Speak is one of those great books that fifty different people can read and all of them get something different out of it.  Someone could say that it showed them they need to speak up.  Someone could say it showed them anyone can get through the ninth grade and end up okay on the other side.  And someone else could say that it’s a book about women’s rights and their places in society.  What did I get out of Speak though?  

Melinda showed me that you can save yourself.  When something bad happens you don’t always go to your friends or family and have them help you.  Sometimes what happens is too big and scary to tell anyone, but you can heal just by being with yourself, learning who you want to be and how you want the situation to end.  It may take some time, and it may suck while you’re going through it, but you can always come out the other side happy.

Per the title, the book also says that you have to speak up.  Melinda healed herself but also made sure the person who hurt her was punished.  She figured out how to say no to people who were walking all over her, which I’m sure everyone knows, is a really hard thing to do.

Moral of the story for me?  Stand up for yourself.  I can see why they read this in highschool, but I would suggest reading it again as an adult in order to get the true meaning behind Anderson’s words.  It is a quick read, but has a lot to say.