⚠️ Parental discretion advised.
Today I am going to share with you a great book titled Speak by famous author Laurie Halse Anderson. There is a movie based on this book. This book is inspired by the author’s own life experiences.
Trigger Warning: This story must be read by teens 14+. This book talks about Sexual Harassment/assault and this story might be a bit scary or sad for some young readers.
Last week, my mom took me to the mall to return a recently bought bracelet from Swarovski (Boring). As we were leaving the house, my mom had promised that she would take me to Barnes and Noble. I had a 200$ gift card from last year and I thought it was the perfect time to use it. At first, I couldn’t find any good books. So I headed to the children’s section and that was even more depressing because I had already read most of the books in that section. Later, I went to the Book Tok section. At the bottom of the shelf, I saw a book written by a familiar author Laurie Halse Anderson with a beautiful cover. I had read and reviewed her book Fever 1793 and had really enjoyed it. I took out the book and read the blurb. I found it rather interesting so I bought it using my gift card.
Melinda, a thirteen-year-old soon-to-be freshman, has found bad luck towards the end of the summer. She attends a party where two unbelievable things happen. She had gotten dr*nk and had been r*ped. In order to call for help, she calls 911 which breaks up the party and shatters the friendship between Melinda and Rachel. Why? Melinda didn’t tell anyone what happened to her that night at the party and it made her look guilty for breaking up the party. When Melinda goes back to school, all of a sudden she’s quiet, everyone suddenly hates her, her grades have dropped, her parents have issues and she falls into depression and loneliness. However, Mr. Freeman the art teacher helps her express her emotions through art. That night, Melinda was too frightened to say no to the person who h*rassed her. But now the new Melinda will be able to say no and explain what really happened at the party. What will happen next? Will Melinda and Rachel ever be friends again? How will Melinda change her lonely world? Read this book to find out.
I would like to end this review by reminding everyone No means No. Everyone has their own boundaries and you have to respect them. Rape cases are growing higher and higher every day and young girls and boys have suffered through trauma. We can’t let our generation suffer through this. I hope you all enjoy this book as much as I did. Take Care!