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 Through the progression of time, readers see the transformation of Melinda from withdrawn to finally finding her voice.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.

Hope in Patience by Beth Fehlbaum

Fehlbaum, B. (2010). Hope in patience. New Jersey: West Side Books.

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

Plot Summary

When fifteen-year-old Ashley Asher moves to Patience, Texas, she hopes for a better life. After years of sexual abuse from her step-father and blame and hate from her mother, Ashley has a difficult time learning to trust and love her formerly absentee biological father, step-mother, and younger brother. To deal with the pain, Ashley scratches herself, sleeps in her armoire, and emotionally withdraws. Her new therapist helps her deal with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and when she must face her step-father and mother in court, she realizes that even though she has come a long way, there is still a long way to go. Having new friends like Z.Z. and a love interest, Josh, also gives Ashley hope as she continues to heal.

Critical Evaluation

In this sequel to Fehlbaum’s debut novel, Courage in Patience (2008), Ashley’s first person narration offers readers a glimpse into the mind of a sexually abused girl and how difficult it is to heal. A review in Publisher’s Weekly comments, “The story starts slowly, with multiple flashbacks; despite the emotional tension, whether Ashley will continue to heal is never in doubt. Fehlbaum, an abuse survivor herself, doesn't shy away from the brutality Ashley has suffered and the painful road she must walk. Her details are achingly real” (2010). This painful story of overcoming sexual abuse is made even more honest as Fehlbaum does not create a happy-ever-after ending: the step-father never spends a day in jail and the mother never faces the truth about her husband’s actions. Readers will recognize themes of people needing strong support systems to get through life’s hardships and that everyone deserves to be loved.

 

Reader’s Annotation

 

Ashley Asher has escaped her sexually abusive step-father, but can she escape the feelings and memories that constantly plague her and cause her harm? Ashley learns that there really are people who love her and help her feel hope in her new town, Patience.

 

Author Information

 

It’s no wonder how Ashley’s experience depicts the true emotional aspect of sexual abuse when we learn that the author herself, Beth Fehlbaum, is also a victim of sexual abuse. On Fehlbaum’s website, she writes, “I was inspired to write this story by my own recovery from childhood sexual abuse. In the process of working through my own grief, disbelief, and anger, I was writing poems and short stories, and sharing them with my (long-suffering) therapist. One day, he suggested that I try writing a novel.” Fehlbaum’s first novel, Courage in Patience (2008), is an effort to process the agony and healing from sexual abuse.

Fehlbaum was born in Dallas, Texas and is married to her high school sweetheart. Together, they have three grown daughters. She earned a B.A. in English and a minor Secondary Education from the University of Texas at Arlington. She further continued her education by receiving an M.Ed. in Elementary Education, specializing in Reading, from Texas A & M. Not only is she an author, but she is also a teacher. The first part of her career was spent teaching middle school and she currently teaches 5^th grade in a bilingual education program in Texas.

We can learn more about Beth Fehlbaum by visiting her website:

http://www.bethfehlbaumya.com/

Genre

Young Adult Fiction

Interpersonal relations
Sexual abuse
Family life
Post-traumatic stress disorder
High school

Curriculum Ties
N/A

Book Talking Ideas

What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder? How do people deal with a past of abuse?

Reading Level/ Interest Age

Characters are high school students; appropriate for ages 14 and up

Challenge Issues

Sexual abuse, molestation, rape, language

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.

Booklist 01/01/11

School Library Journal 01/01/11

Publishers Weekly 10/11/10

Voice of Youth Advocates (V.O.Y.A.) 02/01/11

2011 YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers

Why did I include this title?

I read this novel for class. Its topic of sexual abuse is an important one for teens to be aware of because it is often not talked about. By becoming aware of Beth Fehlbaum’s own experience, teens experiencing painful situations might find hope as well.

Boyfriends with Girlfriends by Alex Sanchez

Sanchez, A. (2011). Boyfriends with girlfriends. New York: Simon & Schuster.

ISBN-13: 978-1-41693-773-9

Plot Summary

Lance and Allie have been friends for years, as have Sergio and Kimiko. Lance and Sergio meet online and begin a relationship although Lance is relatively new to having gay relationships while Sergio, who is bisexual, has had many different types of relationships. This makes Lance nervous and jealous. Allie is in a heterosexual relationship with Chip and when she meets Kimiko, she wonders what it would be like to kiss her and begins questioning her own sexuality. So she eventually breaks up with Chip to explore this new side of her life.

Sergio’s family is hesitantly accepting of Sergio’s bisexuality while Kimiko’s family struggles with her being a lesbian. Her mother has known since Kimiko was a child that Kimiko liked girls, but when Kimiko finally comes out to her family, her mother doesn’t speak to her for days while her father shows unconditional love. Sergio’s family, on the other hand, seem to welcome all of Sergio’s love interests but favors those with girls.

In the end, these four characters decide what is important to them and who they want to spend their time with.

Critical Evaluation

The four voices of Lance, Sergio, Ally, and Kimiko are clearly heard through this third person narration of four teens struggling with their feelings in new relationships. The dialogue is authentically teen, “Like, yeah!” enabling teen readers to connect with characters who are like them. The romance between the two pairs is realistic and sexual encounters are limited to kissing and groping. A Library Media Connection review comments, “Sanchez does a remarkable job of addressing GLBTQ issues, including the prejudice some gays have for bisexuals. Parents and straight characters in the story are portrayed with believability, and their struggle to understand the teens is realistic” (Jones, 2011). However, School Library Journal notes, “The plotline is too predictable, with most of the characters living in an all-too-perfect-world of acceptance” (Evans, 2011). The theme of struggling with one’s identity is magnified because of that; if it is difficult to realize who you are and find acceptance in a “world of acceptance,” imagine how difficult it must be under ordinary circumstances. Readers will realize the similarities between GLBT and heterosexual relationships, especially feelings of doubt, jealousy, anxiety, and longing.

Evans, B. (2011). Boyfriends with girlfriends. School Library Journal, 57(4), 183-184.

Jones, S. (2011). Boyfriends with Girlfriends. Library Media Connection, 30(1), 74. 

Reader’s Annotation

 

Lance likes Sergio, but Sergio likes Lance and girls. Ally is fascinated with Kimiko, but could this attraction mean something more?

 

Author Information

 

Alex Sanchez was born in Mexico City in April 1957 to German and Cuban parents. When he moved to the United States when he was five, he immediately felt like an outsider. As a child, he always knew he was different, but he did not hear the word, gay, until he was 13 in 1970. His early years were filled with shame for feeling different not only because of the way he looked, but also because of his sexuality. He hated high school, and there he witnessed the terrible beating of another gay student; Sanchez himself did not come out until after high school.

As a counselor working with young people, Sanchez began putting ideas together and realized he was writing the book he wished he could have read when he was a young adult: a book that would’ve told him it’s ok to be who you are. This book’s idea came to him when he was struggling with his own coming out issues, and so we have his first novel, Rainbow Boys, published in 2001. His stories explore different sexual identities and relationships, especially in Latino cultures. They are often, in some part, coming out stories and coming of age stories. Sanchez enjoys being very active in reaching out and providing resources to people struggling with their sexual identity through his website and at school appearances.

For more information about Alex Sanchez, please visit his homepage:

http://www.alexsanchez.com/default.asp

Genre

Young Adult

GLBTQ fiction

Homosexual fiction

Bisexual fiction

Lesbian fiction

Gay fiction

High School

Romance

Curriculum Ties

N/A

Book Talking Ideas

How do you feel at the beginning of a romantic relationship? How are heterosexual relationships and homosexual relationships similar? How do you give romantic advice to your friends?

Reading Level/ Interest Age

Characters are high school students; appropriate for grades 9 and up.

Challenge Issues

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual subjects

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.

Booklist starred 03/01/11

Library Media Connection 08/01/11

Kirkus Review 03/15/11

Voice of Youth Advocates (V.O.Y.A.) 04/01/11

Why did I include this title?

 

I first read it as part of my author/genre presentation and because it is Alex Sanchez’s newest publication, I wanted to highlight here as well.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Asher, J. (2007). Thirteen reasons why. New York: Razorbill.

ISBN-13: 978-1-59514-171-2

Plot Summary

One day, high school student Clay Jensen receives a box in the mail containing seven audio cassettes. When he finally finds a cassette player (who has cassette players anymore?), he is shocked when he hears the voice on the tape: it is Hannah Baker, who had taken pills to kill herself just two weeks prior. One classmate is the focus of each side of the tape, and the thirteen sides tell the story of the thirteen reasons why each person somehow factors into Hannah taking her own life. With a map that had been mysteriously placed in his locker a few weeks ago, Clay follows the directions Hannah gives and essentially walks in her footsteps. He experiences anger, horror, sadness, and frustration as he listens to all the other stories of people he knows and anxiously waits for the tape that tells his story and how he factors into her suicide. Clay realizes how there were many moments that could have changed the outcome and with this notion, he reconnects with another girl who seems to be lost like Hannah was. Maybe this time, the outcome could be different.

Critical Evaluation

Told in the first-person narrative point of view, the reader experiences the raw emotion and thoughts running through Clay’s head as he listens to Hannah tell her story. Mostly alternating between Clay’s somber thoughts and Hannah’s biting narration, the author weaves together the lives of very different, yet authentic characters: the popular girl who would do anything to preserve her status, the scorned friend wanting revenge, the boy who rapes the passed-out girl at a party, the ineffective school counselor. Young adults will be able to recognize any of these characters in their own school and perhaps, in doing so, also recognize those who might need help. The chapters are divided up into tape sides A and B, so the anticipation builds as each tape brings Clay, as well as the reader, closer to the inevitable, tragic end. The tapes are Hannah’s words after her death, and, preserved forever and inescapable, they symbolize how every action has a reaction and everything has an effect on person, even if it is not immediately recognized.

 

Reader’s Annotation

 

Clay Jensen has just received a box of tapes from Hannah Baker, who killed herself two weeks ago. What does Hannah need to tell him, and how is his life going to change after hearing her posthumous words?

 

Author Information

 

Thirteen Reasons Why is Jay Asher’s first published novel. In his blog, Jay Asher explains, “I've worked at an independent bookstore, a chain bookstore, an outlet bookstore, and two public libraries. Before those jobs, I worked at a shoe store, a trophy shop, and an airline.” He shares that his idea for this novel came to him while working in Sheridan, Wyoming for six months. Besides his short stint in Wyoming, he has lived in California his entire life and continues to do so.

 

Born September 30, 1975, in Arcadia, California, Jay Asher grew up in a family that supported and encouraged his interests. He attended Cuesta College, a community college in San Luis Obispo, where he wrote two children’s books as assignments for a Children’s Literature class. He later attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, where he dropped out in his senior year to pursue writing. Thirteen Reasons Why (2007) is his only published book to date. A website called 13RWProject.com launched in May, 2011 as a place where fans of the book can record their reviews and experiences as text, photo or video.

 

More information about Jay Asher can be found at these websites:

 

http://www.jayasher.blogspot.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/569269.Jay_Asher

Genre

Young Adult Fiction

Suicide

High School

Suspense

Curriculum Ties

N/A

Book Talking Ideas

What are the signs of depression? How do you deal with rumors? What do you do if you are experiencing suicidal thoughts? How difficult is it to be the new person at school?

Reading Level/ Interest Age

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

Challenge Issues

Underage drinking, suicide, rape, sex

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.

Booklist 09/01/07 review

School Library Journal 11/01/07 review

Horn Book 04/01/08 review

Voice of Youth Advocates (V.O.Y.A.) 02/01/08

Kirkus Review starred 09/01/07

Publishers Weekly 10/08/07 review

Why did I include this title?

Many of my eighth grade students have read this book or are reading it, and I was curious.