Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams is a powerful novel in verse from Shari Green that explores life in East Germany in the 1980s in the run up to the fall of the Berlin wall and the reunification of Germany. The book tells the story of Helena, a sixteen year old girl who is growing up in the authoritarian German Democratic Republic, where there is limited freedom of movement and the watchful eye of the Stasi (State Police) seems to be every where. Helena and her best friend Katrin study music together and Helena dreams of becoming a conductor so that she can bring the joy of music to the people , but this is a dream that she may never achieve given the current political climate. When Katrin and her family escape while on a holiday, Helena feels more alone than ever before and worries more than ever about her family, especially because of her father's increasing involvement in peaceful demonstrations and rallies to protest the lack of freedom in the state. She is forced to face some very difficult choices about who she really is and who and what matters most to her.
This was a stunningly beautifully written book, lyrical yet propulsive and I found myself really feeling for Helena as she navigated the loss of her best friend, falling in love and being forced to make some really tough decisions.
I loved how Helena related to music, and how that love was translated to the page for the reader.
" Everyone deserves
to experience music in a way
that awakens their souls
that astounds with beauty
that strengthens them for
whatever battles lie within
and without "
I devoured this book, totally transported to another place and time, and I found myself thinking about it for days after I read the last page.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Written in verse, this book is still very easy to read. It's also comforting. As the title suggests the experience of reading this book truly feels lyrical, as if listening to the hopes of people who feel that the world is not yet doomed. It also shows different dreams and different situations: some people wish for a revolution, while some simply want food on their table. Furthermore, the book also takes you on the dangers of rebelling, and why it's done anyways. Shari Green really merges all the elements of a great book, in this hopeful tale of change, a sort of rebirth. It's an empowering story, a great message of resilience, and the will to never stop fighting.