Anderson, L. H. (1999). Speak. New York, NY: Farrar Straus Giroux.
Plot Summary:
Melinda Sordino doesn't speak. In fact, it has been several months since she has said a word to anyone. Why doesn't she talk? Did she forget how to? Well, before the the summer party, Melinda was actually a happy, talkative teen getting ready to start to high school. Then he came along and destroyed everything.
Last summer, there was an amazing party that anyone who was anyone was there. People were having a good time, there was music, drinks, food, and lots of cute guys and girls. However, the party was busted up by the police when they received a phone call from an anonymous source. Unfortunately, when the "anonymous caller" decided to confide in her friends, not only did she lose all her friends, her reputation has been destroyed for crashing the best party on her block ever. Although no one knows why she called the cops, nor did they care to ask, people could not put two and two together that the very night the party ended was the day that Melinda stopped talking.
Lonely, and an outcast, Melinda has thrown herself into her art where everything she felt was expressed in color, sketching, and paints. Although she is constantly bombarded by the millions of thoughts that she refuses to express in words, and the one memory that torments her all the time, Melinda struggles to lock all of the pain and suffering. Although art provides her some sort of reprieve, every trip down the hallway and sitting in the cafeteria, forces her to deny everything she feels, especially when all she wants to do is speak. With each passing day, Melinda tries to start over, but something always manages to break her. However, when she sees him again, for the last time, everything that she worked so hard to lock away resurfaces with a vengeance that will would scare the devil himself.
Critical Evaluation:
Speak is well-written story that tackles the horrors and pain of a girl who is violated by a boy she didn't know, abandoned by the very people she calls "friends," and surviving the harsh reality high school. Halse Anderson has created a story that is very real, and, at sometimes, unnerving, especially towards the end when the reader puts the whole picture together and Melinda's attacker confronts her the last time. Readers will also sympathize with Melinda, especially when her friends don't believe her when she tells them what happens. Moreover, reading this story as an adult, it was hard to read because no one would comfort her or ask why she stopped talking. Halse Anderson has received praise, and criticism, for this thought provoking text that should be read by every teenage girl who may relate to Melinda or those looking for empowerment and healing.
Reader's Annotation:
Melinda Sordino is an outcast who doesn't speak. Not only do people ignore her, they hold a a grudge against her for calling the cops that busted up the greatest party of the summer. What people don't know is that something awful happened that night and Melinda is the key to that mystery.
Information about the Author:
Laurie Halse Anderson is another well-known Young Adult Author who has felt the praise and the condemnation from parents, educators, librarians, and administrators all over the world. Just like Judy Blume, Halse Anderson has written a variety of books that deals with some very serious issues in a way that allows readers to assess the affects of these actions and how we can deal with them and offer support for those who fall victim to these deeds.
In second grade, Halse Anderson knew she was going to be a writer and eventually became a freelance reporter for newspapers and magazines. According to her biography on her website, she did shed many a tear as the rejection letters rolled in from various publishers until she joined the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators who gave her the feedback she needed and she wrote her debut Young Adult Novel Speak (para. 4).
Genre:
Fiction
Curriculum Tie In's:
This books can definitely be used to teach teens about social responsibility and how taboo issues such as rape should not be something that is swept under the rug. Moreover, this text will teach both guys and girls lessons about self control and to not be afraid to stand up for oneself.
Booktalking Ideas:
Since this book talks about issues that may be a little too personal or sensitive, a book trailer would work perfectly where the Librarian can elude to the topic of the book, but still entice the audience to read it.
Reading/Interest Level:
9 & up
Challenge Issues:
This book is definitely not unfamiliar with challenges. With all the attention it has received, and the reasoning behind it's challenges, I will gladly provide copies of the the collection development policies and provide my superiors with plenty of evidence (i.e., review articles and holding information from other libraries) as to why the books should stay in the collection. Moreover, this books has one plenty of awards for excellence, which proves it is a worthwhile work to circulate in the community.
Books Similar to Speak:
- Cut by Patricia McCormick
- Splintering by Eileen Corrigan
- Crank by Ellen Hopkins
Why Did I Pick This Book?
I chose to read this book because of the positive and negative attention that it received. Moreover, I am a bit of a sucker for banned books so this was one of them I had to read so I ca stir up conversation with teens and coworkers.
Awards/Recognition:
- Printz Honor Book
- National Book Award Finalist
Anderson, L. H. (n.d.). This guy thinks SPEAK is pornography. Mad Woman in the Forest | Laurie Halse Anderson. Retrieved December 29, 2010, from http://madwomanintheforest.com/this-guy-thinks-speak-is-pornography/
Laurie. (n.d.). Mad Woman in the Forest | Laurie Halse Anderson. Retrieved December 29, 2010, from http://madwomanintheforest.com/laurie/
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