Fighting For the Right to Live

“It is my first morning of high school. I have seven new notebooks, a skirt I hate, and a stomachache.” These are the first words of an amazing novel written by Laurie Halse Anderson. The novel that has changed my point a view is “Speak.” This extremely well written book portrays a girl who is going into high school with a new start, except one small thing is missing; she has no friends. She has to go through a whole year and maybe even more by her lonesome. Laurie Anderson displays a truly warm and touching story about how a teenager can go through so much and yet no one is aware of what has happened! Melinda is portrayed as a teenager who has suffered from sexual abuse. Even though one can suffer greatly, there is hope if one takes up the courage to face themselves and fight for their right to live and to be.

To begin with, in the book Speak, Melinda went through what every teenage girl fears- rape. One out of every three girls will be sexually abused by the age of 18. This is a disturbing but very true fact. In the concept of the book Melinda is faced with things that a teenager shouldn’t be put through. Laurie Halse Anderson finds a different way to talk to her readers through her writing. It takes a look at sexual abuse victims and what they are thinking of and how you should be open.

In addition to being open to those that are around you, you also have to be able to listen and be opened minded about different subjects, even if they are weird or uncomfortable. The author is trying to send a message to her readers about how you should be safe and aware of your surroundings. In a part of the book Melinda says that “the safest place to be is alone, inside your own head.” These words are probably what every sexual abuse victim is thinking, but what they don’t know is that if they just peel back a layer of skin they will feel a weight lift off of their shoulders, and that is when they know they should “speak.”