Speak Loudly

You've probably already noticed quite a handful of blog posts with the title Speak Loudly and I wanted to make sure that I too stood behind this cause. I am not a fan of book banning nor do I feel that teens should be kept in the dark. A lack of education never helped anyone get far in life.

I was fortunate enough to discover Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson when I was in the eighth grade. It profoundly affected me because up until that point, I had never read a book that was so honest and upfront. I know that this novel has helped a huge population of young adults who can relate to Melinda's story firsthand. It has allowed them to feel less alone and also inspired them to speak up instead of keeping what happened to them a secret. This is a big deal. No book should be banned. If you yourself have a problem with a particular novel then don't read it but do not take it away from everyone else as that is not your decision to make.

It is apparent that this person did not read Speak nor did he read Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler (which he deems inappropriate due to the use of condoms and the glorification of parties) or Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (which uses vulgar language and speaks of homosexuality) Speak is accused of using "soft pornography" because of the two rape scenes contained within the book. I don't even know what to say to a comment like that because it is such a disturbing one to make.

Other bloggers have suggested how great it would be to get Speak back on the bestsellers list (which I think is an awesome idea) Maybe you could buy a copy for a friend or buy and donate a copy to your local library, if you are able to do so of course. And do not forget about Twenty Boy Summer (which is one of my absolute favourite novels) and Slaughterhouse Five as well. As I mentioned above, no book should be banned.
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Click here if you wish to read Dr. Wesley Scroggins' full article which aside from book banning also targets the need to remove sex education from schools and much more that he deems inappropriate.

Click here to show Laurie Halse Anderson some love and to view her response on the matter. She also offers insight into letters you can write and other ways you can reach out.

Click here to view the awesome Sarah Ockler's response to the article and here to participate in her contest where she is giving away her novel as well as the other two mentioned in the article.

Aside from your local bookstore you may also buy the above three novels at: 


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