Out of My Mind

No, I'm not out of my mind. It's the title of the most inspiring and touching book I have ever read. Ever. And that is saying a whole lot.

Originally I was planning a post about my trip to NYC today, but this book absolutely cannot wait.

 

 Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper is about a girl-Melody- with celebral palsy. She cannot speak, walk, write, eat or even go to the bathroom on her own. But eleven-year-old Melody is very gifted- she is extremely intelligent, has a photographic memory, and remembers things from her early childhood. But mostly, she remembers words- all of them. Every word her parents spoke to her or about her, even when she was a few months old. But then she discovers something that will allow her to speak. {I know I can't write good summaries}

Here is an excerpt from the beginning of the book:

"Words have always swirled around me like snowflakes- each one delicate and different, each one melting untouched in my hands.

Deep within me, words pile up in huge drifts. Mountains of phrases and sentences and connected ideas. Clever expressions. Jokes. Love songs...

But only in my head.

I have never spoken one single word. I am almost eleven years old."

This book has touched me so much. We take so much for granted- things like walking and talking, eating and going to the bathroom by ourselves. Some people just can't do that, but that doesn't mean they're inferior. Like one of the 'normal' girls in the book says about Melody, "I'm not trying to be mean- honest- but it just never occured to me that Melody had thoughts in her head." And several kids nodded along.
So many people think that- when someone can't communicate, that they can't think. Maybe for some people, that is true. I don't know. Only God does. But for others, it must be horrid, trying to find a way to, somehow, show someone what you mean. Like "living in a cage with no door and no key."

At my school, there are lots of special needs kids- mainly deaf students. My school has a special deaf department. And most of us honestly don't give much thought to the special needs students, I'm ashamed to say. Some of us know some sign language, but most of us know too little to understand what someone is trying to sign to us. I VERY highly recommend this book. It really opens your mind to life and being grateful for these blessings that just about everyone takes for granted.

This book was released in early March this year. It is a bit costly (17 dollars hardcover, no softcover I'm aware of), but well worth it. I got it secondhand from Half Price Books and Records (a chain store, you should check it out) for, what else, half the price.