Speechless, Adam P. Schmitt
Speechless, Adam P. Schmitt
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

Speechless

Author: Adam P. Schmitt

Narrator: Brian Holden

Unabridged: 6 hr

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 02/23/2021


Synopsis

How do you give a eulogy when you can't think of one good thing to say? A poignant, funny, and candid look at grief, family secrets, difficult people, and learning to look behind the façade.

As if being stuffed into last year's dress pants at his cousin's wake weren't uncomfortable enough, thirteen-year-old Jimmy has just learned from his mother that he has to say a few words at the funeral the next day. Why him? What could he possibly say about his cousin, who ruined everything they did? He can't recall one birthday party, family gathering, or school event with Patrick that didn't result in injury or destruction. As Jimmy attempts to navigate the odd social norms of the wake, he draws on humor, heartfelt concern, and a good deal of angst while racking his brain and his memory for a decent and meaningful memory to share. But it's not until faced with a microphone that the realization finally hits him: it's not the words that are spoken that matter the most, but those that are truly heard.

About Adam P. Schmitt

Adam P. Schmitt has been a middle-school educator for more than fifteen years. Speechless is his debut middle-grade novel. He lives in Oswego, Illinois, with his wife and two sons.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Amy on September 20, 2023

HOLY CATS, this was good. I was hoping for something solid, as my last few reads have been kind of ho-hum, and this more than delivered. I'm almost wishing I still had my top 10 lists of 2018 to write up because this might have made it. This story is middle grade perfection. Highly recommended, firs......more

Goodreads review by Kasey on December 15, 2018

I found Speechless to be one of those unexpected books. Instead of being this soft, sweet look at grief, it has this very frank, unapologetic look at some of the uglier stuff that a family goes through in a bad situation like this. Jimmy didn’t have a good relationship with his cousin Patrick. In fa......more

Goodreads review by Jayci on December 16, 2020

I liked this book. I was very interested in the story that Jimmy told. I liked at the end how Jimmy told the truth about Patrick but also said something nice. He learned something from Patrick. I also kind of liked how the author split the story about how Patrick died and didn't just tell us in the......more

Goodreads review by Amy on September 10, 2020

I am BAWLING. I need to recommend this to my teachers as a read-aloud ASAP. What a beautiful book. Deals with suicide, Deaf culture, family issues/problems/complicated relationships, (possible) mental illness, death at a young age, a fear of public speaking, guilt, and MORE. Absolutely one of my new......more

Goodreads review by watermelonreads on July 03, 2021

I hate this. The last few pages made me cry so much. The whole time I was trying to box Patrick into someone who has autism or adhd. Like the main character, I knew he was a bit different than the other kids. And it’s so sad, seeing how people treat him in a certain way and they don’t actually realis......more