Because I am Furniture is the story of a girl named Anke. While her brother and sister are being abused by their father, Anke remains untouched. This should be a good thing, right? To Anke not being abused makes her feel worthless. She believes that being abused means that you are still getting attention, and even that negative attention is better than none at all. She sees herself as furniture because, even though she’s always there witnessing the abuse, she is ignored.

Anke finally begins to feel as though she is a part of something when she joins her high school volleyball team. There, she finds her voice and learns to shout. Even as her father objects to Anke playing volleyball, she takes pride in her team. Her newfound voice leads her to finally assert herself at home and become heard.

Because I am Furniture is a verse novel, which means it is written like one big poem instead of the traditional prose form. Therefore, the book is a fast read, which, in my opinion, is bad thing because it causes the story to be over before you know it. The characters are believable and easy to relate to. There are a few moments of suspense scattered throughout the book. Even though the book portrays some of the abuse that takes place, it isn’t too gruesome or scary.

I actually suggested Because I am Furniture to a friend, and she enjoyed it as much as I did. This book is one that I would highly recommend because it is easy to read, a quick read, and a really good family story. It shows that, in the end, family is the most important thing.