If my reading can be described as a train journey, my station would be at the border of reading to learn, and reading for sheer pleasure. While reading Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, the subject matter was not “enjoyable,” but it was necessary, when you consider how important it is to address the effects of sexual violence and harassment. Walking in the steps of the main character who has experienced trauma, on the surface, nothing is what it seems. In the beginning, I see a lonely, hopeless girl, who has lost interest in everything, yet I knew there was a reason behind her belligerence and disinterest. My interest in serious young adult novels stems from how young women are treated. Although these novels don’t have the reputation of classic