This is a topic that needs to be discussed and explained, and Speak, even though challenged by parents because of sexual content, can be used in the classroom to open that communication. For instance, Victor Malo-Juvera conducted a study using the young adult novel Speak. The eighth-grade participants took a pretest and posttest to determine their “rape myth acceptance” (Malo-Juvera). After evaluating the test results, he concluded, “While date rape continues to be a serious problem for youth today, this study offers promise in showing that it is possible to change students’ attitudes toward rape by using a young adult novel in the context of English language arts instruction” (Malo-Juvera). Also, in a letter written to the author, Laurie Halse Anderson, a young lady wrote how she was assaulted as a freshman in high school and spent her high school years struggling. After she read the novel Speak, she found her voice and was able to tell her family and the authorities which allowed her to begin healing from the ordeal (Kaywell 1-3). Even though some parents challenge the book Speak being taught in the classroom, it can be used to bring awareness to a difficult but prevalent