Speechless by Kate Darbishire is a novel about 11 year old Harriet, during her transition from primary to secondary school. She has cerebral palsy but she is like any other feisty and chatty pre-teen. However, she experiences many obstacles which leads her to wish that she is more like her classmates. As a result, she chooses to be speechless when in reality all she wants is to be heard. Her journey throughout the book tells us about her life at her new secondary school, making a true friend when friendships seem impossible, and the heart wrenching journey of herself and her grandmother coming to love one another.
Harriet is such a warm and genuine individual from the first page who you develop a soft spot for as the story progresses. It’s important to note that Kate Darbishire’s writing style creates empathy without evoking pity for Harriet because she is disabled which is often common on writing about similar individuals.
Most importantly, it’s heartwarming to see Harriet grow and flourish and she develops her relationships with herself and other characters in the story such as her grandmother, Gloria, especially in the final few chapters.
Kate Darbishire discusses the life of an individual with cerebral palsy perfectly in her first novel as her daughter shares a similar life to Harriet. I think this story line will appeal to anyone. It can appeal to individuals who have cerebral palsy or to individuals to know someone personally with it. This book is also a brilliant read for people of any age who don’t know anyone with it so they can gain more insight about it as it’s not really spoken about.
I found this storyline was quite refreshing to read as it’s unlike anything I have read before. My older brother is disabled and he went to a special needs school. He has nerve deafness and cerebral palsy. He struggles to walk far and sometimes has to use a wheelchair for longer distances. His voice is also quite hard to understand and people who don’t know him usually have no idea what he is saying. It’s understandable why Harriet decided to be speechless.
I think it’s important for more people, especially individuals aged 10 and above, to read this kind of story as young people often don’t realise the true and hurtful effect of their words just because someone is perceived to be different. Children younger than 10 could read this book as the writing style is a bit more basic and comprehensive but some of the concepts discussed may be a bit harder to understand for them. However, this could begin much needed conversations between children and their parents about disability. Disability awareness is something that needs to be spoken about more as disabled individuals are more than often overlooked and disregarded in society. This book is perfect to provide more insight into this area to raise awareness and appreciation of such individuals, especially for younger kids similar to the age of the protagonist.
This book has a beautiful message to empower individuals, especially younger people, who are disabled. The struggles, frustrations and growth that all teenagers go through is shown throughout Harriets journey in the book. The main message in the book ultimately states that we can’t judge a book by it’s cover which is an important moral to live by. People are often very quick to judge a person based on first impressions, especially concerning disability. Just because someone may not sound or walk in a way that society perceives as ‘normal’, it doesn’t mean that they are any different to everyone else. Everyone has their own struggles that we need to overcome and we all need to be kinder to other people no matter of their disability, gender, age etc. Speechless is a must have next-read for everyone.
During this quarantine period, Kate has been adding interactive content to her website and YouTube pages for young children for some educational entertainment. If you’re at home with your own kids or younger siblings, it would be a brilliant way to pass time.
Access her Speechless writing course for kids aged 9-13 here.
– Olivia-Ann Saxton, Psychology student at Birmingham City University
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