Speak

This book is about the main character, Melinda, whom now is friendless and an outcast because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Melinda uses her art as an escape from the reality (how she was rapped from an upperclassman). Her healing process has just begun when she has another violent encounter with him. But this time Melinda fights back, refuses to be silent, and then achieves a measure of vindication.
I remember reading this book sometime in junior high, but I could not recall much from it. One thing I did remember was the main character was a freshman, and she got raped by a senior "hot-shot" and there was some sort of big secret at the end. This is a very powerful book because it deals with rape and emotions of the victim after. The main character's life is basically ruined after, and she feels like there is no one to turn to. Even though it may hard for many audience members reading this book to relate to her extreme, I'm sure many can relate to her in some way. The book deals with many side issues that numerous high schoolers go through, and even thought it might be a little awkward and uncomfortable to have your students read, I think it would be a great book to introduce to the classroom.