Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
The book Speak is a story mainly about the importance of speaking up and not being afraid to say what’s important, which is why I really liked this book. When things get rough, we sometimes try to hide the pain from others because we feel safer if we do, but throughout this story we see that we need to speak up so that we aren’t bearing all the pain on our own.
Melinda was just a regular girl who had lots of friends and went to parties. But when she called the cops for help, they arrive to find only a teen party with alcohol. Her friends believed that she betrayed them and won’t talk to her. What really makes you wonder is why did she call the cops? Every time she thinks back to that night, she sees it as a painful memory. Why did she call for help?

Throughout the story, we see how Melinda gains courage and strength and we see that she can only become stronger when she learns to speak the truth again and only she can find the way to that strength.
I believe that people who have gone through something painful would really relate to this story which might help them overcome their pain if they haven’t already. This book shows that in life we are like seeds and must care and protect these seeds to help them grow. However, if the seed doesn’t grow, it takes a lot of courage and strength to help it start.