A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this book.
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Educational Value
a lot
Presents a realistic view of what it's like to live with depression and anxiety. Through the main character's interests, the reader learns about Black history, including Harriet Tubman, the Black Panthers' social programs, and the election of Barack Obama.
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Positive Messages
a lot
Life gets better when you claim your truth, even the hard parts.
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Positive Role Models
a lot
The main characters are a multiracial group of friends. One is gay. Another is Black and Jewish. The group of friends support one another.
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Violence & Scariness
some
There's a suicide attempt. A few upsetting scenes of bullying and verbal abuse.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
a lot
The descriptions of sex are frequent and graphic, including several passages about oral sex and a sexual encounter that includes racial "dirty talk" that the character experiences as hurtful.
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Language
a lot
Profanities include "s--t," "f--k," "motherf----r," "p---y," "damn," "nigg*," and "a--hole."
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
a lot
The kids are regular cigarette smokers, pot smokers, underage drinkers. In one scene, very drunk and stoned kids bully a gay boy. The main character drinks alcohol with the intention to get drunk, even though she's on prescription antidepressants and has been instructed not to drink at all. Another girl misuses her Adderall. Some adults drink to excess.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Morgan Parker's Who Put This Song On? is the story of Morgan Parker, a 15-year-old Black girl, that's based on Parker's own journals she kept as a teen. The fictional Morgan is dealing with a recent diagnosis of depression and anxiety disorders, undergoing psychotherapy, and taking antidepressants. Morgan lives in a small Southern California town, where she's one of the few Black students at a conservative Christian private school. Her mental health issues and being a racial outsider complicate the typical difficulties of adolescent search for identity. Morgan has good friends, but her shaky self-esteem leads to behaviors like cutting school, shoplifting, setting herself up for some degrading sexual encounters, smoking cigarettes, drinking to excess, and smoking pot. A character takes Adderall. There's a suicide attempt. The descriptions of sex are frequent and graphic, including many passages about oral sex. A sexual encounter includes racial "dirty talk." The main characters are regular cigarette smokers, pot smokers, and underage drinkers. In one scene, very drunk and stoned kids bully a gay boy. Morgan drinks alcohol with the intention to get drunk, even though she's on prescription antidepressants and has been instructed not to drink at all. Some adults drink to excess. Profanities include "s--t," "f--k," "motherf----r," "p---y," "damn," "nigg*," and "a--hole."
What's the Story?
As WHO PUT THIS SONG ON? opens, 17-year-old Morgan has started psychotherapy after a suicide attempt. Morgan has episodes where she can't stop crying. She attends a conservative Christian school where she's one of just a few Black students. She's not so sure about Christian doctrine. And she's not a girly girl; the boy she's crushing on thinks she's gay, and she herself is only about 90% sure she's straight. Fortunately, Morgan has a crew of friends. Each one is an outsider in some way, they accept and support one another, and they find their voices through the work of their favorite musical artists. Morgan has two heroes: Harriet Tubman, who gives Morgan hope that escape from her narrow circ*mstances is possible, and Barack Obama, whose election as the first Black president of the United States serves as a reminder that the world at large can change.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how mental illness is portrayed in Who Put This Song On? Have you ever seen a counselor or therapist? Have any of your friends or family? Does it strike you as a helpful way to address anxiety and depression?
Morgan and her friends communicate with one another by sharing their favorite music. Do you have favorite songs that help you understand and express your feelings?
All of Morgan's friends in Who Put This Song On? have some way that they don't fit in. Feeling like outsiders brings them together. How do those differences affect the characters' lives?
FAQs
Loosely based on the author's diaries, it's set in 2008 against a backdrop of emo music and Barack Obama winning the US presidency which reminded me of my own teenage days. However, the book became repetitive and didn't really go anywhere.
What is who put this song on about? ›
Set in 2008 in a conservative Southern California town, the book follows the story of Morgan Parker, who is told depression is something that happens to people who lack faith, and that her Blackness shouldn't be mentioned too much. Following a mental health crisis, Morgan decides to figure out who she is.
Who put this song on novel? ›
About Who Put This Song On? In the vein of powerful reads like The Hate U Give and The Poet X, comes poet Morgan Parker's pitch-perfect novel about a black teenage girl searching for her identity when the world around her views her depression as a lack of faith and blackness as something to be politely ignored.
What to say in a book review? ›
In general, you should include:
- The name of the author and the book title and the main theme.
- Relevant details about who the author is and where they stand in the genre or field of inquiry. ...
- The context of the book and/or your review. ...
- The thesis of the book. ...
- Your thesis about the book.
Mature Young Adults Plus (Grades 11 & Up)
How do I find out who wrote a song? ›
Songview was developed by ASCAP and BMI, the nation's two largest Performance Rights Organizations, to provide music users with the first comprehensive, reliable and consistent data on songwriters, composers, music publishers and copyright ownership shares for the vast majority of songs licensed in the United States.
Who did the song Tell Me Why? ›
"Tell Me Why" is a song by English rock band the Beatles from their album A Hard Day's Night. In North America, it was released on both the American version of A Hard Day's Night and the album Something New.
Who put out the song my girl? ›
"My Girl" is a soul music song recorded by the Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) record label. Written and produced by the Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Ronald White, it became the Temptations' first U.S. number 1 single, and is currently their signature song.
Who is song of songs written about? ›
Jewish tradition reads it as an allegory of the relationship between God and Israel. In Christianity, it is read as an allegory of Christ and his bride, the Church.
Who put this song on main character? ›
The protagonist, Morgan, is a liberal 17-year-old African American girl who lives with her mother and father. She has her own unique emo style which her mother doesn't approve of, but that's just the start of Morgan's problems. Morgan is one of the only black kids at school.
noun. a book containing a collection of songs. Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers.
Who is the author in a song? ›
The author of a musical work is the person who created the music and/or lyrics, such as a composer, lyricist, or songwriter. Sound recordings are generally created by performers and/or producers.
How to start a book review? ›
All reviews begin with bibliographic information: the author's name, the book's full title, place of publication, publisher, edition, date, pagination, and cost, if known. In no more than two paragraphs, introduce the book. Give your initial appraisal of the work, including your key observation on the text.
What's in a book review? ›
A book review is a descriptive and critical/evaluative account of a book. It provides a summary of the content, assesses the value of the book, and recommends it (or not) to other potential readers. A book report is an objective summary of the main ideas and arguments that the book's author has presented.
How to end a book review? ›
A book review ends with a conclusion paragraph that summarizes the points made in the body paragraphs and shares any final thoughts the reviewer has about the book. It may include a rating, like giving the book three stars out of five.
How can I get my songs heard by publishers? ›
Use a pitch sheet or music event
You can also reach music publishers through pitch sheets like the one at TAXI.com and songwriter conferences like the Durango Songwriters Expo, the TAXI Road Rally, or the ASCAP Experience. These avenues should give you access to one or more music publishers.
How do I get my song reviewed? ›
Make a list of target places to submit to. There are many ways to try to determine what sites to target, but one simple way is to choose an artist who is similar to your style of music and figure out where they get played and covered. Those should be first on your list! Music review, discovery, and magazines.
Who pays for book reviews? ›
Want to Get Paid to Review Books? Try These 7 Publishers
- The U.S. Review of Books. The U.S. Review of Books regularly hires freelance book reviewers. ...
- Online Book Club. ...
- Kirkus Media. ...
- Booklist Online. ...
- Women's Review of Books. ...
- Publisher's Weekly. ...
- BookBrowse.
Amazon is one of the most influential places to get your book reviewed. Not only is it the place that most people buy books, but it's also the place with the most book & product reviewers. You can find Amazon reviewers by searching for books similar to yours and reading those reviews.
