Book cover image:
Book Summary: Melinda
is starting high school with no friends, no purpose, and no words. Everyone
hates her for calling the police during a party over the summer, and she isn’t
able to confess the truth. Throughout the school year, she clams up more and
more after dealing with fake friends, hateful people, and inconsiderate
teachers. It takes a kind art teacher who pushes her to delve into her emotions
for her to look at life through open eyes. She admits that she was raped, and
she finally has the words to stand up to her rapist, to stand up for herself.
APA Reference of Book:
Anderson, L. H. (1999). Speak. New York, NY: Farrar Straus Giroux.
Impressions: This
is a powerful book that I wish I had read when I was a teenager. It is told
simply, but Melinda’s thoughts and emotions are raw and relatable. Almost every
teen has had a period in their life where they felt like they didn’t belong.
The inability to speak about their problems and to instead suffer through life
is a real obstacle for many young adults. This book should encourage any person
who has ever lost control to find a positive outlet and speak up for themselves
when they are ready to. I can also connect to this book deeply because of the
underlying issue of rape. I, too, have gone through a similar experience at a
very young age and felt like I couldn’t tell anyone and that it was my fault
for letting it happen. While reading this novel, I began crying because I have
more reassurance that it is okay, that I am okay. Just like Melinda discovered,
we can all be reborn as seeds after something kills us inside. The important
thing thereafter is for us to decide to grow into an even stronger tree,
flexible to the wind that tries to knock us down.
Professional Review:
Carton, D. (1999). Speak. The Booklist, 96(2), 247.
Gr. 8-12. Having broken up an end-ofsummer party by calling
the police, highschool 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.
Library Uses: Explore theme. Review with the students what theme is.
What are some possible themes for this novel? Have an open and respectful
discussion and/or journal writing for this novel because of its controversy and
sensitive topics.
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