Welcome to my stop on the blurb blitz tour for Sentenced to Shakespeare by Iris Dorbian. This blitz was organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. On my stop, I have an excerpt as well as the tour wide giveaway for your chance to win a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for more excerpts and reviews. Enjoy!
--Title: Sentenced to Shakespeare
Author: Iris Dorbian
Publisher: Milford House Press
Publication Date: July 19th 2019
Print Length: 212 pages
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Fiction
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"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.
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EXCERPT:
“Now, everyone, I want you all to walk in a circle, but get up on the tip of your toes and keep your backs arched,” ordered Frank, the charismatic, ugly-appealing movement instructor, to his underage charges. “Good. Now move as if you’re part of the Tudor court. Henry VIII is present, and you want to be on your best behavior to impress this temperamental, fickle monarch. Don’t give him a chance to chop your head off.”
Leah’s physical coordination wasn’t conducive to doing these concurrent movements. She could get up on the tip of her toes and strut around like a royal peacock, yet she was too spastic to arch her back at the same time.
“No, Leah!” said Frank, alarmed. “That’s not it. On the tip of your toes. Yes. Good. Arch your back. No, no, no.”
He stopped Leah and positioned himself behind her.
“Okay, now arch your back and walk on the tip of your toes—and remember you’re part of the Tudor court!” he commanded, removing his arms from her shoulder blades.
Leah still floundered…miserably.
“No, Leah, that’s not it! Arch your back! No! Now you’re walking like an old lady!”
The comment elicited a peal of giggles among the others, including Kelly, who apparently, unlike Leah, had the physical suppleness to master the exercise.
When her effort didn’t produce the desired outcome, Frank, with the elasticity and languid ease of a human pretzel, demonstrated by throwing his front pelvis as forward as anatomically possible while arching his back, as if emulating an ostrich.
Leah tried one more time, but it was hopeless.
His hands flailing in the air, Frank despaired before resigning himself to a muted chuckle. “Well, I applaud your effort.”
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Iris Dorbian is a business journalist/blogger who has covered a wide range of sectors that include small business, media, private equity/venture capital and theater/the arts. Among the outlets she's written for are Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Buyouts, Venture Capital Journal, Investopedia, DMNews, Playbill, Backstage, Theatermania, Media Industry Newsletter, PRNews and Stage Directions (where she served as editor-in-chief for eight years). She is the author of "Great Producers: Visionaries of the American Theater," published by Allworth Press/Skyhorse Publishing in August 2008. Her personal essays and short stories have been published in Blue Lyra Review, B O D Y, Embodied Effigies, Diverse Voices Quarterly, Gothesque Magazine and Jewish Literary Journal. A New Jersey native, Iris has a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University.
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GIVEAWAY:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
GIVEAWAY:
Iris Dorbian will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter after the tour. To increase your chance of winning, leave a comment at a different stop participating in the blitz each day. Good luck!
I encourage reading so having a family who loves to read I sure support.Thanks for sharing your terrific read with us.
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sounds like a fun one
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ReplyDeleteI love the idea of using Shakespearean literature as a rehabilitation tool.
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