Book Review [ArticleImageHyperLink] Friday, October 30, 2009 By Kristen Hansen This month is National Book Month 2009. I had a survey made asking about what books you have read this month that inspired you and the one of the top ones was Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson. In this book, a young teenage girl named Melinda, who is a freshman in high school went from being popular to an outcast in a matter of weeks. She used to be social, outgoing, and had friends until one night at a party when things went all wrong. There was drinking and drugs at the party, and the the book reveals that something bad happened to her. Something so bad that she called the cops, but when the 911 disbatcher answered she couldn’t speak. She just dropped the phone and ran. After that night no one could forgive her, not when they and/or their friends were arrested. Her friends wouldn't talk to her and everyone ignored her. No one will hear anything that Melinda has to say and since then, Melinda doesn't hardly speak at all... especially about that night. She has so much hurt and pain bottled up inside that she resorts to inflicting pain on herself by biting her lips until the bleen all because she thinks she can never let anyone know what really happened that night. The only thing that you really know at this point is that she has a strong hate for a high school jock named Andy. She has such a hate that she rarely even calls him by is name. No one knows that the real reason Melinda called the cops even as they go into the next school year and she is now a freshman. Melinda was into art at school as it was one of the only ways for her to express her feelings without revealing what really happened that night it. Everyone was given a topic that they had to center all of there projects around. When Melinda opened her paper it read, “tree”. She had no idea what she was going to do with this topic. Her art teacher, felt as if she could really open up through all her artwork. Melinda hangs out everyday in a janitor's closet just so that she wont have to go to class. Even during assemblies and things like that. This story isn’t all downhill though because the end of the book is the most gripping part. It just goes to show that with a little love and care a seed can bloom into a beautiful flower. This story is all about growth and coming out. Like a tree with water and light grows into something beautiful, so in this story does Melinda. I highly recommend this story to all high school students. It is a thrilling, touching, amazing story that really makes one realize how precious everything that you have is. Many out there have things harder than what you’re dealing with. Melinda is a great example to all young people coming of age. This story will inspire you and encourage you to never lose hope. Never let yourself bottle it all up inside because, like it or not, it has to come out sometime but, you can control that process.

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