Annotation:
Shortly before the start of her freshmen year, Melinda
Sordino attends a party. She ends up calling the cops who bust up the event.
With that, she becomes hated by almost everyone. If only they knew why, maybe
Melinda would not be the outcast she is. But how can anyone understand what
really happened when Melinda refuses to talk? Will she ever find her voice?
Nomination Thoughts:
The book has strong themes that many YA can relate to or
otherwise have seen. Melinda called the cops to report a crime but can not
follow through with the truth- she was raped. All the kids think she did it to
break up the party. This leads to her shunning by just about everyone. It is hard to read how cruel her
classmates are. Even her parents are too busy to really take stock of what is
at the root of their daughter’s depression and lack of talking. Within her
silence, Melinda does find small ways to rebel and push past her limits.
She continues
her downward spiral barely passing her classes. The only bright spot is
her art class. Melinda, pushed by her art teacher, pours her heart into a tree
collage. As the year drones on, her ex-friend Rachel starts to date boy who
raped her and Melinda must decide how to warn her. When she does tell her about
the boy, Rachel does not believe her until he tries the same thing with her. Then
events play out that let everyone know what happened and the pain Melinda
endured.
The characters, mainly heard through Melinda’s thoughts, are
realistic to the high school scene. Still, this is the part that makes it a
soft yes for me- all of the narration and dialog is through one person-
Melinda. It’s cleaver but can still get tedious coming from that one
perspective. YA will find some humor in her nick names of people- IT, Principal
Principle and Hairywoman. The story has a good pace. Melinda gets stronger as the
book progresses and the ending, predictable since the boy does get his
come-uppance, still satisfies.
Nominate?
Yes, but a soft yes. The book as strong themes for YA-
dating and relationships, bullying, isolation and sexual violence. It’s limit
is its strength being told through one person.
Genre:
Coming of Age, Realistic/Edgy, Censored
One Last interesting note: A movie version is available via Netflex. Kristen Stewart played Melinda.
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