Hey! I recently (re)read the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and I do have some strong opinions on it that I would like to share.

To start off, this novel is about a girl named Melinda Sordino. Throughout this book, she fights to overcome her depression due to something aching that happened to her at a summer party. She goes back to school in September with no friends, along with multiple glares from strangers. She decides that speaking will only hurt her, slipping into a state of depression.

This book truly meant a lot to me. The first time I read this book was in 2018 and it taught me a lot about standing up for myself when times get hard. When we are told to stand up for ourselves, we agree and stop thinking about it the day after. When we have to take action and stand up for ourselves, we tend to become a coward. I know that not all of us can relate to this, but there has to be someone out there who’s too shy, or too afraid to go out and stand up to everyone who has hurt them in the past.

Read More