Out of My Heart

Sharon M. Draper

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2021

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-11

Chapters 12-20

Chapters 21-28

Chapters 29-37

Chapters 38-48

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Background

Cultural Context: Representation of Children with Disabilities in Literature

The representation of children with disabilities in literature holds significant importance in fostering inclusivity, promoting empathy, and challenging societal stereotypes. In her Out of My Mind Series, Sharon M. Draper introduces Melody, a young girl with cerebral palsy. This portrayal sheds light on the unique challenges faced by children with disabilities, like Melody’s difficulty communicating early in the series, and her struggle to maintain normal relationships with her school peers. The series also offers valuable insights into Melody’s triumphs and aspirations, promoting understanding and acceptance from readers and allowing children who are differently abled to see their own stories represented positively and authentically. The novel’s underlying message regarding the importance of representation is mirrored in the plot, as Melody recognizes that her camp friends have experienced the same difficulties as her, and that commonality strengthens her and gives her courage.

According to research conducted by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, diverse representation in children’s literature is alarmingly limited. In their 2019 report, out of the 3,716 books analyzed, only 122 (3.3%) depicted characters with disabilities, despite that Americans with disabilities make up 26% of the population (“The Numbers are in: 2019 CCBC Diversity Statistics.” CCBLOGC, Cooperative Children’s Book Center Blog, 2019). This underrepresentation perpetuates a lack of visibility and contributes to the marginalization of differently abled individuals, further hindering societal progress towards inclusivity.

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The SuperSummary website contains more guides featuring children with disabilities, including Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus and its sequel, Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus. These stories focus on middle-grader Aven Green, who was born without arms, as she navigates school life and her own set of unique challenges.

Series Context: Out of My Mind Series

Melody Brooks, a 12-year-old girl with cerebral palsy, begins Out of My Heart sitting in her wheelchair on the back porch of her Ohio home in early summer. She watches her little sister and her neighbor, Mrs. V, chase after fireflies in the backyard. Melody becomes a symbolic firefly in her own right as she begins to shine after her experience away at summer camp shows her how much she can accomplish on her own, away from her parents and support system.

In the 2013 companion novel, Out of My Mind, Melody narrates her experience as she attends public middle school as an 11-year-old. As she adjusts to her new school, she interacts with unsympathetic teachers and cruel classmates, and is faced with a constant lack of accommodations for students with disabilities. Out of My Mind sees Melody participate in her school’s Whiz Kid competitive trivia team. She scores well on preliminary quizzes and is offered a spot on the team. As the team heads to the national competition in Washington DC, Melody’s teacher and classmates decide that Melody is a liability and move their flight’s time without telling her. Melody misses the competition and is devastated. The novel ends on a disquieting note, with Melody struggling to understand the cruelty of her teacher and peers.

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Melody refers to the Whiz Kids’ cruelty in Out of My Heart only in the scene in which encouraged to paint one last project, she dips into the darkest colors—purple and blue—and creates a forbidding poster that looks like a bruise. Only then does she drip five orange paint dots, representing herself and her four new friends and joy she feels from finding authentic friends who appreciate her.

Out of My Heart sees Melody’s character development as she emerges from the trauma experienced in Out of My Mind to create long-lasting friendships and discover her self-confidence and independence. Melody discovers the rewards of friendship and the support of genuinely compassionate people outside her family, an important milestone for any teen. As she evolves into a self-assured young adult, Melody’s transition is clearly delineated from marginalized classmate to aspiring artist within the companion novels. Draper provides an ending that is more hopeful than Melody’s first story as she experiences freedom much like the released fireflies in her backyard.