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.