Out of My Mind - Sharon M. Draper
Categories:Self-Esteem
Out of My Mind Analysis
It was a book written in a simple language, holding its reader with a fluent plot. According to the subject of the book, it contained many messages. It is an indisputable fact that, as a reader, it creates awareness of individuals with disabilities. Before this book, I never thought about what could go through the head of a person I saw in a wheelchair, but now I am feeling more aware of their feelings and emotions. Descriptions of the characters described in the book were also very good. This success is one of the biggest factors that make me love books. Because being able to animate characters clearly in your mind puts you more into the story. For this reason, it was a book that I loved to read. Its language is simple and fluent on a modern level, making the book quick to read, so you don't get bored while reading. I strongly recommend that you read the story of this tiny but giant girl and add it to your world.
Out of My Mind Short Summary
11-year-old Melody is a girl with congenital physical disabilities, who cannot speak but has a completely different world. She has managed to ignore the difficulties of her life since she was coddled, cared for and got affection from her family since her childhood. Melody's father was constantly recording a video of her, and Melody constantly examines herself while watching these videos. In these videos, Melody's arms and legs never move, she does not cry, and she cannot sit without the help from the pillows. All these are the ongoing troubles for her at the moment. Because Melody cannot talk, she is also considered as mentally challenged by many people. Even her doctor said to her mother that she is experiencing mental disabilities. Though her mother vehemently denies it. She knows that her daughter understands everything even though she does not react to it. And indeed, that is. Melody understands everything around her, analyse it and reacts to them in her own internal world. Our heroine has a very strong photographic memory and she saves everything that she sees in her head so to speak. In addition, with her mother’s help, Melody is quite interested in music.
While Melody and her mother’s life is continuing as ordinary as possible, our heroine starts school. Melody experiences some kind of seizure when she gets excited, anxious or sad. Her body shakes up involuntarily and she makes strange sounds. One day in school she experiences a seizure. Because their teachers have been showing the students the same songs and the same lessons for months because they think they will not be able to understand, which has infuriated Melody at the end. Due to her seizure, her mother is called to school and her mother, who learns the situation and grasps the reason, gets angry. She cannot handle such underestimation of the children and decides to change Melody's class after the events and take her to the same class as normal students. This will be a very frustrating process for Melody because she has never been in such an environment before. Except for special children like herself, she has no friends and will now have to join a class of regular students. With the help of her family, Melody accepts this situation and returns to her school to start her classes in her new class. This is also challenging for other children in the classroom. Because Melody's amorphous stance and attitude scare them.
While Melody is trying to adapt to her new class, a new information is surfaced to the family. Melody’s mother is pregnant, and this situation means different emotions for all of them. Her mother is afraid because she thinks that her new-born can be born with a disadvantage like Melody. Melody has the same fear. She also gets uncomfortable with the idea that the baby will be normal and inferior to her and she can do the things that Melody cannot do. To help take care of Melody while the pregnancy period of her mother, Miss V. as Melody calls her, gets involve in their lives. Melody and Miss V. has a strong connection. The expected baby joins the family, healthy. All of the family members, including Melody, embrace the baby with love, and even she is amazed at how healthy the baby is.
They find someone to help Melody with school. With their help, she could attend in class and study easily. But these helps are not enough. She wants to have a computer which can voice her opinions. She can share it with both her caregiver and family, because now she has letters in front of her, which she can move them with a tiny manoeuvre, that Mrs. V. and her mother prepared for her. Her wish to have a computer is met by her parents after long struggles and it is the start of changes in Melody’s world.
Melody is not taken serious by her friends and teachers in school, but she wants to join a knowledge contest between schools and after the extraordinary success that she showed, she is in the team. This is an unexpected turn of events and surprised everyone. With her involvement in the team, her relationship with her friends begins to improve, at least for Melody it seems. Until she found out on the morning of the contest that her friends and her teacher boarded the plane without waiting for her. She does everything that she can do and catches up to the competition, Melody also works wonders there and everyone is very interested in it. This girl is both very smart and can talk through a device, how could she not attract attention. Confronting her friends and teacher at the end of the competition, Melody also gives them a great lesson. Thinking of the year she had after returning home, Melody is now confident that her life will never be the same.
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