Speak

Anderson, L. (1999). Speak. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.

Summary:
Freshmen year of high school is NOT going the way Melinda Sordino expected it. Weeks before school began, Melinda called the police that broke up a party the majority of the school was at. This cemented her reputation as an outcast. But that party did more to her than people realized. Now Melinda refuses to speak and can barely make an effort in her classwork. 


Her art class doubles as a sort of therapy for Melinda as she begins to heal from that awful party. It’s a place of safety; the only class where she is doing well in. And soon enough, she learns that in order to save others and herself, she must speak out.  

Reaction: 

The relevance of Laurie Halse Anderson’s book about sexual assault, the process one must go through to heal, and advocating for oneself has is just as strong today as it was 20 years ago. The #MeToo movement and amount of women standing up for themselves this past year deeply reflect the strength of victims of sexual assault. Laurie Halse Anderson is known for writing on a personal level, and this book shows that brilliantly. 

The character of Melinda is written as nondescript as possible. This helps the reader put themselves into her shoes as she attempts to navigate high school. Melinda is mostly an observer, taking in what is happening around her and trying to process it. Her attacker, referred to as IT throughout most of the book, taunts her with his presence. When Melinda defends herself towards the end of the book, it reveals a tremendous growth on her part. She refuses to be the victim again. And, in a way, she is lucky because there are witnesses to what almost happened to her. Not all victims have that on their side. 

Speak is split into marking periods. Melinda’s grades reflect where she is in the healing process. They are low and she can’t bring herself to care enough. But towards the end of the novel, as she is becoming more of herself, her grades begin to lift. 

This is an important book for Young Adult readers as they enter high school and the “real world”. It shows how a cry for help may not be a cry necessarily. And that sometimes it’s difficult to speak up for one’s self, but necessary.  

Connections:

Activities: 

Create a timeline over the marking periods in the book. Track the changes Melinda has made over time. 

Melinda created a Top 10 Lies Told in High School. Create your own Top 10 Lies Told in High School. Are there any similarities between yours and Melinda? Why do you think that is? 

Throughout the book, the school has a hard time choosing a mascot. Decide on a mascot for the school and explain why this would be an appropriate mascot. 

Create a one-pager for the book. Focus on themes of hope, grief, and isolation. Find text evidence from the book. 

Compare parts of the film adaption to the book. 

Other Books by Laurie Halse Anderson: 

Shout! will be released March 12, 2019.

Anderson, L. & Carroll, E. (2018). Speak : the graphic novel. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.

Anderson, L. (2014). The impossible knife of memory. New York: Viking, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA.

Anderson, L. (2002). Catalyst. New York: Viking.

Other Books Regarding Sexual Assault:  

Maciel, A. (2017). Lucky girl. New York, NY: Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers.

Summers, C. (2015). All the rage. New York: St. Martin's Griffin.

Oakes, S. (2015). The sacred lies of Minnow Bly. Sydney, N.S.W: HarperCollinsPublishers.

Cohen, J. (2011). Leverage. New York: Dutton Books.

Scott, E. (2008). Living dead girl. New York: Simon Pulse.

Awards: 

SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Fiction (1999)

Edgar Award Nominee for Best Young Adult (2000)

South Carolina Book Award for Young Adult Book Award (2002)

Evergreen Teen Book Award (2002)

Boston Globe-Horn Book Award (2000) National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature (1999) 

Oklahoma Sequoyah Award for YA (2002)