Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Anderson, L.H. (1999). Speak. New York: Puffin Books.

ISBN-13: 978-0-374-37152-4

Plot Summary

High school freshman Melinda Sordino is an ostracized by everyone, including her best friend. Before school began, she attended a party that forever changed her. She got drunk, and then she was raped by Andy Evans, a popular senior. She called 911, and the police broke up the party. Nobody knows the real reason she called, and they are angry that their merriment was cut short. Because of her trauma, she barely speaks now at all. As the school year progresses and she continually withdraws, her grades decline, she loses the only friend she has left, and she is continually tormented by Andy. The only person who seems to be able to reach her is her art teacher, Mr. Freeman, who encourages her to express her feelings through art. Then, her former best friend begins dating Andy, and he attacks her again. This time, though, she is able to speak and in doing so, finally finds her voice.

Critical Evaluation

The first person narration of Speak expresses teenagers’ emotions spot on. For example, the novel opens with these lines: “It is my first morning of high school. I have seven new notebooks, a skirt I hate, and a stomachache.” What teen cannot relate to that feeling? This example of Melinda’s narration and inner thoughts is just the beginning of prose written with much wit, honesty, and acute insight. Melinda’s pain is felt through her words. The high school setting further provides a realistic portrayal of the conflict, and the novel is divided into four sections to mirror the four grading periods of an academic year. Through the progression of time, readers see the transformation of Melinda from withdrawn to finally finding her voice. The prose is replete with vivid imagery as Melinda describes what she sees and what she feels. Themes of seeds are sown throughout the book and germinate as Melinda grows stronger and is able find her voice. This unforgettable debut novel will resonate with readers on many levels.

 

Reader’s Annotation

High school freshman Melinda is raped at a party the summer before school starts and she is so traumatized, she will not speak. An outcast and hated by her classmates, as the school year progresses she learns who her true friends are and finds her voice again just in time.

 

Author Information

Laurie Halse Anderson is a bestselling author known for writing about tough subjects with sensitivity. She has won many awards, and her books Speak and Chains have been National Book Award finalists. Born October 23, 1961 in Potsdam, New York, close to the border of Canada, she continues to live in Northern New York and enjoys watching the snow fall during the winter. She married her childhood sweetheart, Scot, and they have four children. She would like for people to correctly pronounce her name: Halse rhymes with waltz.

 

Anderson began her career in writing as a picture book writer. Before that, she was a freelance reporter for newspapers and magazines. She is well-known for picture books about American history. Because history is a passion of hers, she has written historical fiction novels Fever 1793 and Chains, which is the first in a trilogy set in the Revolutionary War.

 

More information about Laurie Halse Anderson can be found at her website:

http://madwomanintheforest.com/

 

Genre

Young Adult Fiction

High School

Rape

Book Talking Ideas

How art expresses feelings

Reading Level/ Interest Age

Characters are high school students; appropriate for grades 8 and up

Challenge Issues

Underage drinking, rape

Challenge Defense

In defense of a challenge, I would cite these reviews as well as ALA's Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library  Materials.

Book Links (A.L.A.) 01/01/07

Publishers Weekly starred 09/13/99

Booklist 09/15/99

School Library Journal starred 10/01/99

Books for the Teen Age (NYPL) 04/01/99

Wilson's Junior High School 01/09/10

Horn Book starred 09/01/99

Wilson's Senior High School 10/01/07

Why did I include this title?

This is a powerful book about a sensitive subject. Melinda’s cutting voice accurately portrays the struggles of high school, and readers can relate to that. The list of lies they tell you in high school is hilarious.