' Muted blends the music of beautiful poetry with a powerful and relevant message. 'One of those books that when you finish, you stare at it for a little bit and need a moment before you can do other things – it is that good.' - Buzzfeed 'Catapults toward a breathless, satisfying conclusion.' - The Horn Book * 'Charles’s heartbreaking novel in verse shows the harsh realities of the music industry.' - School Library Journal, starred review taut and gritty read.' - Booklist, starred review Inspired by true events, Muted is a fearless exploration of the dark side of the music industry, the business of exploitation, how a girl's dreams can be used against her - and what it takes to fight back. As the dream turns into a nightmare, she must make a choice: lose her big break, or get broken. Even the painful sacrifices and the lies the girls have to tell are all worth it.ĭenver begins to realize that she's trapped in Merc's world, struggling to hold on to her own voice. Merc gives them everything: parties, perks, wild nights - plus hours and hours in the recording studio. So Denver is more than ready on the day she and her best friends Dali and Shak sing their way into the orbit of the biggest R&B star in the world, Sean 'Mercury' Ellis.

Writing, performing, and her ultimate goal: escaping her very small, very white hometown. A ripped-from-the-headlines novel of ambition, music, and innocence lost, perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Jason Reynolds!įor seventeen-year-old Denver, music is everything.

Muted by tami charles