Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

1. Bibliography:
Anderson, Laurie Halse. 1999. Speak. New York, NY: Farrar Straus Giroux. ISBN 0142414735.
2. Plot Summary:
A high school freshman deals with rejection from her peers after calling the police to a summer party. While dealing with emotional trauma from the night’s events that she has kept secret, Melinda is faced with stress from her parents and the falling out with her best friend. Her only outlet is art class, but even there she is having trouble meeting the requirements of the class project. When her old friend may become the next victim of her attacker, Melinda finally admits the truth to herself and her friends and family and is able to see past the horrible incident, which helps to finish her artwork.
3. Critical Analysis:
The rape plot and the shame of living with the secret seem realistic and plausible. The secret, while not revealed until more than halfway through the book, is strongly hinted at and the inevitable revealing and resolution, though not surprising, are welcomed. The character Melinda is flawed and angry, both very relatable qualities to most teen readers. The audience is able to watch her slow transformation as the story progresses.
Friendship, rejection, isolation, shame and the need to fit in are all themes represented in this story and all resonate with teen readers. The setting is ambiguous which lends to the book and its themes being universally accepted. The addition of lists and diary like entries build a sense of style. Mood and tone are reflected in the feelings of the main character and dialogue between characters helps support the themes mentioned.
4. Awards and/or Review Excerpts:
• Michael L. Printz Honor Book
• A National Book Award finalist
• An ALA Best Book for Young Adult
• From SLJ: “This is a compelling book, with sharp, crisp writing that draws readers in, engulfing them in the story.”
5. Connections:
• After reading the novel by Anderson, students can watch the film based on the book and compare/contrast both forms.
6. Personal Response:
From the beginning of Speak I was waiting for something unnatural about the main character to be revealed. The way in which she is described seemed more like a “fantastical” ability more than a traumatic experience. I knew that she had been raped early on, mostly because on the of LC tags was “rape” and I pieced it together with her night she called the cops. The way in which the story evolved was realistic and I could at times feel her terror when encountering “it”. I would love to see the film version of the movie and compare the two.