Wow. This book was truly amazing and it really did teach me how rebellion can affect a person's life. It really did touch me emotionally because I felt like I knew what the main character, Melinda was going through but, in different words. Melinda reminded me of Kristina/Bree, the main character in the book Crank by Ellen Hopkins. Even though there's a lot to contract about them two, in some way, you can compare them too. This book is life changing and somehow, it teaches the way of how high school roles.
To me, I have so much to say about this book. It really kept me wondering through out and after the book. Why did Melinda wait to the near end of the book to tell us what happened at that party? Why didn't her best friend, Rachel/Rachelle believe her? Why did no one believe Melinda? Why was Rachel/Rachelle mad at her? Why didn't Rachel/Rachelle talk to her about it? Why did Heather did what she did to Melinda? I feel like Melinda struggled to be heard and she many chances to speak up and confess everything. (I now get why the book is call Speak.) Why didn't she? Was she afraid? Well everything happens for a reason and if I was in the book, the story would be completely different.
So, in art class, Mr. Freeman was overwhelming Melinda on how much her her trees suck. He overwhelmed her so much that he took her to the point where she just got angry at herself and started to cry. Then he's says...
"Nothing is perfect. Flaws are interesting"
When I first read this, i was confused. I just didn't know what to say until I read back and it hit me. Mr.Freeman is trying to sat that it's okay to be messed up. It's creative and unique to be. If things were perfect, the world wouldn't be interesting and He feels like life is more exciting if flaws were everywhere. Melinda wants to make the perfect tree but Mr. Freeman doesn't want it to be. Art isn't perfection and nor is she.
One day when Melinda was sick, she turned on the TV and thought to herself...
"If my life were a TV show, what would it be?"
At first, I read this and wonder the same thing to myself. Melinda is trying to find herself through all the drama she's going through. She's thinking about what type of person she is and her personality. So just me wondering, does she believe that it's the only way people would hear her?
Anyway, the point is that Melinda has changed dramatically even though it may seem like she didn't. In my opinion, Melinda has changed from a person from having a false viewed, disillusionment girl to a girl who has an awarness of a false sense of security, more experienced, having a correct view of things and more understanding person. But most of all, she has rebelled from her old ways and has learned how to speak up and confess. The author, Laurie Halse Anderson, is trying to say about childhood is that some moments can really change you as a person and more people should learn how to speak up and confess when something is bothering them. She's also saying about adulthood is that to try to forget about the bad times but remember the things you've learned from them.
Just talking about Melinda and her own story, it sort of reminded me of my own. As a little girl, I was so alone, just by myself, playing always by myself because of one specific person, my cousin. She always use to come over and love to play around wityh my sister and left me in the rust. She even convienced my sister to blame me for everything, especially whenit came to her breaking stuff and she didn't want to take the blame for it. People use to believe her and I didn't know what to do. It just went way too far until the day when I finally had enough and and told everyone everything. At first, they were shock and told me they'll take it to consideration. It was only about a week till everything unfolded and I kind of felt a little better. Even though she still hasn't apologize, it doesn't really matter to me at all. I just felt a little hope when everything happened and it spreaded throughout the whole family. And even though I will never forget those couple of months, it stills make me stronger. So when people try to do crazy things to you, don't be like me and Melinda who just held everything in until we had enough. Speak the truth and never hold it back. You won't reget it and don't learn the hard way.
