Entry Three

  What made me want to read this book is probably the struggle that she goes through. I know that's kind of weird but books like this interest me because I know the feeling of struggle as a teenager. My sister also read this book and loved it so I had to read it. I made some personal connections between the book but not a lot. This book made you feel as if you were there with her experiencing these things with her and that's what I loved about it. The author made it very personal which makes me think something like this either happened to her or happened to someone she knows. Throughout the entire book it was never boring you always wanted to turn to the next page. The book was sad and all but it makes you feel apprecitative for what you have.

  I would recommend this book to someone who likes a book with sad and some happy moments or if you experienced depression it could be a good book to make you feel like your not the only who has been through this. This book showed to not be afraid to communicate and tell someone something you think is bad but really in the end your only hurting yourself by not communicating no matter how shameful and embarrassed you feel.

Entry Two

I think Melinda wants this burden off of her chest but she is too scared and ashamed to tell anyone. She expresses her feelings through her art work. One of the themes in this novel is isolation. I think isolation is one of the main one becomes throughout the book Melinda doesn't talk to anyone about what happened to her at that party. Distances herself from everyone including her parents. Considering that that guy who raped her goes to her school she doesn't talk to anybody. All of her friends that she had in the middle school left her because they think shes a tattle tale like the rest of the school. I think that she also wants to not be the outcast she wants to fit in with everybody else and I can relate to that feeling and I think any teenager has felt that way sometime throughout their high school career.

  Guilt and Blame is another theme that I notice in this novel. As Melinda is telling us how she feels and what she is thinking you can tell that she feels shame about what happened at that party and she blames herself for what happened almost like she had it coming for her. The author makes you feel the pain and burden that she is carrying and that's what I like about this book it's so realistic feeling.

Entry One

  In the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, the main character is a girl name Melinda Sordino who starts her Freshman year of high school really rough. During the summer before her freshman year she was raped by a senior at a party and she was drunk and confused so she called the cops and everyone thought that she called the cops to break up the party. So everyone in the high school thinks of her as a tattle tale, but no one knows what really happened. She carries the burden of this alone, confused and inwardly tortured.

  I'm wondering if Melinda will ever have the courage to tell her parents or someone what really happened that night. The setting of this book takes place Syracuse, New York where actually the author lives. Most of the book in Melinda's thoughts and feelings and it let's you get to know her more as a person and what she is going through. It really shows the struggle and makes you feel as if you were there with her along this journey. With all the jargon used in this novel I think it takes place in the late 1990's. This book for me so far is good and I hope that eventually she will be able to tell someone what actually happened so she can live happily without this heavy burden.