Module 7: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Picture taken from:

http://www.amazon.com/Speak-Anniversary-Laurie-Halse-Anderson/dp/0142414735/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318352691&sr=8-1

Summary:

Something has happened to 9th grader, Melinda, but she isn’t talking. Melinda’s ex-friends won’t talk to her, her classmates ridicule her, and her grades are dropping. Her parents and guidance counselors believe that Melinda needs a serious attitude adjustment. She is skipping school, not making friends, and failing her classes; not her normal behavior.

Melinda’s teachers are no help, they assume she is a typical lazy teenager. However, Mr. Freeman, a less than traditional art teacher, encourages Melinda to express herself through art. Mr. Freeman allows Melinda the freedom to find her voice. As Melinda begins to let herself feel the emotions that she has repressed, the reader discovers that she was raped at a party just before her 9th grade year began. The upperclass boy who did it, is still a student at her school and now dating her ex-best friend. Melinda is faced with the fear of reliving that horrific night or helping her ex-best friend. 

Citation:

Anderson, L., H. (1999).Speak. New York, New York: Penguin Group.

Impression:

Speak is a raw and powerful novel about a young girl who is faced with issues that she should never have to deal with. She is raped and her childhood and innocence is taken away from her in one evening. Its sad to think about the sheer number of young people who deal with this issue and don’t find their voices to speak out until they are much older. Anderson has taken a taboo topic, such as rape, and brought it to the light with her character, Melinda. I only hope that this book finds itself in the hands of a young person who would benefit from it.

Reviews:

In a stunning first novel, Anderson uses keen observations and vivid imagery to pull readers into the head of an isolated teenager. Divided into the four marking periods of an academic year, the novel, narrated by Melinda Sordino, begins on her first day as a high school freshman. No one will sit with Melinda on the bus. At school, students call her names and harass her; her best friends from junior high scatter to different cliques and abandon her. Yet Anderson infuses the narrative with a wit that sustains the heroine through her pain and holds readers' empathy. A girl at a school pep rally offers an explanation of the heroine's pariah status when she confronts Melinda about calling the police at a summer party, resulting in several arrests. But readers do not learn why Melinda made the call until much later: a popular senior raped her that night and, because of her trauma, she barely speaks at all. Only through her work in art class, and with the support of a compassionate teacher there, does she begin to reach out to others and eventually find her voice. Through the first-person narration, the author makes Melinda's pain palpable: ""I stand in the center aisle of the auditorium, a wounded zebra in a National Geographic special."" Though the symbolism is sometimes heavy-handed, it is effective. The ending, in which her attacker comes after her once more, is the only part of the plot that feels forced. But the book's overall gritty realism and Melinda's hard-won metamorphosis will leave readers touched and inspired. Ages 12-up. (Oct.)

Citation:

Farrar S., G. (1999, Oct. 25). [Speak] [book review]. Publishers Weekly. Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-374-37152-4
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Having broken up an end-of-summer party by calling the police, high-school freshman Melinda Sordino begins the school year as a social outcast. She’s the only person who knows the real reason behind her call: she was raped at the party by Andy Evans, a popular senior at her school. Slowly, with the help of an eccentric and understanding art teacher, she begins to recover from the trauma, only to find Andy threatening her again. Melinda’s voice is distinct, unusual, and very real as she recounts her past and present experiences in bitterly ironic, occasionally even amusing vignettes. 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. (Reviewed September 15, 1999)— Debbie Carton 

Citation:

Carton, D. (1999, September 15). [Speak] [book review]. Booklist Online. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/Speak-Laurie-Halse-Anderson/pid=456480

Speak Book Trailer

Uses:

• To coincide with Take Back the Night, a nationally recognized event set out advocate for victims of domestic violence and rape, have a Take Back the Night evening at the library which includes an informational session on how to report rape and how to care for oneself or someone else who has been affected by rape.
• This book was made into a great movie. Have a library movie night with Speak as the movie and set out copies of the books for anyone who would like check it out.