Book Review – SPEAK
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Anderson, Laurie Halse. 1999. SPEAK. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 978-0374371524
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Ninth grader Melinda Sordino has a terrible beginning of ninth grade. She is a social pariah, failing to fit in with any group at school and shunned by all her former friends. There are also problems at home, with bickering parents who are unaware of what has happened to their daughter. It is revealed that in August, just before school began, Melinda called the police and broke up a party after she was raped by a senior named Andy Evans. Only no one but her knows the full story of what happened that night because she refuses to speak and reach out for help. Instead, Melinda withdraws from the world, questions herself, and even hurts her own body all while her grades plummet and her school attendance becomes sporadic. Most of the staff members at her school are clueless as to what she is going through, except for the kind art teacher, Mr. Freeman, whom she eventually opens up to at the novel’s conclusion. In the last quarter of the book, Melinda begins to get her life back together, drawing strength from a variety of sources. These range from her assertive new friend David Petrakis, a suffragette report, a motivating poster of Maya Angelou, and more. When her attacker tries to attack her again, this time she is mentally and physically ready and a victim no more.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This novel was a true page turner, and it was easy to see the appeal it would have to young women entering high school. A biting study of the high school experience, it potently mixes humor, insight, and critically important warnings about the world that these young people are entering. All readers will recognize aspects of this stage of life ranging from struggling for acceptance by your peers to the vast divide that separates freshmen from seniors. The dialogue has been cleaned up, but was believable. It’s unfortunate that many of the teachers (though not all) are portrayed as clueless, racist, or apathetic to the needs of the students in their classes. Only the art teacher comes across as particularly understanding (though the car ride Melinda takes with him would be ill-advised in the real world). The other students are balanced, with her friend David being a positive male character to balance IT (the attacker, Andy). The protagonist, Melinda Sordino, shows true emotional growth and the future is looking brighter by the novel’s end, though she clearly will carry emotional scars for quite a while. The first person writing style allows the reader to truly experience the novel, as all of our hero’s inner thoughts, motivations, and feelings are described in depth.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Reviewed in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Anderson expresses the emotions and the struggles of teenagers perfectly. Melinda's pain is palpable, and readers will totally empathize with her. This is a compelling book, with sharp, crisp writing that draws readers in, engulfing them in the story.”
Reviewed in BOOKLIST: “In her YA fiction debut, Anderson perfectly captures the harsh conformity of high-school cliques and one teen's struggle to find acceptance from her peers. Melinda's sarcastic wit, honesty, and courage make her a memorable character whose ultimate triumph will inspire and empower readers.”
5. CONNECTIONS
Another book by Laurie Halse Anderson that won the Scott O’Dell Award for historical fiction:
Anderson, Laurie Halse. CHAINS. ISBN 978-1416905868
The official website for this book can be found HERE. There is also a suggested playlist, website links, and the author reads a poem that she created based on letters that she received in response to the book.
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