decides not to share his poetry with his family. “The only way I can be real about what I write is if I know I won’t have to explain myself to them,” Roman says. Participating in Spoken Word allows him to uncork his bottle of stuffed feelings about his place in life, his environment, and his upbringing.
When an opportunity to go to Europe arises from a Spoken Word competition, Roman, with the encouragement of his friend Zuzu, takes a step on a journey to find his father. Roman knows only that his father is a French cruise ship entertainer his mother met the summer they both worked on board. But first he has to earn the right to be part of the poetry team to compete against their London counterparts.
Roman shares his story through first-person present tense narrative, an effective method of bonding the reader to him. Spoken is not one of those in-your-face epic hero journeys. It’s a rare school year peek into contemporary high school freshman year, where the onus to grab life and make meaningful memories in on us. It’s difficult to find comparisons to today’s contemporary YA. Spoken is a finely-tuned story about coming to grips with identity without needing to kill, die, have sex, or do drugs. The cover is an evocative rendering of experiencing not only what you learn, but how you can share it.
Everybody knows about being fifteen. Teens suffer amid the transcending moments. Roman finds his transcending moment when a poem and a girl spark his interest and he joins an after-school poetry club. Weiss, a trained journalist, writes what she knows about Midwestern living and the experiences of the Spoken Word movement in high school. She shares about her inspiration for the novel. During the late nineties, when the character Roman was born, Spoken Word was incorporated into the English classroom in Oak Park. Weiss credits this performance writing as a means for students to share their struggles and triumphs. Her character. Roman, found his niche in his program, although he decides not to share his poetry with his family. “The only way I can be real about what I write is if I know I won’t have to explain myself to them,” Roman says. Participating in Spoken Word allows him to uncork his bottle of stuffed feelings about his place in life, his environment, and his upbringing.
When an opportunity to go to Europe arises from a Spoken Word competition, Roman, with the encouragement of his friend Zuzu, takes a step on a journey to find his father. Roman knows only that his father is a French cruise ship entertainer his mother met the summer they both worked on board. But first he has to earn the right to be part of the poetry team to compete against their London counterparts.
Roman shares his story through first-person present tense narrative, an effective method of bonding the reader to him. Spoken is not one of those in-your-face epic hero journeys. It’s a rare school year peek into contemporary high school freshman year, where the onus to grab life and make meaningful memories in on us. It’s difficult to find comparisons to today’s contemporary YA. Spoken is a finely-tuned story about coming to grips with identity without needing to kill, die, have sex, or do drugs. The cover is an evocative rendering of experiencing not only what you learn, but how you can share it.
July 21, 2019
Reviewed for YA Books Central
A heartwarming story of finding out who you are.
The Story:
After his mom is involved in a Hollywood scandal, Roman is forced to leave everything he knows behind and move across the country to live with his grandparents. He's a young teenager who just wants to be back with his friends, but soon discovers there's more to life than what he knew. Like a father who doesn't know he exists and talent he never knew he had.
What I liked:
This was a cute story with an easy to read and fast-paced style. Roman is a likable kid who is hard not to root for. The friends he makes soon endear themselves to the reader. All of the adults care about Roman, and they just seem good. Even his mom gets herself together. There aren't really bad characters that add any ill feelings during the book. It's a pleasant read.
What was just okay:
So much of the story is just told to us instead of shown. The romance is the perfect example. There's very little interaction between Roman and his girlfriend. They fight, but we're told about it after the fact. Her sister has a more prominent role than she does.
I would have liked a bit more meat that made me feel something. The characters went through the motions of the story, but the reader is never shown how they feel about anything because of the lack of meaningful conversations. More dialogue full of emotions would make this a gem.
Final Verdict:
An adorable tale about finding your truths and discovering hidden talents. Any teen will be able to relate to a story that depicts high school and the feeling of youth so well.
A heartwarming story of finding out who you are.
The Story:
After his mom is involved in a Hollywood scandal, Roman is forced to leave everything he knows behind and move across the country to live with his grandparents. He's a young teenager who just wants to be back with his friends, but soon discovers there's more to life than what he knew. Like a father who doesn't know he exists and talent he never knew he had.
What I liked:
This was a cute story with an easy to read and fast-paced style. Roman is a likable kid who is hard not to root for. The friends he makes soon endear themselves to the reader. All of the adults care about Roman, and they just seem good. Even his mom gets herself together. There aren't really bad characters that add any ill feelings during the book. It's a pleasant read.
What was just okay:
So much of the story is just told to us instead of shown. The romance is the perfect example. There's very little interaction between Roman and his girlfriend. They fight, but we're told about it after the fact. Her sister has a more prominent role than she does.
I would have liked a bit more meat that made me feel something. The characters went through the motions of the story, but the reader is never shown how they feel about anything because of the lack of meaningful conversations. More dialogue full of emotions would make this a gem.
Final Verdict:
An adorable tale about finding your truths and discovering hidden talents. Any teen will be able to relate to a story that depicts high school and the feeling of youth so well.
February 24, 2020
*I received a free copy of this book from the author through YA book central.
Read this review and more on my blog.The Book Return Blog
Roman has his life turned upside down when, amidst a scandal, his mom decides to leave LA. Roman must learn to adapt to a new lifestyle and school in the midwest. He must grapple with who he really is and whether he'll ever meet his real father.
Although I had heard some spoken poetry before, I never realized that there was a whole movement behind it. I really was enlightened on this.
I love Roman's voice in this novel and it seemed really relatable to teens. The story went rather quickly and it is fun and quick read. I enjoyed Roman as a character as his story arc was pretty dramatic. His mom did frustrate me as she seemed quite immature at the beginning of the story although she also did grow quite a bit as a person. The contrast between LA and Chicago in the story is quite unique and I enjoyed how Roman adapted to these differences.
Some things that left me wanting more was that the story was a little slow in places and there wasn't a lot of action in the story. Also, I would have liked to learn more about some of the side characters such as Roman's girlfriend. I never really got a sense of who she was.
Although, I don't think spoken word poetry is for me, I really enjoyed learning about it. I think this is a great book for teens who are looking for a constructive outlet for things they are going through.
Read this review and more on my blog.The Book Return Blog
Roman has his life turned upside down when, amidst a scandal, his mom decides to leave LA. Roman must learn to adapt to a new lifestyle and school in the midwest. He must grapple with who he really is and whether he'll ever meet his real father.
Although I had heard some spoken poetry before, I never realized that there was a whole movement behind it. I really was enlightened on this.
I love Roman's voice in this novel and it seemed really relatable to teens. The story went rather quickly and it is fun and quick read. I enjoyed Roman as a character as his story arc was pretty dramatic. His mom did frustrate me as she seemed quite immature at the beginning of the story although she also did grow quite a bit as a person. The contrast between LA and Chicago in the story is quite unique and I enjoyed how Roman adapted to these differences.
Some things that left me wanting more was that the story was a little slow in places and there wasn't a lot of action in the story. Also, I would have liked to learn more about some of the side characters such as Roman's girlfriend. I never really got a sense of who she was.
Although, I don't think spoken word poetry is for me, I really enjoyed learning about it. I think this is a great book for teens who are looking for a constructive outlet for things they are going through.
May 26, 2019
I was blown away by this ARC I received…WOW! I love the positive message in this book. What a clever way for teens, even grown ups to work through their issues and give them self worth. I loved the support, friendships and first loves Roman acquired throughout the book. Roman is a young teen who is taking control of his life and making changes. Roman's journey of self discovery, growth, fears and accomplishments kept me hooked till the end. This book touches one of the most difficult times in our lives are when we are teenagers, between the ragging hormones, fitting in and daily challenges that life throws at teen; and how it affects them. Roman was able to find friendship, belonging and discovery through the Spoken Word Club, which helped him find himself. The Club also helped Roman with issues, go after dreams and overcome vulnerable times. This is such a great book that allows us to feel who Roman is and captures his journey and resilience. I absolutely loved the poems and how down to earth, and easy to read it is. If I could give this book more than a five star I would.
May 17, 2019
It's difficult to recognize a blessing in disguise when it happens. Roman Santi is a high school freshman whose mom is a small time actress living with an older movie producer, Kirk, who is as close to a father as Roman has. His real father was a performer on a cruise ship, as was Roman's mother at the same time. Their brief romance led to Roman, but his dad went back to France and the two have never met.
When Mom is caught kissing an actor and photos are splashed all over the tabloids and internet, Kirk tosses her out and she takes her son back his grandparents' Midwestern home. No more luxury, no more rich friends, no more warm Southern California weather. At first, Roman is totally bummed and angry at Mom, but he makes friends with Zuzu, who introduces him to the Spoken Word Club at their school and two things happen. Not only does Roman discover a talent for poetry and performing, that new talent opens an opportunity to go to London and, maybe, just maybe, find a way to finally meet his dad who lives in France. He also scores a cool girlfriend as a bonus. Following his growth, not to mention his mother's own finally getting a clue, makes for a very satisfying story.
When Mom is caught kissing an actor and photos are splashed all over the tabloids and internet, Kirk tosses her out and she takes her son back his grandparents' Midwestern home. No more luxury, no more rich friends, no more warm Southern California weather. At first, Roman is totally bummed and angry at Mom, but he makes friends with Zuzu, who introduces him to the Spoken Word Club at their school and two things happen. Not only does Roman discover a talent for poetry and performing, that new talent opens an opportunity to go to London and, maybe, just maybe, find a way to finally meet his dad who lives in France. He also scores a cool girlfriend as a bonus. Following his growth, not to mention his mother's own finally getting a clue, makes for a very satisfying story.
December 5, 2019
Have you ever read a book that has made you wish that it never ended? Well the book Spoken by Melanie Weiss sure made me feel that way. Told through the eyes of the main character Roman Santi, this young adult fiction book shows how amazing it is to see how much a character can change from the beginning of a book, to the end. The author incorporates poetry throughout the story that helped me learn more about Roman, and how he felt about his stepfather Kirk, and his real father that he hasn't met yet through joining a poetry club called Spoken Word. Roman has to deal with moving from his privileged life in Los Angeles to a small town in Chicago going into his freshman year of highschool, so if you like books that seem too good to be true in the beginning, this book may be good for you. An interesting part of the book is when Roman makes his first friend Randall, he learns that he is not alone, and Randall then helps him make the basketball team.
October 19, 2019
I found Spoken to be a little difficult to get into, but once I was in I was hooked. The story is very easy to relate to, especially for me, as I have been through similar things myself. Not the LA or the moving across the country parts, which are comical by the way, but the broken home aspects.
The main character, who is quite angsty if I do say so myself, was able to find himself through poetry. After moving across the country due to his mothers infidelity, he finds himself uprooted and unsure of who is or who he can even be in this new environment. Poetry, and the Spoken Word Club at his high school, connected him to friends, his father who he did not know, and his family.
I would have liked/would like to seem more on his connecting with his father. I was a tad disappointing that that was such a huge end goal for this novel and then was underwhelming when it happened.
I was really quite touched by the novel, and I do want to thank the author for reaching out to be. I am pleased to say I have given this novel five stars and this completely unbiased, from the heart, review.
If you are looking for a nice, heart filling read, check out Spoken Word by Melanie Weiss.
The main character, who is quite angsty if I do say so myself, was able to find himself through poetry. After moving across the country due to his mothers infidelity, he finds himself uprooted and unsure of who is or who he can even be in this new environment. Poetry, and the Spoken Word Club at his high school, connected him to friends, his father who he did not know, and his family.
I would have liked/would like to seem more on his connecting with his father. I was a tad disappointing that that was such a huge end goal for this novel and then was underwhelming when it happened.
I was really quite touched by the novel, and I do want to thank the author for reaching out to be. I am pleased to say I have given this novel five stars and this completely unbiased, from the heart, review.
If you are looking for a nice, heart filling read, check out Spoken Word by Melanie Weiss.
July 28, 2019
It was cute and a good story. Everything worked out really nicely for him though. Too perfect. But that's not generally my preferred genre.
*Giveaway winner*
*Giveaway winner*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2019
A lovely YA read with enough momentum for the adult reader.
The appearances of local places (I'm a native Oak Parker) were fun nuggets scattered throughout.
The voice of Roman, the 15 yo narrator came through very well without being condesending or trite.
I loved this so much that I am passing it along to a friends son who was recently exposed to Spoken Word and will be attending "North Plaines High School" in a few years!
Bravo Melanie!
The appearances of local places (I'm a native Oak Parker) were fun nuggets scattered throughout.
The voice of Roman, the 15 yo narrator came through very well without being condesending or trite.
I loved this so much that I am passing it along to a friends son who was recently exposed to Spoken Word and will be attending "North Plaines High School" in a few years!
Bravo Melanie!
August 25, 2019
A thoroughly enjoyable story whether you're a young or old adult!
April 25, 2019
Kept my attention from the first page to the last
March 11, 2020
What a fun YA book with very authentic dialog among the high schoolers. It moved at a fast pace and was engaging in its characters and situations. Anyone from Oak Park will love the references to our community. Very appropriate for middle or high school age with uplifting themes and great support systems modeled for our protagonist Roman. Can't wait to see what is next!
October 14, 2020
SPOKEN IS AVAILABLE FROM OCTOBER 14 through OCTOBER 19 as a 99 cents ebook download from Amazon.com.
February 27, 2024
In the glitzy metropolis of Los Angeles, Roman Santi was living the life of his dreams. He lived next door to some amazing composers for Selena Gomez and had a great group of buddies with whom he would hang out after basketball games! His home, which was also Kirk's, radiated an opulence most could only dream of. The icing on the cake was that Roman, a freshman in high school, was navigating the thrilling labyrinth of puberty, which included making efforts to win Alexandra over.
But all of it fell apart in one terrible day. When an altercation breaks out, Roman's world falls apart and Kirk, the movie star, arrives early. Roman's mother Stephanie had an affair with married Hollywood actor Joel Acosta. Stephanie's parents resided in Oak Park, Illinois, so she and Roman had to move there. For Roman, this was a big deal since his life had just become more interesting and now he had to give up the Hollywood way of life. Come along with Roman Santi as he gets used to living with his grandparents in Chicago, making new friends, and discovering more about his father.
This kind of in-depth look into celebrity life beyond what the average public usually sees is something worth a reader's time. Most celebrities socialize with both well-known and less well-known individuals. I sometimes ponder if these people become used to hanging around with celebrities. And if everything collapses, like a scandal involving one of them or a celebrity, would they ever be able to get back up?
As Roman happily ate his ice cream, it caused me to get a little anxious when his mother Stephanie and Kirk got into a quarrel. Everything happened extremely fast, and I was enthralled with the thrill of it all. The story aroused a range of emotions, including laughter, confusion, and annoyance. The way the characters evolved made it seem like a genuine movie, with distinct lives for each character that were finally combined to advance the story.
Even though there were other stressful activities going on, including disputes, irritation, and disappointment, I enjoy how the author managed to slip in a description of the character's look so swiftly. Melanie didn't hold back while describing the characters' appearance, which included their well-groomed or tattered appearance and a faint odor that appeared to be emanating from them at the moment.
I loved Roman's sharp comments and sense of humor. I laughed at his inner monologue. His words made me laugh more than often, but this was the first time it really resonated with me. I learned a few things that I will use to my daily life. One of my favorite lessons is that life can be an unexpected rollercoaster. While daily routines might provide comfort, they can also quickly spiral out of control and strain relationships. Because history often repeats itself, it needs resiliency to survive difficult times.
But all of it fell apart in one terrible day. When an altercation breaks out, Roman's world falls apart and Kirk, the movie star, arrives early. Roman's mother Stephanie had an affair with married Hollywood actor Joel Acosta. Stephanie's parents resided in Oak Park, Illinois, so she and Roman had to move there. For Roman, this was a big deal since his life had just become more interesting and now he had to give up the Hollywood way of life. Come along with Roman Santi as he gets used to living with his grandparents in Chicago, making new friends, and discovering more about his father.
This kind of in-depth look into celebrity life beyond what the average public usually sees is something worth a reader's time. Most celebrities socialize with both well-known and less well-known individuals. I sometimes ponder if these people become used to hanging around with celebrities. And if everything collapses, like a scandal involving one of them or a celebrity, would they ever be able to get back up?
As Roman happily ate his ice cream, it caused me to get a little anxious when his mother Stephanie and Kirk got into a quarrel. Everything happened extremely fast, and I was enthralled with the thrill of it all. The story aroused a range of emotions, including laughter, confusion, and annoyance. The way the characters evolved made it seem like a genuine movie, with distinct lives for each character that were finally combined to advance the story.
Even though there were other stressful activities going on, including disputes, irritation, and disappointment, I enjoy how the author managed to slip in a description of the character's look so swiftly. Melanie didn't hold back while describing the characters' appearance, which included their well-groomed or tattered appearance and a faint odor that appeared to be emanating from them at the moment.
I loved Roman's sharp comments and sense of humor. I laughed at his inner monologue. His words made me laugh more than often, but this was the first time it really resonated with me. I learned a few things that I will use to my daily life. One of my favorite lessons is that life can be an unexpected rollercoaster. While daily routines might provide comfort, they can also quickly spiral out of control and strain relationships. Because history often repeats itself, it needs resiliency to survive difficult times.
November 18, 2022
Roman is a high school freshman who has a great life in Los Angeles, right up until his mother's actions cause his life to implode. Suddenly, they're moving in with his grandparents in the midwest, and he's going to a brand new school. But things start to look up with the help of a new friend Zuzu and a pretty girl named Claire, both of whom introduce him to the school's Spoken Word Club.
While Roman's mom is traveling back and forth to L.A. to try and return them to their old life, Roman is discovering himself through performance poetry. When Roman gets the chance to meet the father he's never met, Roman has some big decisions to make.
I liked the basic components of this story - a young teen learning about himself through poetry, challenging the assumptions he's had about his life so far, and trying to decide whether or not he should meet the father he's never met - but they never seemed to come together for me. The story fell flat.
I think a lot of that has to do with the narrator of the audiobook, though. Mike Peters' performance was technically correct, in that he read the correct words. But there was little to no emotion conveyed in his voice. While it wasn't necessarily monotone, it was very close. Even when reading the scenes when Roman and the other kids are performing their poetry, the tone of his voice doesn't change. I would hope that reading the book, as opposed to listening to it, would allow for more of a connection with the characters. Unfortunately, I am not at all inclined toward reading it to see.
While Roman's mom is traveling back and forth to L.A. to try and return them to their old life, Roman is discovering himself through performance poetry. When Roman gets the chance to meet the father he's never met, Roman has some big decisions to make.
I liked the basic components of this story - a young teen learning about himself through poetry, challenging the assumptions he's had about his life so far, and trying to decide whether or not he should meet the father he's never met - but they never seemed to come together for me. The story fell flat.
I think a lot of that has to do with the narrator of the audiobook, though. Mike Peters' performance was technically correct, in that he read the correct words. But there was little to no emotion conveyed in his voice. While it wasn't necessarily monotone, it was very close. Even when reading the scenes when Roman and the other kids are performing their poetry, the tone of his voice doesn't change. I would hope that reading the book, as opposed to listening to it, would allow for more of a connection with the characters. Unfortunately, I am not at all inclined toward reading it to see.
June 22, 2021
I listened to the audio version of this Young Adult novel. This is an award winning novel and I can see why. It had so many positive things going on in it to inspire the young (and the young at heart).
The title of Spoken refers to "Spoken Word", which is a performance based poetry club in which the high school kids are encouraged to dig down deep and write about their feelings. For Roman, it is a way into acceptance at a new school after his mom messes up her relationship with a rich producer in LA and uproots him back to live in a small town with his grandparents, where he has to sleep on their fold out sofa. He thinks he's lost everything, but is surprised when he discovers that he just may have found everything that he didn't even know his life was lacking.
I thought the choice of Mike Peters was interesting. His voice is kind of rough, but it definitely worked for a teenage boy. I enjoyed both the story and the narration.
I was given a complimentary copy of this audiobook. All thoughts are my own.
The title of Spoken refers to "Spoken Word", which is a performance based poetry club in which the high school kids are encouraged to dig down deep and write about their feelings. For Roman, it is a way into acceptance at a new school after his mom messes up her relationship with a rich producer in LA and uproots him back to live in a small town with his grandparents, where he has to sleep on their fold out sofa. He thinks he's lost everything, but is surprised when he discovers that he just may have found everything that he didn't even know his life was lacking.
I thought the choice of Mike Peters was interesting. His voice is kind of rough, but it definitely worked for a teenage boy. I enjoyed both the story and the narration.
I was given a complimentary copy of this audiobook. All thoughts are my own.
May 25, 2019
First, thank you to Goodreads for a copy of this book. I liked it. Although I’m not the primary audience for this book, there were things I enjoyed. The author really captured the devastation of having your life torn apart in high school, through no fault of your own. I felt sad for the character, and I literally felt down whole reading.
Later on though, things just seemed to line up too nicely. Everything just fell into place—he makes friends immediately, has great talent for poetry even though he’s never tried it before, wins a trip to London, gets financed by his not-actually-a stepfather, who he maintains a good relationship with, and his biological father, who never even knew he existed, is suddenly thrilled about him (and we assume his wife is too, I suppose?) and darn near perfect. I love a happy ending, but it just didn’t ring true.
Later on though, things just seemed to line up too nicely. Everything just fell into place—he makes friends immediately, has great talent for poetry even though he’s never tried it before, wins a trip to London, gets financed by his not-actually-a stepfather, who he maintains a good relationship with, and his biological father, who never even knew he existed, is suddenly thrilled about him (and we assume his wife is too, I suppose?) and darn near perfect. I love a happy ending, but it just didn’t ring true.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2019
There are a lot of things I liked about Melanie Weiss' book, Spoken. It is different than any other book I've read. It tells the story of a high school freshman, Roman, who lives with his mother in Southern California. His life is turned upside down when his mother's mistake causes them to leave their comfortable life style and move to Chicago. In Chicago, they live with his grandparents where he begins attending a new high school. Roman makes friends, makes the basketball team, and joins the Spoken Word Club. The Spoken Word Club offers him new friends, a girl friend, and a chance to meet his dad. Roman's mother's mistake ends up changing his world in ways he couldn't have imagined. The characters in this book seem real. It is easy to picture what they are doing. Things are not sugar coated. I enjoyed this book and easily read it in one sitting.
January 8, 2021
Spoken is a good coming-of-age story. It’s especially interesting because not only is the protagonist Roman (teenage boy) coming of age as he gets uprooted from his comfortable life in L.A. and moved to Chicago where he connects with kids in his new school and meets his formerly unknown father through Spoken Word, but Roman’s mom is also coming of age as she works to get her life together after spending years just living for the moment and for herself. The whole book is well-written, but I especially enjoyed the poetic portions. Two aspects of the writing annoyed me at first - celebrity & brand name dropping and the cursing. In both cases, though, they fit the secular teen context, so they work. It is sad, though, that extensive cursing is par for the course for the secular teen context, and unfortunately, it will keep me from recommending it to more of the audience it’s geared toward.
August 11, 2019
Great YA coming of age novel about a high school boy named Roman whose world as he knew it is turned upside down. His mom uproots Roman, moving him from the posh Hollywood home of her current boyfriend to a modest home in a Chicago suburb with her parents, his grandma and grandpa. Roman must start a new life at a new high school and soon discovers a club that performs poetry called Spoken Word.
He learns that he has a lot of feelings about being uprooted and not knowing a thing about his birthfather. Spoken Word club helps him to express his thoughts and he finally is able to say, out loud, what he really wants in his life. He finds his true voice in more ways than one.
Great read for high schoolers and adults alike!
He learns that he has a lot of feelings about being uprooted and not knowing a thing about his birthfather. Spoken Word club helps him to express his thoughts and he finally is able to say, out loud, what he really wants in his life. He finds his true voice in more ways than one.
Great read for high schoolers and adults alike!
February 19, 2020
This is such a great coming of age novel that really kept my attention and had me turning the page to see how Roman takes his life into controls and really grows in the process. He is faced with some major life changes (like moving halfway across the country without warning, starting a new high school, and making all new friends) He goes from a “woe is me” boy to a young man who finds his voice and self worth. I loved seeing his transformation when he joined the Spoken Word club and how he then was able to face and express his anger and hurt with things like not knowing his dad, or his selfish borderline flakey mom. I absolutely loved the poetry and thought it brought so much more depth to the book!
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I really enjoyed this book and was emotionally invested in Roman and hoping he found what he needed throughout this journey. A great book for teenagers or adults!
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I really enjoyed this book and was emotionally invested in Roman and hoping he found what he needed throughout this journey. A great book for teenagers or adults!
October 14, 2021
Roman feels as if half his identity is a mystery because he has never met his father; in fact, his father doesn't even know he exists. After abruptly having to leave LA, Roman soon realizes that there is more to his identity than just being his mysterious father's son. While adjusting to his new life in Chicago, Roman discovers a passion for the spoken word and soon begins a journey of self-discovery.
I really enjoyed this book! I loved getting to read about Roman and his personal struggles. I feel like this coming of age book is something that all teenagers should read. Roman was quite relatable, and I found myself wanting to try doing spoken poems. To top it all off, it had a beautiful ending! Overall, it was a really great book.
Content Warning: language
I really enjoyed this book! I loved getting to read about Roman and his personal struggles. I feel like this coming of age book is something that all teenagers should read. Roman was quite relatable, and I found myself wanting to try doing spoken poems. To top it all off, it had a beautiful ending! Overall, it was a really great book.
Content Warning: language
June 17, 2019
Spoken was a very cute coming of age novel. Roman is a high school student living the high life in Los Angeles when his world is turned upside down. Forced to leave the lifestyle he's grown accustomed to along with his friends, Roman and his mother move to Chicago to live with his grandparents. Faced with a new "normal" Roman is introduced to his new schools Spoken Word club, where he meets new friends and learns to accept his new life. This story was short and sweet and a feel good read.
I received an ARC of this book from Hidden Gems for an honest review.
I received an ARC of this book from Hidden Gems for an honest review.
June 23, 2022
I liked this book very much and I am sure I would like it even if I did not live in Oak Park which is the setting for much of the story. As it happens, I live not far from the author, although I do not know her.
First, the main character Roman is very well written. However, I think what puts this above many YA novels is that the adult characters are fully developed and experience charcter growth in the course of the novel, especially Roman's mother.
Teenage years are times when teens experience intense emotions, and this novel did an excellent job in portraying that.
First, the main character Roman is very well written. However, I think what puts this above many YA novels is that the adult characters are fully developed and experience charcter growth in the course of the novel, especially Roman's mother.
Teenage years are times when teens experience intense emotions, and this novel did an excellent job in portraying that.
July 4, 2023
My daughter and I listened/read this together on a recent road trip. The storyline interested us a lot because the setting was in our hometown and I graduated from the high school that the was renamed in the book. I loved the characters because they felt super familiar: I think my parents are very similar to Roman's. Despite all the reasons Roman had to be mad and angsty, he had so many people in his life to support and love him. The choices he made to embrace that love lead him into a positive approach and a healthy outlet for any confusion or anxiety. Good read.
September 14, 2019
Beautiful
This story was amazing, although brief and a little hard to get into. It was only when I was 30% of the way when I got really invested in the story, but for me that didn't take away from the overall impact of the novel. Roman is a really well written character, and his life and the drama surrounding his mom shaped his narration and perspective into something that I really really enjoyed reading.
This story was amazing, although brief and a little hard to get into. It was only when I was 30% of the way when I got really invested in the story, but for me that didn't take away from the overall impact of the novel. Roman is a really well written character, and his life and the drama surrounding his mom shaped his narration and perspective into something that I really really enjoyed reading.
March 7, 2021
I loved this book. Weiss truly captures the angst of a teenager whose life was uprooted and is searching for connection and belonging. He finds this belonging when he joins an after-school poetry club - Spoken Word. Participating in Spoken Word allows the protagonist to understand his upbringing a bit better. Spoken is a rare YA novel in that it delves into a contemporary high school experience without hitting you over the head with death, sex, or drugs. I highly recommend this book.
March 19, 2021
Spoken is a very good novel, and it touches on some topics I haven't known about before. I have a new appreciation for Spoken Word, and I can learn many perspectives from the teens in the club. It's hard to identify with the protagonist due to his previous upbringing and status, but that may have been purposeful. There were some things that I found underwhelming, yet all in all it was an amazing read!
June 2, 2019
I really liked this book and the inclusion of poetry in the chapters however, I agree with some other reviewers that the ending was just too perfect. As someone who works with teenagers I k ow nothing with them is this easy, there are too many emotions and hormones involved! I did love the positive messages in the book about accepting others and learning to be yourself.
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