the book "SPEAK"relates to real life situations for example: have you ever seen a person so quiet that they don't speak up for themselves and get taken advantage of? well this is what the whole book is about. melinda got taken advantage of, during the end of summer,and she suffered a lot so she became "mute" through out most of her freshmen year, we know that a person doesn't speak up because something has happened to them in their lives so they hold it and they also block themselves from the outside world.