Books › Out of my mind
Out of my mind
First published 2010 · 320 pages
A deeply empathetic and triumphant journey inside the brilliant mind of a girl fighting to be heard.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like being handed a key to a locked room that turns out to be a vibrant universe. It immerses you entirely in the sharp, observant, and deeply frustrated consciousness of a brilliant child whom the world has wrongly dismissed. The narrative pace is steady, anchored by an intensely interior prose style that makes you feel every ounce of her isolation and every spark of her fierce intelligence. As the story unfolds, the initially claustrophobic mood gives way to a profound, chest-swelling sense of triumph, though it never shies away from the painful realities of ableism and exclusion. It is a poignant, earnest experience that will captivate readers who crave deeply empathetic, character-driven stories, leaving them with a fierce appreciation for the monumental power of a voice.
- Mood
- poignant
- claustrophobic
- heartwarming
- uplifting
- Tone
- earnest
- observant
- frustrated
- resilient
- empathetic
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- the power of being heard · hidden intelligence · navigating ableism · the frustration of silence · finding one's voice
- The writing
- Accessible, direct, and deeply interior, capturing the sharp voice of a brilliant child.
- The arc
- Moves from deep, isolating frustration to the exhilarating triumph of communication, ending on a realistic note of self-acceptance.
- Who it's for
- Readers who appreciate deeply empathetic, character-driven stories about overcoming profound societal and physical obstacles.
Content notes
- ableism
- bullying
- childhood medical emergency
- isolation
About the book
Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always recording. Always. And there's no delete button. She's the smartest kid in her whole school, but no one knows it. Most people — her teachers and doctors included — don't think she's capable of learning, and until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again and again. If only she could speak up, if only she could tell people what she thinks and knows...but she can't, because Melody can't talk. She can't walk. She can't write. Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind — that is, until she discovers something that will allow her to speak for the first time ever. At last Melody has a voice, but not everyone around her is ready to hear it.
From two-time Coretta Scott King Award winner Sharon M. Draper comes a story full of heartache and hope. Get ready to meet a girl whose voice you'll never, ever forget. (Back Cover)
Description from Open Library.
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