Banned Book Reading Response

Speak
By: Laurie Halse Anderson

     The book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is about a teenage girl, who is an outcast because of something she did. Everyone seems to ignore her, or hate her for calling the police on a party; however no one knows the real reason she called them. Speak is a banned book. This book should not be banned.
   
     One reason this book should not be banned, is because it is about a girl who is a pariah and misunderstood. For example, a girl bullies Melinda, the main character, at a school pep rally for getting her brother arrested when she called the cops at a party. Melinda did not respond to the girl but was thinking: "I can't tell them what really happened." This shows that no one knows the real reason behind Melinda making a decision, and they exclude her because of it.
   
     Another reason this book should not be banned, is because it touches on the subject of harming others; more specifically, rape. People out there have arguments about why this book should be banned, and their reasons probably touch on the topic of promoting rape. However, that is not at all what this book is doing. The book Speak is not promoting rape or putting it on some sort of pedestal, it is trying to get the message out that their are rape victims out there whose lives are ruined because of something they did not do or ask for! The author touched on the subject in the question and answer after the book. The question was: "Have any readers ever asked questions that shocked you?" Anderson responded by saying how she received questions from young men who were confused as to why Melinda was upset about being raped. The author stated: "I realized many young men are not being taught the impact of sexual assault has on a woman. They are inundated by sexual imagery in the media and often come to the (incorrect) conclusion that having sex is not a big deal." This shows that the author was expressing that any sexual harassment/assault has a very large impact on victims.
   
     Finally, this book should not be banned because it teaches many valuable lessons. For example, a lesson it teaches it to not judge before you get all of the facts. The other students who hated Melinda for calling the cops, did not know she was calling the police because she got raped. Even her best friend hated her for it and she did not give Melinda the chance to explain herself; no one did. But once word got out what happened to her, people understood and acted warmer to her. On the last day of school, seniors who found out about the situation, went out of their way to speak to Melinda; "Way to go. I hope you're OK." one girl said. Then Melinda's ex-best friend even called her. Teenagers are sometimes cruel and judgmental. This book does an amazing job expressing that and should not be banned for it.
   
     The book Speak should not be banned. It represents that people (teenagers) are quick to judge, it teaches important lessons, and most importantly it does not put rape or any sexual assault on a pedestal.

Runner Reading Response (for YA book)

Teens are starting to figure out who they are or who they want to be. In the book Runner by Carl Deuker, a boy named Chance gets involved with drug dealers and becomes courier for strange packages. Chance’s daily life consists of dealing with an alcoholic father and other ‘normal’ struggles teens face. Chance struggles to figure out his identity and future while battling with his current conflicts.

Chance has to battle with his current conflicts, which are both ‘normal’ and abnormal. For example, Chance threatens to go the police and his local ‘boss’ reacts: “His eyes darkened chillingly. ‘Listen and listen good. This isn’t some high school poker game you’re involved with. If the wrong people head you talk about the police, we both end up in body bags. Understand?’” Chance becomes a courier for strange packages containing unknown items. He is in way over his head, and deals with the constant presence of guilt and fear of being caught (by police) or hurt (by the people). Another example is, Chance’s father gets fired from all the unsteady jobs he tries to hold. So it was not uncommon for money to be really tight before Chance got his courier job. Finally, Chance’s father has a drinking problem, so Chance deals with being on his own a lot while his dad is out drinking. Chance has many conflicts that he has to deal with constantly.

In addition to dealing with conflicts, Chance struggles to figure out who he wants to be. For example, Chance realizes he does not exactly know what he wants to do with his life, or his future. “...though I didn’t know what I’d even study at college if I ever got there.” Although it may appear that Chance is thinking about college, the reality is he is a senior so his school has Career Days and the idea of college is always buzzing around. Another example is, “Melissa, Thomas, Annie, Natasha- all of them were moving on with their live. They were heading to college; the world was getting larger for them. Where was I going? What was I going to do?” This shows that Chance has not really given his future a lot of thought, and is getting smacked with reality; that life goes on after high school and eventually he will be there. Chance is lost when it comes to thinking of his future.

However, Chance is forced to grow up and make an independent decision. For example, after his father died, Chance was left alone, crashing with a family friend. They were nurturing and supportive, pretty much the opposite of what Chance was used to. So when they nudge him to consider moving in full time with them, he snaps and pushes himself to truly decide on what he wants to do. “In a few minutes I’ll have to tell them. After that, I’ll go to the bus stop and take the number 75 out to Northgate and enlist in the army.” Another example is, Chance finally says it: “One thing I’m sure of- I am going somewhere someday.” Chance is forced to grow up because of a tragic event, but he is able to make a decision about his future.

Chance struggles to figure out his identity and future while battling with his current conflicts. I admire how Chance made a decision without the guidance of adults because growing up is a hard thing to do by yourself. Not only was Chance on his own while his father was out drinking, but he lost his father because of his ‘job’. And yet he was still strong enough to decide on something as crucial as enlisting in the army by himself!