Speak by Laurie Malse Anderson

   The book out of my past that I can remember 
reading is Speak by Laurie Malse Anderson. I read it when I was in the eighth grade. I found this book because it was in my school’s library. Every week we had to pick a book from the library and read it. I was drawn by the cover of this book. Leaves and trees are two things I’m weirdly obsessed with. Speak is about a girl named Melinda and how one party changed her life. Melinda and her best friend attended a high school party. She met a boy who took advantage of her, so she called the police. However, things got worse for Melinda. All of her friends turned their backs on her and her best friend even started to date the guy who hurt Melinda. Because of everything, Melinda stopped speaking. Through art class, Melinda became brave enough to express herself without words. I remember this book because of how strong Melinda became towards the end. She confronted her attacker and finally found her voice. My favorite parts in the book is Melinda’s personality. She’s funny, sarcastic, and very honest. I don’t think I would recommend this book to anyone in class. It’s more for someone who’s in middle or high school. However, anybody who wants to read it can. There’s even a movie based off of the book. It was made in 2004 and Kristen Stewart plays Melinda.