Draper, S. (2010). Out of my mind. New York, NY. Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
Melody is an 11 year old girl who remembers everything since she was two years old. She understand language but can not speak, nor can she walk or move at all. She can't feed herself or even take herself to the bathroom. She has cerebral palsy, her body does not cooperate at all, but her mind has always worked well. She recalls her first memories and first struggles. Her parents are supportive and loving. They have always advocated for Melody even against doctors and teachers who didn't truly understand her. Mrs. V is also a big support for Melody ever since she was a baby. She has never treated Melody much differently than any other child and is helping her to be challenged and grow and learn even when facing real world problems, like learning to turn over her body if she falls, pulling herself to her stomach and crawling, and even practicing buckling her own seat belt. Mrs. V helps Melody communicate using cards on a communication board. From here Melody quickly learns, letters, and hundreds of words and sentences. When Melody enters public school, she is faced with mindless activities in a special education class where she is board and frustrated at the same time. During this time, her mother has another baby, a little girl Penny, who is born perfectly healthy and able. Melody loves Penny but still has some frustration when she sees her sister grow and move in ways she never will be able to. When Melody comes back to school to begin 5th grade she is pleasantly surprised to find out that the school will now provide inclusion classes for her. She will be going into mainstream classes, starting with a new homeroom teacher who moves them to music and later adding classes by subject...she is thrilled. She also gets a new university student assistant to help her function in class named Catherine who actually talks to her like a "real human". When she is assigned a bibliography project, Melody chooses Stephen Hawking (her role model). She also realizes she wants to have what he has, a computer to talk for her. After communicating that's what she wants to Mrs. V and her parents, she receives a Medi-Talker just before Christmas that she names "Elvira" after one of her favorite songs and memories. She practices using it and is soon able to communicate and demonstrate just how intelligent she is. She even makes a trivia competition team that competes at a regional level and moves onto a national level in Washington D.C. However, a snow storm causes Melody's flight to be cancelled and she finds out the rest of her team has already left on an earlier flight. She is devastated. She insists on going to school the next day despite her long eventful evening and her mother, in a rush, backs her car and hits her sister Penny who has run out of the house. Melody had tried to tell her mother using her shrieks and screams but couldn't. Penny is in the hospital, and Melody feels it's all her fault. The story ends with her working on an autobiography project where she begins with the first lines of the story...this is her autobiography.
This is a beautiful and strong piece of realistic fiction that brings new light on the handicapped world and culture. The author's strong use of characters, plot, and theme make this an outstanding literary work. I don't know of any other works of literature where the point of view is from inside the mind of someone who had no use of their body. Melody's world is not like most "normal" kids and so her character may not be relatable to everyone but to the population that can relate, it is an iconic character. Her struggles of frustration are so powerful, it is a character you come to support and feel with. The plot is interesting through out the book as it describes her life's struggles from even a very small age up until her recent moments in time. The themes of friendship, hardship and struggles to feel "normal", and the way we treat others are compelling and powerful messages to all.
For a preview of Out of My Mind and more about Sharon Draper go to http://sharondraper.com/bookdetail.asp?id=35
Melody is an 11 year old girl who remembers everything since she was two years old. She understand language but can not speak, nor can she walk or move at all. She can't feed herself or even take herself to the bathroom. She has cerebral palsy, her body does not cooperate at all, but her mind has always worked well. She recalls her first memories and first struggles. Her parents are supportive and loving. They have always advocated for Melody even against doctors and teachers who didn't truly understand her. Mrs. V is also a big support for Melody ever since she was a baby. She has never treated Melody much differently than any other child and is helping her to be challenged and grow and learn even when facing real world problems, like learning to turn over her body if she falls, pulling herself to her stomach and crawling, and even practicing buckling her own seat belt. Mrs. V helps Melody communicate using cards on a communication board. From here Melody quickly learns, letters, and hundreds of words and sentences. When Melody enters public school, she is faced with mindless activities in a special education class where she is board and frustrated at the same time. During this time, her mother has another baby, a little girl Penny, who is born perfectly healthy and able. Melody loves Penny but still has some frustration when she sees her sister grow and move in ways she never will be able to. When Melody comes back to school to begin 5th grade she is pleasantly surprised to find out that the school will now provide inclusion classes for her. She will be going into mainstream classes, starting with a new homeroom teacher who moves them to music and later adding classes by subject...she is thrilled. She also gets a new university student assistant to help her function in class named Catherine who actually talks to her like a "real human". When she is assigned a bibliography project, Melody chooses Stephen Hawking (her role model). She also realizes she wants to have what he has, a computer to talk for her. After communicating that's what she wants to Mrs. V and her parents, she receives a Medi-Talker just before Christmas that she names "Elvira" after one of her favorite songs and memories. She practices using it and is soon able to communicate and demonstrate just how intelligent she is. She even makes a trivia competition team that competes at a regional level and moves onto a national level in Washington D.C. However, a snow storm causes Melody's flight to be cancelled and she finds out the rest of her team has already left on an earlier flight. She is devastated. She insists on going to school the next day despite her long eventful evening and her mother, in a rush, backs her car and hits her sister Penny who has run out of the house. Melody had tried to tell her mother using her shrieks and screams but couldn't. Penny is in the hospital, and Melody feels it's all her fault. The story ends with her working on an autobiography project where she begins with the first lines of the story...this is her autobiography.
This is a beautiful and strong piece of realistic fiction that brings new light on the handicapped world and culture. The author's strong use of characters, plot, and theme make this an outstanding literary work. I don't know of any other works of literature where the point of view is from inside the mind of someone who had no use of their body. Melody's world is not like most "normal" kids and so her character may not be relatable to everyone but to the population that can relate, it is an iconic character. Her struggles of frustration are so powerful, it is a character you come to support and feel with. The plot is interesting through out the book as it describes her life's struggles from even a very small age up until her recent moments in time. The themes of friendship, hardship and struggles to feel "normal", and the way we treat others are compelling and powerful messages to all.
For a preview of Out of My Mind and more about Sharon Draper go to http://sharondraper.com/bookdetail.asp?id=35
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