'Speak' and 'Hole in My Life'

"Many young adult novels do describe the long-term painful effects of 'problems,' yet usually offer hope, a sense that young people can be strong.... Some of these characters may not look like traditional heroes. However, their actions and their relationships with others, particularly those less fortunate than themselves, communicate idealism and hope."

Both Speak and Hole in My Life end with a sense of hope like that described in the above quote. The main characters in both go through serious hardship-- one after surviving a brutal attack, and another after choosing to participate in illicit activities. In the end, however, both do overcome these events and move on to lead happier lives. I think it is important to deal with "heavy" subjects in YA literature because most YAs are dealing with "heavy" things in their own lives. Being able to see that the experiences they're having are normal and that it is possible to come out on the other side of them is a good way to help them as they confront difficult issues.

I found Speak to be much more powerful than Hole in My Life both in its writing style and in its content. Hole in My Life didn't elicit much sympathy in me from the beginning and so the hope at the end lost its potency. Speak made its survivor into a hero as she literally fought off her attacker and found her voice after months of painful silence. The depression, ostracism, and shame she claws her way out of are painful to read about, and when she finally comes back to life it is like taking a deep breath. She is absolutely a hero in my eyes-- for emerging from a horrific experience to warn others so that they might avoid going through what she has gone through. Throughout Melinda maintains an authentic voice-- she is depressed but still finds irony and humor in life-- which makes her all the more human and believable. Her humanity only adds to her heroism in the end because she has no superpower to deliver her from her pain and isolation, she delivers herself, giving hope to the reader that she too can overcome a painful situation she faces.

On a practical level, Melinda's behavior could serve as a way of teaching YAs to recognize depression and signs of struggle in their friends or themselves, perhaps prompting them to ask for help. When I was a freshman in high school my best friend attempted suicide twice (and thank God was unsuccessful both times). She warned her friends and teachers indirectly by her actions and words, and a guidance counselor was even alerted to these signs but never followed up on them. I wish I had known what to do, or how to recognize what she was going through. I don't know that reading a book like Speak would have changed what I did or did not do in that situation, but it might have somehow helped me deal with it. Part of the reason I tell this story is to illustrate that troublesome, horrifyingly scary things happen to young adults. Their parents might not want to admit this, and might think that books with mature themes are too much for their teens, but the aren't! Literature can show people pain and misery and can show them that those things don't last forever and that it is important to pay attention to someone who seems to be in pain.