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Have you ever been unable to convey how you felt? The book Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper is about an eleven year old girl who lives with a disability. For all of Melody’s life, she has had thoughts trapped in her head, unable to ever say anything. She cannot move or operate on her own. However, Melody is smarter than what anybody could ever guess.

The book begins with Melody talking about how much she loves to learn and how much she knows that she cannot say. Melody looks like a disabled, hopeless child to everyone else; but that isn’t accurate at all! She knows many things, maybe even more than the doctors that disregard her as a simple disabled girl.

Her disability follows her as she lives her daily life, almost as if she were watching it from the outside, surrounded by thoughts and things she can never verbally convey. When the special education program begins to include the “special” kids in normal classes, Melody is overjoyed. She finally has a chance to feel normal. Along with that—she gets a new helper in school named Catherine. One day, Catherine finds Melody a special device that helps her speak. When she can finally express herself, Melody finds herself able to finally express the things that she never could. She finds herself doing many things she never could before. She even makes a new friend and joins the school Quiz Club.

I think that this book is a very touching insight on what it’s like to experience the disabled child’s mind and daily life. It is well needed for those who can’t understand the daily trials that some people go through.

This book was recommended to me by a very good friend, and I would gladly recommend it to anyone who enjoys books that include heavy demonstrations of how characters feel and gives insight on the lives of those who are less fortune’s so we can empathize.