Speaking on Speak

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I thought that Speak literally spoke volumes to adolescence and finding one's voice when it's been lost. I think that kids, especially girls, around this age can learn a thing or two about the power of speaking up from this novel. Each situation definitely varies from person to person, but I found Melinda's stubbornness and isolation from the situation extremely frustrating. It was probably due to my own stubbornness and impatience because I wanted her to progress faster than she did. I personally have underwent an unfortunate situation similar to Melinda's, so I connected with the overall story and Melinda's story especially. I know from experience that it can be extremely hard to talk about things like this to people who have no idea what it's truly like to be taken advantage of and even talking about it brings back painful memories that you seriously want no recollection of, so that makes talking about it even harder than it should be. Unlike Melinda, I am very extroverted, but the situation made me quite introverted, which made it obvious to those around me that something was going on. However, the power of friendship and expert help like Health Services on our campus can aid in recovery more than you think it could. I connected this book to Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, mainly because of Hannah Baker's rape that led to her eventual suicide. Although Melinda did not end her life because of her rape, she withdrew herself like Hannah did and struggled to find someone to speak to about the incident.

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