Speechless by Hannah Harrington

I've pondered this review for the last few days, as I have very mixed emotions about this book.  I gave this book 3.5 / 5 stars.  While it wasn't my favorite, the author touched on a number of important issues facing our teenagers currently.  The most important theme of this book is the power of words.  Chelsea, a popular and arrogant teenager, finds joy in putting others down and elevating her status with her friend, ultimate mean girl, Kristen.  However, after a huge betrayal to a fellow student, Chelsea begins to realize how influential words can be.  In order to avoid hurting anyone else, Chelsea takes a vow of silence, essentially becoming "speechless". 

The reactions of her parents, teachers and other students to Chelsea's vow range from supportive to annoyed to disgusted.  It made me a little queasy reading how cruel and heartless these teenagers can be to each other, using verbal slurs and threats, vandalizing and ultimately physically injuring one student.  Over the course of her journey, Chelsea must deal with her inability to defend and express herself through words and find ways to communicate with others.  One scene was especially poignant when Chelsea is writing to another student and he asks if writing isn't breaking her vow of silence.  She replies that she must think about things more when writing instead of letting her words simply slide of our her mouth without considering them first.  I think this is an important message to take away--that all of us would benefit from the old "think before you speak" adage.

There were many characters in the book that I'm sure we all love to hate.  However, there were a few select characters--Sam, Asha and the whole diner gang--that really put a smile on my face.  As a reader, I really felt drawn into Chelsea's experience as she learned what it means to be a real friend and find a true home for yourself.  A number of us have had experiences when we realize that we need make our own choices rather than let others dictate that for us.  More than anything, I thought these characters were such an example of forgiveness.  As Noah said, “Hate is... It's too easy. Love. Love takes courage.” 

As a side note, anytime I read a YA book I look at it from a young adult perspective.  I'm 30 years old, so I still love YA lit, but I also look at it from the point of view of a parent.  I ask myself, "Would I want my teenage daughter reading this?"  I really struggled with this one, because there are some great lessons to be learned from Speechless.  Love over hate; the consequences of gossip; respect for everyone-regardless of our different lifestyles and choices; standing up for yourself and others; learning that popularity isn't everything.  However, there was quite a bit of profanity and vulgar language in the book.  While I realize that this kind of talk is common among a lot of people (especially high schoolers), I wouldn't want my daughters reading this.  I feel like there are so many other books out there with similar messages that are uplifting without being profane.  For this reason, I have a hard time recommending it without that caveat.