Speechless by Hannah Harrington

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Speechless

by Hannah Harrington

Book Blurb

Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can’t keep a secret

Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast—and nearly got someone killed.

Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence—to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting anyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she’s ignored, ridiculed and even attacked is worse.

But there’s strength in silence, and in the new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way—people she never noticed before; a boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she’s done. If only she can forgive herself.

My Review

Owl rating

“Hate is… It’s too easy. Love. Love takes courage.” 

This is one of those books that needs to be read by all teens, by all people actually.  In fact, even though there are quite a lot of bits (thematic wise) that resemble one of my favorite books, Speak by Laurie hale Anderson (5++ owls, must read), I loved it so much I’m still giving it 5 owls!!

Not to give much away, because that kind of messes with the plot/your sense of wonder at what happened but this book was really special to me.  On one hand, I realized how ridiculous high school can be, I mean seriously being “Queen B”, popular, knowing all the secrets really isn’t that important in life.  It really isn’t.  I always wonder what girls/people like that think of their younger selves when they’re older, I know I would feel stupid.  I mean, I already do feel stupid for the silly bit of gossip my gossipy/cliquey friend group participated in.  Gosh, I love college (haha, haven’t said that in a while).

Chelsea Knot, the main character is someone everyone, even those of us who were “ubernerds” in high school, can relate to.  She represents the struggle I know at least I felt during high school and even now in college, to remain true to your own moral upbringing yet “stay cool”.  And what she does, even if she helped cause the initial consequences, is truly an act of bravery…if more people spoke out about injustices, everywhere this world would be such a better place (or at least it would be a start in that direction).

If anything, this book taught me, someone who often uses a lot of spoken words yet is better at the written word, that sometimes it’s best not to speak.  And that courage comes in all forms, that speaking out isn’t as easy as it seems, and that love and acceptance really do make a difference (even if it’s only a small one).

I highly recommend this book, it’s cute, it’s cathartic…it’ll make you cry, laugh, question the good in humanity and realize the beauty within it and yourself all at the same time.  And although the protagonists are high school age students, there’s no reason why people of all ages shouldn’t pick this book up.  It handles some tough/’hot” issues of today, and in my opinion, addressing these issues is the only way we can mend our broken society.  I think politicians and laws try but I also think they’re part of the problem, books on the other hand, books especially genre fiction, are often very good at teaching lessons that need to be taught without preaching them.

**I received this book to read and review from the publisher, HarperCollins (I had the UK version…same thing), via NetGalley, this is a 100% honest review.**

Whimsically Yours,

PnC

My Dearest Wellesley College…

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As I sit here in my dining room table, in my father’s house in Texas all I can think about is you, Wellesley, when all I should be thinking about is U.S. History Since 1865.  

…Now, as you might know multicultural space on this campus is limited or rather restricted by, well, yourself.  We, “the multicultural” are not even given the luxury of hanging out with each other in a space that is solely ours.  While other “comparable institutions” have a multitude of multicultural spaces, we only have a couple.  And this is a plea I’m sure you’ve heard throughout the years, from various students and student groups.  A plea that you, my dearest Wellesley College, continuously choose to ignore.

But you see, the interesting thing is that, I/we/you would have finished off the school year without a single other “multicultural space incident  had it not been for your foolishness.  Now first, before I elaborate let me applaud you for your cleverness  I mean only you would have thought to do such a crazy thing as this during one of the craziest times of the year: Spring Finals.  A time when the main focus (for pretty much all students) is wrapping up the year in order to graduate/go home, to an internship, etc…  You knew this is when we would be the most stressed, tired and altogether concerned with (mostly) ourselves.

Now for all those who don’t know/haven’t figured out what I’m talking about please see below:

Take some time, go back and read it, pinch yourself if need be.  Now open your eyes… yes, it’s still there.  I understand that Schneider is being renovated/demolished but the old Hoop closet, really??? Have you actually stepped foot in that thing.  No, you obviously haven’t.

…What you did was not only rude but well, it was… Just. Plain. Wrong.  But honestly, I don’t know why I’m mad at you.  What I should be doing is thanking you.  So thank you, Wellesley.  Thank you for always reminding me, no matter how far I am from you, never, ever to get comfortable because just when I do, you’ll be sure to remind me, either directly or indirectly, that Wellesley just wasn’t made for my multicultural self.

-If you’re as mad as I am about this please read the wonderful letter some multicultural leaders have composed in response to the administration’s request, and sign the petition-

Now back to studying because remember an A costs the same as a B/C/D, and I don’t have any more time to give to Wellesley’s mess (especially since I’ll be working with these people all summer).

 Whimsically Yours (as soon as I watch some Disney Channel movie with my sister & finish my finals),

PnC

**To all those to whom this is directly affecting 1. stay strong (dance around in your room like crazy if you have to) and 2. <3 :) (also thank you for all you’ve done thus far)**

On Education Cont… or Why I (really) Went to Wellesley

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(riiight…well that’s working well)

A while ago ( January 3, 2013) in a post titled “On Education” I stated these words: “A degree from Harvard won’t help you to accomplish your dreams (any faster/better than one from your local public university) if in order to pay it off you have to go work at some iBanking firm when all you really wanted to do was write.”

While I still believe these words to be true, a lecture I went to by the wonderful Professor Carla Shalaby (who quite unfortunately is leaving Wellesley before I have been able to take a class by her) has altered my opinion on them.

In her talk titled “Charity to Solidarity: (Re)Framing Community Service”, Professor Shalaby gave the lecture I’ve been waiting to hear on education for years.

In her talk she started by saying something most people hate to admit, that just by being at Wellesley College,we the students, have privilege.  No matter our background beforehand by the very fact that we are students of such a prestigious college…We. Have. Privilege.

The second amazing thing about her talk was that she deconstructed terms we so often causally use to talk about the people we’re “serving” (serving was one of the words she doesn’t use).  The  first of which was underprivileged.  She stated “I don’t use that word, I believe that some people are over-privileged.  And when someone asked her what does she use to describe “those people” she stated, “people, I call them (for example) people from Mission Hill”.

Shalaby was all about the humanizing of education that she believes, as do I, our capitalistic society has dehumanized.  As she stated, (paraphrasing) by having a society in which people “make it” or do well and are at the top you have to have a system that puts people at the bottom.  Another wonderful thing she stated was that we (as volunteers in these communities) need to realize that our definitions of success as framed by the capitalistic society we believe in (whether we are “playing the game” or truly believing) are different from other cultures.  And to continue, “other cultures such as African or Middle eastern  are community based.  They don’t believe in uplifting the individual, they believe in uplifting the community”.

All of this brings me back to my first point, the revisiting of my “old quote”.  While I might not want to think that a degree from Harvard might not help you accomplish your dreams any “faster/better than one from your local public university” that, unfortunately is not true.  As she said, she doesn’t like her Harvard classes and learns more in the communities and such she works in however she’s about to have a Harvard degree and that mean something.  As she said “now people will listen to me”, and she’s right.

And so now, after many years of stubbornness I understand why my parents sent me to the private school they did and why I’m going to Wellesley, because at the end of these four+ years, I will have a prestigious educational background, one that is recognized and respected in our American society.  I might not love Wellesley all of the time and I might learn more most times from outside the classroom than inside it, but in the end I’ll have that Wellesley degree.

Her talk reminded me of another thing, that after these four years up here, I need to go back home.  I wasn’t raised to be apart from my community, from my home, Texas with all of its problems is where my heart and therefore my home is.

So while we might be all apart of this system is it important to realize that as Professor Shalaby said, “of course you’re doing the work you’re doing, you’re doing it to pay back what you owe.  You have benefited from this system, maybe not as much as others, but by attending Wellesley College you do and will benefit from this education.  Yet it is important that we work with others (in communities we “serve” to “teach” (she doesn’t like that word either, we’re all teachers/learners & I agree) them “not to play the game but to end it.”

Whimsically Yours,

PnC

To read more by Shalaby check out “Humanizing Education: Critical Alternatives to Reform” published by the Harvard Educational Review.

Love Thy Neighbor(s)?!?!

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A few days ago this was tweeted by a senior at Wellesley College: 

racist tweet muslim hate speech

As a member of the Wellesley College Community, a sophomore, a student leader and especially the President of Ethos for the 2013-2014 academic year (WC organization for students of African Descent) this has greatly upset me.

Now I understand that freedom of speech is something that, as citizens of the United States of America, we have.  However no where in the Bill of Rights does it say you cannot get in trouble for what you say.  You have the freedom to say it but you also must accept the consequences that come with that speech.  I get that the bombing of Boston on Patriots Day was something none of us ever expected to happen, as was 9/11 or any of the worldwide acts that are both “natural” and “unnatural”.  But there is no reason for anyone, ever, to say something like this.

In her blog posts the @DisgruntlesTwee tries to defend herself by stating she wanted to “go against the grain” she wanted to oppose Wellesley’s “liberal culture”.  As someone who is a bit closer to the “conservative culture” of our society I just want to say that we are not all like that.  This isn’t nor should it be a matter of liberal vs. conservative.  And I cannot stand when people try to make it one.  Let’s just face it, you fucked up.  Yes, there is a HUGE “liberal culture” on this campus and yes it is hella annoying at times (haha, hella).  BUT being racist only perpetuates the stereotype that all conservatives are dumb and racist as fuck.  Don’t blame your political leanings on the fact you don’t know how to appropriately talk about a culture, that you like to stereotype and such.

We, the minority around here are damn tired of being stereotyped.  We are tired of racist people like yourself stating things like this in a public forum and getting all defensive when you’re called out.  Let me tell you something, we might be minorities but we are strong and when we stand together you’d better believe we’re going to show y’all how it’s done.

And to ALM and my other siblings out there who were affected by the many racist, Islamophobic and similar statements that recently came out in a flood as a result of the Boston marathon bombings, my heart and my voice are with you.

Also Thank You Laila Alawa for speaking up!

Together We Stand.

(not so much at all) Whimsically Yours,

PnC

The Marathon

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Reblogged from Thought Catalog:

If you have never lived in Boston, it's hard to explain what Marathon Monday (or Patriots' Day, as its known there) is, exactly. While the rest of the country reports for another Monday at work, or frantically tries to get their taxes in under the wire, Massachusetts shuts down. Schools close. If you're a college-aged kid, you wake up early (really early) and chug a few beers and load up backpacks and head to a pre-determined place to meet up with your friends and chug more beers and cheer on the runners.

Read more… 1,048 more words

When 9/11 happened although I remember where it was, I honestly was too little to remember all the details. But when this happened, I was sitting on the top of Sev Green (Wellesley College). My friends and I had just finished cheering on the runners at our classic scream tunnel, since Wellesley is the half point, and having a huge dance party & BBQ on Munger Meadow. We were chilling, some of us were smoking hookah, some were half asleep and then it happened. One bomb went off and instantly all of the days fun was forgotten. Instead we began wondering about our friend who was running the Boston Marathon as well as the bystanders and other participants. Luckily my friend was okay but for many others that was not the case...let us bond together in support of those injured and lost in the aftermath.

Boston we love you!!! Stay strong Boston, Wellesley loves you!!