Out Of My Mind is a book by Sharon M. Draper focusing around the difficulties of having a disability. In the story, the main character, a 1o year old girl named Melody Brooks, has cerebral palsy. This results in her being unable to walk or speak, leaving her confined to a wheelchair and a Plexiglas talking board, which cannot relay her message properly. Melody cannot even do simple tasks by herself, like feed herself, change her clothes or use the bathroom herself. Her school also makes her do ‘special’ classes, which means she can’t interact with people her age who don’t have a disability. However, Melody is extremely intelligent: she can retain knowledge for a long time and loves to read/listen to stories.
When her school starts inculsion classes though, Melody’s life changes. She gets to interact with others, but not all interactions are good. People make fun of her and leave her out. But good things happen too, like making a friend, getting a medical computer that lets her communicate with people properly, and being able to compete in the Whiz Kids Quiz Competition. Melody’s life is certainly different after all this, and people learn to accept her.
This story teaches acceptance, the lesson of bullying and how having a disability can impact life for people. The author finds the perfect way to get inside Melody’s mind and express her feelings and thoughts. It helps people realise how frustrating the life of a disabled person can be. It isn’t anything funny or something to joke about since disabled people do not ask to be born with a disability or be diagnosed with it. I highly recommend this book to people who want to find out what it is like to have a disability, already have a disability and want a book to relate to or just want an insightful story. The book is serious, funny and sad all in one. Though the audience is mainly teens and pre-teens, it is a great story for all ages.
