She Wasn't Allowed to Giggle by Lavinia Thompson
(Reviewed by Saewod Tice)

`She Wasn't Allowed to Giggle' is a very personal purging of Lavinia Thompson's dark abusive past. Lavinia doesn't sugar coat her words or rhyme, but leaves them with the raw emotions felt by a terrified little girl living in a woman's body. She Wasn't Allowed to Giggle broke my heart, disgusted me- because of what an abusive adult can do, and made me rejoice Lavinia's ascension from darkness.

Lavinia provides the reader journal-like entries into her past and present, while her poetry reflects her emotions. The poetry is often dark and miserable yet takes a turn to confessional and strong, giving you a real in depth look as she bares her soul.

There is no doubt in my mind that this confessional book was hard to write and even harder to put out for the public to read and judge. For an abuse survivor, that is bravery in its most epic form.

Bravo Lavinia for having the strength to tell your story.

Rating: 4/5
Recommend for 15 and older.