Imagine a world where one meal per day and two-minute showers are strictly rationed across 264 days. Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me depicts a society where the powerful face punishment and the masses are forced into a rigid mold of perfection. Shatter Me’s society is a world where being normal and fitting in is all that matters and being “special” or powerful sets you apart from the others. When individuals possess power that threatens this system, like Juliette Ferrars and her destructive abilities, they are cast into imprisonment and wiped from public memory.

*The following may contain spoilers*

As author Tahereh Mafi notes, “isolation … is something that many teens (and adults) are able to relate to” (Mafi, Seventeen, 2012). Juliette Ferrars is a girl who has to go into isolation because The Reestablishment, the ruling government, is trying to shape society into this perfect utopian world. While in captivity, she meets Adam Kent, who attempts to save her while juggling the weight of maintaining order. During this time, she experiences internal chaos and repeatedly scribbles her mantra: “~~I am not insane.~~” She is shunned by society for so many days that she doesn’t believe in herself anymore, instead she adapts to the belief that she isn’t normal.                                        

As the story progresses after she is released, she starts blooming during her captivity under Aaron Warner because she realizes “I am not a weapon. I am a person.” This is so important because she finally accepts herself for who she is and that is the most important part of the story. She finally reclaims her identity after years of others deciding her worth.                                                                                                      

What makes Shatter Me powerful is the journey from being isolated to being a strong woman who can find her way back to reality. Therefore, this earns four out of five stars. The plot hits a lot of familiar notes for the genre; however, my biggest critique is how the side characters got sidelined. While Juliette’s journey is the heart of the story, I really wanted a chance to see this crumbling world through someone else’s eyes.