Speak ★★★★★

Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson ★★★★★ 198 pgs

"THE FIRST TEN LIES THEY TELL YOU IN HIGH SCHOOL
1. We are here to help you.
2. You will have enough time to get to your class before the bell rings.
3. The dress code will be enforced.
4. No smoking is allowed on school grounds.
5. Our football team will win the championship this year.
6. We expect more of you here.
7. Guidance counselors are always available to listen.
8. Your schedule was created with your needs in mind.
9. Your locker combination is private.
10. These will be the years you will look back on fondly."

Speak is a story about depression. Feeling alone, to afraid to speak up, not knowing where how to begin to become "normal" again. Melinda is an outcast. Over summer before starting her freshmen year she broke up a high school party by calling the cops. Everyone is pissed at her, but no one stops to ask her why she made the call. Melinda didn't stick around to talk to the cops either. Now, she has to deal with her freshman year on her own. She makes a half-ass attempt to befriend someone, but she can't stop being depressed and she can't seem to open up about it either. Melinda tries to shut herself off, she sleeps, ditches class, fails to turn in homework, stops talking, hides, but she needs to find her voice. She needs to speak.

I had heard wonderful things about this book, but I never looked into it. I just left it on my To Be Read list and didn't think twice about it. I finally read it for a reading challenge and I am kicking myself for not picking it up sooner. It was amazing. It's raw. The story mixes depression with humor. There were some hilarious quotes. Melinda is sarcastic and sardonic, but makes valid observations. You can't miss the pain when reading Anderson's story.

I went into this story without reading any plot summaries. I wanted to go into it blind. I think that was the best way to read about Melinda. I figured out what happened fairly early on, but it's not necessarily a secret for the reader. Although, I won't mention what led to Melinda's depression here. The point is to watch as Melinda's story unfolds, to feel her pain, to feel unwanted and to feel like you're the freak, to slowly start to find your voice again and come out of your shell, to finally speak. I'm glad high schools are using this book. It's an important topic. For those of you that think high schoolers should be sheltered from this, you're stupid. It happens. You're children need to know not to lose their voice if it happens to them. They need to stand up for themselves and not let something eat away at them and destroy their childhood, their life.