Speak

I am a psychologist who has worked with girls and women who experienced what this character did, as well as experiencing it myself at 13. The writing is excellent, the thoughts and feelings are accurate and evocative, and the trauma and beginning of healing ring true. I particularly appreciated the author's note at the end about the larger statistical and cultural context. Highly recommend

I first read this book back when I was actually Melinda's age -- fourteen. Now, considering the nature of this story (rape), some might think that's a wee bit inappropriate. But I don't. Now did I really grasp what was going on in the book? Probably not. I was a pretty dense tween, but I did feel for Melinda even back then. I was a really shy kid and rarely spoke up in class (though, not for Mellie's reasons at all) so I really connect with her. You don't find out exactly what happens until over halfway into the book, but you can tell something went really wrong somewhere along the way. Why'd she call the cops to a party? Why do all her friends hate her? Why won't she say? To have something so horrific happen at such a crucial part in your life.... Think about it. You're thirteen, you're at a party, IT attacks you. You're hurt, drunk, confused, and so young -- how would you react? Honestly, I don't even want to think about it. And that's why I'm grateful for Speak. It makes you. It shows you what goes on in someone's head when IT happens. This is something I hear about the book a lot: Melinda not talking is frustrating. I suppose whether or not you enjoy the book depends on if you are frustrated for the right reasons or the wrong ones. It frustrated me because I cared about her. Because her silence was hurting her so much -- both emotionally and physically. Her lips ... that part of the book has always stuck with me. Her cracked, bloody, slightly gross lips. They're a wonderful way to represent how her silence is hurting her. If you don't understand why she can't speak up -- how hard that is for someone who has been through what she has -- or care about Melinda, then the silence will probably kill you. I guess I shouldn't call this the wrong reason. It's an opinion and all have a right to their opinions. But it's hard for me to understand how someone can think like this. Really. She was thirteen. It was that crazy summer between junior high and high school. That exciting, huge point if life when you think you're done being a kid. When you're going to go to a new school -- weren't you nervous/excited/sososcared/sosohopeful/sosoeverything about that? Will you make new friends? Will you be friends with your old ones? Will you be popular? A loser? A social leaper? Will you get a boyfriend? Will you get your heart broken? Wtf will happen!? Add to that what Melinda had to go through -- with being blamed and hated and pushed down at your lowest point. My favorite part of this edition is the poem Laurie added. It was assembled from emails she got from people who read the book. It's so powerful -- to hear how much victims teens really relate to Melinda and her journey. Teens that have gone through the same thing or so much worse. Even adults. There is so much meaning behind everything in this book. It's so brilliant that way. When you start to read it, you can tell the style is different than the norm and it'll be a literary book. But it's not one of those unreadable literary books. A normal person could easily enjoy it. This book is very entertaining. Since Mellie doesn't talk, the entire book is pretty internal. What nightmares are going on in her head, what she's feeling, what she refuses to think/feel about. Melinda's character arch is completed. Everything is so satisfying in the end. Laurie's endings are very similar to Courtney Summer's. When the book is done, it's done. It's such a powerful ending. The final line is beyond perfect. Another perk of the special edition Laurie talks about writing a sequel to Speak. Maybe she could call it Spoke. She says she's open to the option, she's just waiting for Melinda to speak to her again. You get glimpses at Melinda in her other books, but ... even though a lot of things are left up in the air I like the way it ended. I don't want to mess with it. Melinda lives happily ever after in my head. Very happy.

Good book. Story line is very serious (in case you were unaware). This book exposes how it feels as a young person to be dealing with emotions/ situations you really are too young to be experiencing. It reminded me a lot out what I went through. This is a 'dark' read due to adult topics but worth the read.

Laurie Halse Anderson is the author of numerous books for children and teens. Her highly spoken about novels include Speak, which was a National Book Award finalist, Printz Honor Book, and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. Her novel Fever 1793 was named one of New York Public Library's 100 Best Books of 2000, was selected as an ABA Pick of the lists title, and has won more than a dozen state awards. Her novel, Twisted, was a New York Times bestseller. She currently resides in Pennsylvania where she enjoys living with her two children, Stephanie and Meredith, and her husband, Scot. The book Speak starts out with the main character Melinda Sordino moving to Syracuse, New York. The book is instantly suspenseful because Melinda moves to a new high school with a big secret; she was raped. Because of her secret the book stays suspenseful, you want to continue to read it to see how a mentally disturbed girl internally deals with problems. Since Melinda’s secret does make her mentally disturbed her outlook on life is very negative throughout the book while she deals with her struggles. Even Though the book is negative, it ends on a positive note when she is able to speak. Melinda Sordino is the main character in the book “Speak”. At the end of the summer there was party she attended entering as a freshman. She was raped by a senior named Andy Evans and she called the cops to report the rape. When she called, she didn’t respond right away and they said they were sending help on the way to her location. Melinda did not mean to report the party, but to report the rape. The cops showed up and the big party is busted, which the rest of the school believes that she did this on purpose. Melinda endures deep depression throughout the story because of this. Rachel Bruin was Melindas best friend up until the party was busted. Rachel believes that Melinda just wanted to bust the party just like the rest of the group there. Rachel doesn’t have many lines in the book, however she is important because Melinda wishes she could tell Rachel what happened to her. Rachel also attends prom with Andy. Heather just moved into town from Ohio. She just wants to belong to this school, so she tries to join a different club everyday. Melinda is one of the first people Heather gets to talk to because they have an awkward first meeting. Melinda sort of uses Heather because she has no one else in the school that cares or talks to her. There is a distinct distance between the other girls and is obvious in the fact that Melinda does not confide in her. Mr. Freeman teaches art, which becomes Melinda’s safe haven. Mr. Freeman tries to convey what he sees in her art work and tries to connect with her in that way. He sees that Melinda is hurting and encourages her along the way. My overall impression of the book was, it was really good read. When I first saw the book I thought it would be good and it did live up to my expectations. It was sad but informative, and really opened my eyes to the bullying and suicide aspect of what people can actually go through. It also shows what can really happen at a party, and how rape is a big deal and shouldn't be taken lightly at all. My favorite part of the story had to be the ending. Melinda starts to recover from her trauma, and she starts to talk about it. Even though Rachel doesn't believe Melinda, she feels free after speaking up about what happened and how much it impacted her. It was a big step for Melinda, talking about what happened. I would definitely read this book again because it was a good read and kept me on the edge of my seat. I was never bored, and it talked a lot about what people go through now. By going to parties and seeing what can happen first hand myself this really opened my eyes to what happens to the girls who actually do get raped.

I think many can relate to the emotions and situations the author describes in SPEAK. This book is written in what I think of as a cross between diary entries and a modern day sonnet. It's almost as if, as readers, we are inside Melinda's mind and witnessing her thoughts first hand, as she feels things. School is not easy. Even the people you think have it made, probably have issues that no one can see. I think that it's really important to remember that and keep it in mind while reading it. There are some things Melinda describes at the beginning that REALLY hit home to me. At my school we had the two-faced Christians who claimed to be all about God and were inviting everyone to church on Sunday. Their moms sold Mary Kay and their daughters were walking advertisements for the product. I have nothing against Mary Kay, but in Jr High? My mom only let me wear pressed powder and lip gloss but these girls had an entire make-up arsenal in their lockers and knew how to use it--eyeliner and all. But, it's ok that they looked made-up and kinda slutty, right? Because they looked perfect and say they love Jesus so... it must be ok...right? NOT. What most parents don't know is that those were the same girls that wore the itsy-bitty string bikini's to the parties and were the first to suggest a game of spin-the-bottle if there were boys around.*gags:p* Why am I telling you all this? Well it's to demonstrate that people aren't always what they seem and that there is a double standard in schools and it's not fair. Melinda started a downward spiral after something horrible happened to her. Her grades slipped, she quit taking care of herself, communicated as little as possible and subconsciously retreated from friends, all in what people call a "cry for help". She was depressed, and even I could see it. But because she is at the age when so many kids and even some adults are focused on their own self interests it goes unnoticed OR comes off as her being emo or anti-social. No one seems to get it...and when she does finally reach out to someone, no one wants to hear it. Image is everything in school and it doesn't take much to ruin someones reputation. I think if anything this book shows how bad decisions are made when drinking is involved at a party where as my dad says boys can't be trusted because "Hormones are raging at that age" and how even today people are hypocritical and two-faced and as my mom says it's a "good lesson to learn cause the world is full of hypocrites". It also shows how someone can heal slowly from a really bad event and though, they never will forget what happened that somehow they find healing. Throughout the book Melinda finds some comfort or "sanctuary" in her art class and there is a really great theme of trees and growth through out the book. In class she is creating a tree for a project, and at home her dad has someone come to cut down some dead branches on a tree. It took me a little bit to understand it all but what I got from it was this...By pruning a tree and cutting off the diseased branches you give the tree a chance to grow bigger and stronger. It's the same way for life in the sense that if we shed all the bad stuff that holds us back we can move forward and grow. One more thing I want to add. I downloaded the audio version of this book on Audible and cried. The reader is SO amazing. I felt like I was listening to someone spill their heart out to me and it really touched me. If you can afford it, I suggest getting both the audio and the printed book. Also, I understand that this book isn't for everyone. Some people will read it and take Melinda's inner dialogue out of context or miss the sarcasm. For me personally, it's what made the book feel real, but I'm not so naive that I don't see that it takes a mature reader to grasp the true message of Speak.

I have been trying to find books to help me get a better understanding of depression, self harming and suicide, as these issues are so prevalent today, and I have known several close friends who struggle with it. Despite reading articles in magazines and psychology websites, fictional stories seem to communicate the issues in a way that makes them more accessible. This book Speak transcends the age barrier, and talks about things which happen to people of all ages, and how hard it is to speak up about it. It is such a well crafted novel. The writing is engaging, and sweeps you into the life of a high school girl named Melinda who was raped and she called the police, doing exactly what she should have done, but her action brought the cops to the party and got lots of teenagers in trouble. Now everyone hates her and she can’t explain to them what happened. She’s isolated and treated horribly. This book is written in the first person, so you are seeing Melinda’s world through the eyes of her as the isolated person. The author did an amazing job of balancing the fear, depression, isolation and loneliness, against her anger at what happened and how she’s treated. Melinda losses her ability to speak up and speak out. Even standing up to present a paper in class is impossible. She withdraws. She losses interest in school and freinds and just wants to withdraw, and sleep. All things very true to people suffering depression. The characters were well written. As in real life, Melinda’s keeps struggling to reach out as she can, and does find a few friends, one in art class, which they share a mutual language for expressing themselves through their art. And a boy named David in one of her classes who helps her try to express herself and doesn’t seem to care that the other teens don’t like her. I have to say, as a male, this book was thought provoking as to what victims of sexual assault or rape must grapple with internally. The struggle of needing to talk about what happened but the fear of telling. I have friends who were victims of child abuse and sexual assault and rape, and only after many years of knowing them did they share bits of their horror and struggle with depression. This is why I have sought out books just like Speak to try to get a better understanding of the struggles they go through. I thank the author of this book for ability to write it in a way that makes it more accessible.

I didn't enjoy this book very much, sadly. While I was reading it, I constantly asked "And?". I just couldn't connect with Melinda at all. It makes me feel heartless to say that, but I am actually a victim of sexual trauma too when I was seven. Yet, I didn't care about her. I find her frustrating and aggravating. I do applaud her for speaking about it after less than a year; it took me years. Melinda is also a very dry narrator who I imagine to speak in monotone. She just doesn't have emotions and it made me so bored as I was reading it. I want to shake her shoulders and just scream at her until she tells me everything that's happening with her. What I did like is Melinda's relationship with Rachelle. Rachelle also frustrated me. But it was different from how Melinda angered me. Unlike with Melinda, Rachelle angered me because of her personal choices. The way she reacted when Melinda told her that she was raped was so frustrating. I can feel and connect with Melinda for once because of it. I can feel how she feels hurt by Rachelle. It was my favorite moment in the entire book.

Beautifully written, youth fiction classic tackling tough and important topics that we should discuss with our kids. As relevant and powerful today as it was years ago when it was first written. Bought for my teen son to read and loved it myself. Carefully and thoughtfully constructed, and an excellent story for any teen or parent of a teen.