Loud: Stories to Make Your Voice Heard by Anna Cercignano, Eleonora Antonioni, Maurizia Rubino, Francesca Torre, La Tram, Lucia Biagi, Vega Guerrieri, Caterina Ferrante, Laura Guglielmo, Davide Costa, Elisa2b, Carmen Guasco, Marta Macolino, Alessia de Sio

 

CITATION: Cercignano, Anna, et al. Loud: Stories to Make Your Voice Heard. Dark Horse Comics, 9 July 2024. 

CHARACTERS: The book is an anthology that features a series of characters who are not connected to each other. The characters in the book are representative of various cultures, body types, sexualities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Each of the characters are unique in their own way and provide a way for the reader to identify with one or more of those written into the story. Some of the characters in the story are considered bad, or evil, based on the abuse that they have dealt to other characters. Those who are advocating for themselves within the stories would be considered the good characters, even if some of them don't see them that way. Each story discusses a different type of abuse and each character deals with it differently. Some characters are more brave and bold with their approach, while others turn in on themselves and rely on someone else to help them out. There is not an inherently incorrect approach for these characters, as it makes them more "human-like" and shows how different people handle situations differently.

SETTING: The stories are set in modern times; however, the location of the stories is not very specific. The stories occur in school, at homes, malls, and outside. This gives emphasis that sexual assault or gender-based violence can occur anywhere. 

CULTURAL VALUES: This book does not focus on one specific culture. All of the authors for the anthology are Italian, but if one did not know that they would not realize that this is an Italian-based graphic novel. The characters in the book are extremely diverse and representative of various dress, beliefs, values, and gender norms.  

OVERALL QUALITY: This anthology is easy to read through while also providing deep and intentional writing for readers to reflect on. Readers are pushed to think about social issues and their personal voice when it comes to these issues. For students of a different gender, they may be compelled to confront issues from a different perspective. Each story in the anthology is written to present authentic experiences from various authors. This allows for the reader to experience multiple points of view on a similar topic within one book. 

While the topic is very heavy, the art makes it feel a little lighter and manageable to read. The colors within a lot of the stories are brighter and lighter and may show some dark colors where the characters begin to feel a little troubled. 

REVIEWS AND AWARDS: 

• Broken Frontier, 2024: “Loud: Stories to Make Your Voice Heard from Dark Horse Comics is a powerful anthology from some of the biggest voices in Italian comic books, who are taking a stand against gender-based violence.” 

• 2025 Ignatz Award Nominee 

• Boscarato Best YA Graphic Novel, 2024 

CONNECTIONS:

• Students can read Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson 
• Students can create their own comic strips about a time they spoke up and were “loud”