Out of My Mind
Sharon M. Draper (2010)
“The smartest kid in the school can't say a single word — and nobody thinks to ask what she's thinking.”
EraContemporary
Pages295
Difficulty★☆☆☆☆ Accessible
AP Appearances0
Character Analysis
An eleven-year-old with cerebral palsy, a photographic memory, and an intellect that outpaces her peers. Melody cannot walk, talk, or write independently, but she narrates the novel in fluent, witty, perceptive prose — creating a permanent ironic gap between her internal world and the world's perception of her. She is angry, funny, stubborn, and profoundly isolated. She is not an inspiration. She is a person.
How They Speak
Internal narration is articulate, witty, and perceptive. Medi-Talker output is flat, robotic, stripped of nuance. The gap between the two IS the character.