Speak
By Laurie Halse Anderson

Published by: Speak

Summary:
Melinda is a freshman in high school who was raped over the summer at a party. Instead of telling those around her and asking for help, she clams up and refuses to talk. She suffers in school, in her relationships with her family, and loses all of her friends. Will Melinda be able to face her fears or stay introverted and make them worse?

My Review:
This was a powerful book that deals with the emotions of a girl who feels she has lost everything because of one jerk in her high school. As a reader, I was wondering why she wouldn't reach out to those around her and let people know she was in pain, but that is part of the appeal of the story - a different perspective. Yes she is in pain, yes she is suffering in many other aspects of her life, but she can't put it into words or even face the facts of what happened to her. It helped me gain insight to how someone might feel if that happened to them and maybe how to try and reach out to them.

WARNING: The subject of teen rape is presented but is not embarrassingly graphic, depression, thoughts of suicide, and language are also in the book.