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Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Finding Your Voice: A Powerful Tale of Speaking Up

Title: Speak

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult

First Publication: 1999

Language:  English

Major Characters: Ivy Hall, Heather, Nichole Smythe Burnell, Melinda Sordino, Andy Evans, David Petrakis, Mr. Freeman, Rachel Bruin

Setting Place: Syracuse, New York (United States)

Theme: Communication versus Silence, Appearance versus Reality, Family and Friendship, Isolation, Loneliness, and Depression, Memory and Trauma

Narrator:  First Person

Book Summary: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, outcast, because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether.

Only her art class offers any solace, and it is through her work on an art project that she is finally able to face what really happened at that terrible party: she was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her.

Her healing process has just begun when she has another violent encounter with him . But this time Melinda fights back, refuses to be silent, and thereby achieves a measure of vindication.

Book Review: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is a character driven novel about a girl named Melinda who has just started high school. She is withdrawn, feels like an outcast, and has troubling talking as a result of being raped at a party over the summer. The story is a coming of age for Melinda as she learns how speaking up can be a good thing.

At the start of her Freshman year, Melinda finds herself a social pariah, having been dumped by all of her friends after attending a summer bash gone wrong, resulting in Melinda calling the cops and earning herself a leper status. While the events that occurred at the party remain a mystery until nearly the end of the story, Melinda’s torment, shame and silence are evident from page one.

As a reader, it is not hard to guess what happened that night, but everyone in Melinda’s life are completely oblivious as to what plagues her day in and day out. What follows is a truly heart wrenching story about a broken girl  trying puzzle out the pieces of herself.

When people don’t express themselves, they die one piece at a time.

What makes Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson great is the time when it was published. This book was published in 1999, almost 20 years ago. Twenty years ago, the YA genre didn’t exist. When Laurie Halse Anderson tried to get this published, a publisher emailed her back and said “it’s good, but teens don’t like reading”. The YA genre didn’t really become what it is today until after Twilight was published.

The first person narrative is fluid and natural. The paragraphs are short. To a large extent, this feels like a journal written by the narrator Melinda. To pull the reader closer to the action, the book is written in the present tense, so we’re encountering everything directly alongside Melinda. Melinda is struggling with her voice and with trying to figure out how to communicate her troubles and with whom.

You have to know what you stand for, not just what you stand against.

As the reader, we are the only one she truly communicates with. But even with us, she holds back. She keeps us at arms length so we don’t penetrate her wall and expose her pain and vulnerability. The voice is uniquely teenage and is a good portrayal of the thoughts of a teenage girl ostracized by her friends as she begins her Freshman year.

Art without emotion its like chocolate cake without sugar. It makes you gag.

I watched the movie right after I finished, and it’s a very faithful adaptation of the book that successfully captures the tone of the novel. If you enjoyed the book at all I would highly recommend giving movie a watch. Kristen Stewart actually played Melinda. She was fourteen years old when the movie was shot, and she did such a beautiful job of conveying Melinda’s emotions while having minimal dialogue.

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Speak : Book summary and reviews of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

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by Laurie Halse Anderson

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Published Oct 1999 240 pages Genre: Literary Fiction Publication Information

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About this book

Book summary.

Laurie Halse Anderson’s award-winning, highly acclaimed, and controversial novel about a teenager who chooses not to speak rather than to give voice to what really happened to her. "Speak up for yourself - we want to know what you have to say." From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows that this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, outcast, because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Only her art class offers any solace, and it is through her work on an art project that she is finally able to face what really happened at that terrible party: she was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her. Her healing process has just begun when she has another violent encounter with him. But this time Melinda fights back, refuses to be silent, and thereby achieves a measure of vindication. In this powerful novel, an utterly believeable heroine with a bitterly ironic voice delivers a blow to the hypocritical world of high school. She speaks for many a disenfranchised teenager while demonstrating the importance of speaking up for oneself.

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Reader reviews.

"The plot is gripping and the characters are powerfully drawn, but it is its raw and unvarnished look at the dynamics of the high school experience that makes this a novel that will be hard for readers to forget." - Kirkus Reviews "An uncannily funny book even as it plumbs the darkness, Speak will hold readers from first word to last. " - Horn Book "Anderson infuses the narrative with a wit that sustains the heroine through her pain and holds readers' empathy." - Publisher's Weekly "A story told with acute insight, acid wit, and affecting prose. " - Library Journal

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Laurie Halse Anderson Author Biography

Laurie Halse Anderson is the New York Times -bestselling author who writes for kids of all ages. Known for tackling tough subjects with humor and sensitivity, her work has earned numerous international, national, and state awards. She has been nominated three times for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Two of her books, Speak and Chains , were National Book Award finalists, and Chains was also short-listed for the Carnegie medal.

Link to Laurie Halse Anderson's Website

Name Pronunciation Laurie Halse Anderson: Halse rhymes with waltz

Other books by Laurie Halse Anderson at BookBrowse

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by Laurie Halse Anderson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 22, 1999

A frightening and sobering look at the cruelty and viciousness that pervade much of contemporary high school life, as real as today’s headlines. At the end of the summer before she enters high school, Melinda attends a party at which two bad things happen to her. She gets drunk, and she is raped. Shocked and scared, she calls the police, who break up the party and send everyone home. She tells no one of her rape, and the other students, even her best friends, turn against her for ruining their good time. By the time school starts, she is completely alone, and utterly desolate. She withdraws more and more into herself, rarely talking, cutting classes, ignoring assignments, and becoming more estranged daily from the world around her. Few people penetrate her shell; one of them is Mr. Freeman, her art teacher, who works with her to help her express what she has so deeply repressed. When the unthinkable happens—the same upperclassman who raped her at the party attacks her again’something within the new Melinda says no, and in repelling her attacker, she becomes whole again. The plot is gripping and the characters are powerfully drawn, but it is its raw and unvarnished look at the dynamics of the high school experience that makes this a novel that will be hard for readers to forget. (Fiction. 12+)

Pub Date: Oct. 22, 1999

ISBN: 0-374-37152-0

Page Count: 198

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1999

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES

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edited by Laurie Halse Anderson

by Laurie Halse Anderson ; illustrated by Leila Del Duca

by Laurie Halse Anderson

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SEEN & HEARD

IF ONLY I HAD TOLD HER

by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024

A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.

In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me , three characters tell their sides of the story.

Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.

Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024

ISBN: 9781728276229

Page Count: 416

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE

More by Laura Nowlin

by Laura Nowlin

IF HE HAD BEEN WITH ME

by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2013

There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.

The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.

Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.

Pub Date: April 1, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5

Page Count: 336

Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES

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Book Review: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Hello there, bookworms! Today, I’m about to take you on a journey into the world of a book that has touched hearts, opened eyes, and sparked conversations. The book I’m talking about is “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson. N

ow, this isn’t just any book—it’s a book that deals with tough issues in a way that’s both raw and relatable. I remember stumbling upon it in the corner of a cozy bookstore during a rainy afternoon. The intriguing cover and the title itself lured me in. I had no idea then how much of an impact it would make.

Book Summary of Speak

“Speak” is a poignant tale of a high school freshman named Melinda Sordino who, after experiencing a traumatic event, struggles with communication and self-expression. Our story begins after Melinda’s life-altering experience at a summer party, where she ends up calling the police. This event ostracizes her from her peers, but what they don’t know is the reason behind her call.

Melinda’s year unfolds in a series of academic seasons, from “First Marking Period” to “Fourth Marking Period.” Her journey is a complex one, riddled with internal battles, silent cries for help, and the ever-approaching confrontation of her trauma. The central theme revolves around finding one’s voice and the courage to speak up. This is aptly symbolized through Melinda’s art project, a tree that gradually transforms from dead to alive, mirroring her own journey.

Despite the gravity of its topic, “Speak” is interspersed with a wry, dark humor that reflects Melinda’s unique perspective and resilience. The narrative is raw and unflinching, offering a poignant exploration of a young girl’s battle with trauma, isolation, and the journey to reclaim her voice.

Book Review of Speak

“Speak” is a remarkable book, and it’s not just because it’s beautifully written, but also because of its relevancy and the universality of its theme. The book is a masterful exploration of a teenager’s struggle to regain her voice and identity after a traumatic incident.

Laurie Halse Anderson’s writing is both powerful and poetic. She portrays Melinda’s pain, isolation, and eventual healing with great sensitivity, making the reader empathize with the character. The narrative structure, divided into marking periods, effectively represents Melinda’s journey. What really stands out is the powerful symbol of the tree in Melinda’s art project, which mirrors her own growth and healing.

Despite the serious subject matter, the novel is not devoid of humor. Melinda’s sarcastic and observant narrative voice provides a sense of levity amidst the heavy themes. This balance makes “Speak” a compelling read that leaves a lasting impression.

Speak Rating

My rating for “Speak”: 8.5 out of 10. This book is a profound exploration of trauma and recovery, and its relevance in today’s society is undeniable. However, the heavy subject matter may not appeal to all readers.

Amazon Rating : 4.6 out of 5.

Goodreads Rating : 4.04 out of 5.

About the Author: Laurie Halse Anderson

Laurie Halse Anderson is a New York Times bestselling author who writes for kids of all ages. Known for tackling tough subjects with humor and sensitivity, her work has earned numerous national and state awards. Her books have been recognized as part of the American Library Association’s Best Fiction for Young Adults, and she has been nominated twice for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, among many other accolades.

Born in Potsdam, New York, Anderson gained a love for reading and adventure at an early age. Born on October 23, 1961, in Potsdam, New York, she spent her childhood engrossed in science fiction and fantasy. Her early interest in writing began to blossom in the second grade, but even then, she never saw herself becoming a writer .

During her senior year of high school, Anderson lived as an exchange student on a pig farm in Denmark. This experience, followed by a stint working at a clothing store back home, earning minimum wage, motivated her to attend college. She kicked off her career as a freelance journalist at The Philadelphia Inquirer before delving into the world of children’s and young adult novels.

Despite early rejections, Anderson persisted, releasing her first children’s novel, “Ndito Runs,” in 1996.

Anderson’s best-known work, “Speak,” was published in 1999. This New York Times bestseller was later adapted into a film in 2004. The novel, which has been translated into 16 languages, won Anderson honors for its portrayal of a thirteen-year-old girl who becomes mute after a sexual assault. In 2018, Anderson revealed that “Speak” was based on her own experience, as she went through her own traumatic experience at the same age. Anderson continues to use her voice and her pen to shed light on topics often shied away from, making her a beacon in young adult literature.

Where to Read Speak

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Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

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Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is multiple award-winning books, but it is also listed by the American Library Association as one of the top 100 books challenged between 2000-2009 . Every year several books are challenged and banned across the nation by individuals and organizations who believe the content of the books is inappropriate. In this review you will learn more about the book Speak , the challenges it has received, and what Laurie Halse Anderson and others have to say about the issue of censorship.

Melinda Sardino is a fifteen-year-old sophomore whose life is dramatically and permanently changed the night she attends an end of summer party. At the party, Melinda is raped and calls the police , but doesn’t get the opportunity to report the crime. Her friends, thinking she called to bust the party, shun her and she becomes an outcast.

Once vibrant, popular, and a good student, Melinda has become withdrawn and depressed. She avoids having to talk and doesn’t take care of her physical or mental health. All her grades start to slide, except her Art grade, and she begins to define herself by small acts of rebellion such as refusing to give an oral report and skipping school. Meanwhile, Melinda’s rapist, an older student, subtly taunts her at every opportunity.

Melinda doesn’t reveal the details of her experience until one of her former friends begins to date the same boy who raped Melinda. In an attempt to warn her friend, Melinda writes an anonymous letter and then confronts the girl and explains what really happened at the party. Initially, the former friend refuses to believe Melinda and accuses her of jealousy, but later breaks up with the boy. Melinda is confronted by her rapist who accuses her of destroying his reputation. He attempts to assault Melinda again, but this time she finds the power to speak and screams loudly enough to be heard by other students who are nearby. 

The Controversy and the Censorship

Since its publication release in 1999 Speak has been challenged on its content about rape, sexual assault, and suicidal thoughts. In September of 2010 one Missouri professor wanted the book banned from the Republic School District because he considered the two rape scenes “soft pornography.” His attack on the book elicited a media storm of responses including a statement from the author herself in which she defended her book.

The American Library Association listed Speak as number 60 in the top one hundred books to be banned or challenged between 2000 and 2009. Anderson knew when she wrote this story that it would be a controversial topic, but she is shocked whenever she reads about a challenge to her book. She writes that Speak is about the "emotional trauma suffered by a teen after a sexual assault" and is not soft pornography.

In addition to Anderson's defense of her book, her publishing company, Penguin Young Readers Group, placed a full-page ad in the New York Times to support the author and her book. Penguin spokeswoman Shanta Newlin stated, "That such a decorated book could be challenged is disturbing."

Laurie Halse Anderson and Censorship

Anderson reveals in many interviews that the idea for Speak came to her in a nightmare. In her nightmare, a girl is sobbing, but Anderson did not know the reason until she started to write. As she wrote the voice of Melinda took shape and began to speak. Anderson felt compelled to tell Melinda's story.

With the success of her book (a National Award finalist and a Printz Honor Award) came the backlash of controversy and censorship. Anderson was stunned but found herself in a new position to speak out against censorship. States Anderson, “Censoring books that deal with difficult, adolescent issues does not protect anybody. It leaves kids in the darkness and makes them vulnerable. Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance. Our children cannot afford to have the truth of the world withheld from them.”

Anderson devotes a portion of her website to censorship issues and specifically addresses the challenges to her book Speak. She argues in defense of educating others about sexual assault and lists frightening statistics about young women who have been raped.

Anderson is actively involved in national groups that battle censorship and book banning such as the ABFFE (American Booksellers for Free Expression), the National Coalition Against Censorship, and the Freedom to Read Foundation.

The Recommendation

Speak is a novel about empowerment and it is a book that every teen, especially teen girls, should read. There is a time to be quiet and a time to speak out, and on the issue of sexual assault, a young woman needs to find the courage to raise her voice and ask for help. This is the underlying message of Speak and the message Laurie Halse Anderson is trying to convey to her readers. It must be made clear that Melinda's rape scene is a flashback and there are no graphic details, but implications. The novel is focused on the emotional impact of the act, and not the act itself.

By writing Speak and defending its right to voice an issue, Anderson has opened the door for other authors to write about real teen issues. Not only does this book deal with a contemporary teen issue, but it's an authentic reproduction of the teen voice. Anderson deftly captures the high school experience and understands the teen view of cliques and what it feels like to be an outcast.

We grappled with the age recommendations for some time because this is such an important book that needs to be read. It's a powerful book for discussion and 12 is an age when girls are changing physically and socially. However, we realize that because of the mature content, every 12-year-old may not be ready for the book. Consequently, we recommend it for ages 14 to 18 and, in addition, for those 12 and 13-year-olds with the maturity to handle the topic. The publisher's recommended age for this book is 12 and up.

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Review: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

"Speak up for yourself--we want to know what you have to say." From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, outcast, because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Only her art class offers any solace, and it is through her work on an art project that she is finally able to face what really happened at that terrible party: she was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her. Her healing process has just begun when she has another violent encounter with him. But this time Melinda fights back, refuses to be silent, and thereby achieves a measure of vindication. In Laurie Halse Anderson's powerful novel, an utterly believable heroine with a bitterly ironic voice delivers a blow to the hypocritical world of high school. She speaks for many a disenfranchised teenager while demonstrating the importance of speaking up for oneself. Speak was a 1999 National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature. (Cover and synopsis from Goodreads.)

FTC Disclaimer: I borrowed a copy of this book from my local library. I was in no way compensated for this review.

A Confession…

So, I watched the movie adaptation of Speak first. I know, I know, that’s kind of blasphemy. I do usually try to read books before seeing their adaptations, but I honestly don’t even know why I watched the movie adaptation. I’m pretty sure it was like a Showtime movie and I just watched it because it was on. I didn’t know anything about the book back then. But I do have to say that I think Kristen Stewart did a fantastic job in the movie. I haven’t watched it again, but I do remember thinking she was really good in it. (And no, I’m not a KStew fangirl. But I don’t really have hate for her, either.)

Back to the Book…

But anyway, I’m glad that I finally got around to reading the book. I read it for my book club, and we all seemed to agree that it was a good and important book. I feel like it should be taught in high school. It does have some triggering content (rape and sexual assault) in the book, so it would be hard for some people to read it, and I don’t think those people should be forced to. But I think that teen boys should read it, as well as teen girls. And not just for the rape aspect either, but for the empathy that a reader might gain in reading what Melinda goes through when she’s shunned by her entire school. I also really liked the writing and the sarcasm throughout the book.

Great Quotes…

I wrote down some lines that I really liked from the book, and here are a couple of my favorites:

“If I ever form my own clan, we’ll be the Anti-Cheerleaders. We will not sit in the bleachers. We will wander underneath them and commit mild acts of mayhem.”

“Sometimes I think high school is one long hazing activity. If you are tough enough to survive this, they’ll let you become an adult. I hope it’s worth it.”

Overall…

I really enjoyed Speak , and I think most of the others in my book club enjoyed it, too. I think it’s a YA classic at this point, and that any fan of YA should read it. And I really think it’s an important book for teens to read.

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Andrea is a mom, writer, and spoilerphobe. She works in a library and mostly loves YA SciFi and YA Fantasy.

Kate @ Midnight Book Girl

I read Speak shortly after I started book blogging for Banned Book Week, and really thought it was a powerful book. I still haven’t seen the movie- but I would totally watch it if it came on (not a huge KStew fan, but certain roles she just fits so well, and I can see her as silent Melinda).

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15 years of SPEAK: An Interview with Laurie Halse Anderson

Kelly Jensen

Kelly is a former librarian and a long-time blogger at STACKED. She's the editor/author of (DON'T) CALL ME CRAZY: 33 VOICES START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and the editor/author of HERE WE ARE: FEMINISM FOR THE REAL WORLD. Her next book, BODY TALK, will publish in Fall 2020. Follow her on Instagram @heykellyjensen .

View All posts by Kelly Jensen

It’s fifteen years since Laurie Halse Anderson’s young adult novel  Speak   was first published.  Speak  is an enduring novel that has a significant place in YA fiction’s history, and Anderson herself has been a champion of YA lit, as well as a champion of those who advocate on behalf of YA readers.

In honor of this anniversary, and in conjunction with April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Anderson has teamed up with the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) in the #Speak4RAINN15 campaign to raise $30,000 that supports victims of sexual violence.

In light of this campaign, as well as the book’s anniversary, I was eager to ask Anderson a few questions about the book’s legacy, including its regular appearances on “most challenged” book lists; about how she’s seen YA fiction mold and grow over the last decade and a half; and I was eager to pick her brain about gender and gender disparity within the book world and beyond.

Speak turns 15 years old this year. Can you talk a bit about the life of this book? 

The book was turned down by the first publisher I sent it to. When it was published, my then-editor warned me against getting my hopes up because she felt the book had little chance at being a Big Success. The book took off because booksellers, librarians and teachers got behind it strongly. Teens handed it to each other and said, “You have to read this.”

The movie version that came out in 2004 (starring Kristen Stewart) brought a lot of new readers to the book and then English teachers started to put it in curriculum. They saw first-hand that if you give students a book that they can connect with, they are more open to learning about things like symbolism and metaphor.

I think we’re approaching 2 million copies sold and the last time I checked it had been translated into 27 languages. Right now artist Emily Carroll is working on the graphic novel version of the book, which I hope will be published in 2016. Nearly every day I hear from readers for whom the book is a touchstone that helped them find the courage to speak up about their sexual assault and begin their journey from victim to survivor.

When I was growing up, “rape” was a word that was whispered, if it was spoken at all. Around the time that Speak was published, America started to talk about rape and began to move away (slowly) from the destructive notion of victim-blaming. The Internet can be a real cesspool of sexual abuse and hatred, but it has also allowed victims of sexual assault to find help and healing. Their ability to speak up is leading to a revolutionary shift in attitudes about sexual assault. We still have a long way to go, but I am very optimistic.

It’s hard to wrap my head around all of this. I’m intensely grateful that the story poured through me and that – thanks to the hard work of lots of people and the stars lining up at the right time – it continues to be a source of strength and hope.

Everything has changed! The field has dramatically expanded, both in scope and in depth. When authors like Joyce Carol Oates started writing YA, I knew we had entered new territory.  When adults started reading YA for fun, I knew we were looking at a brave new world.

Speak is a title that’s regularly challenged in schools across the country. What goes on in your mind when you hear about these attempts at censorship?

It makes my blood boil.

I worry about the teachers and librarians who are at danger of losing their jobs and I worry about the students being denied access to a good book that has saved lives. I’m baffled by people my age (and younger!) who are so terrified at their inability to talk about rape, a crime that affects 1 in six women and 1 in 33 men, that they would rather ban the book than tell their kids the truth and prepare them for the harsh realities of the world.

Book banners make me fight harder.

Is there a connection with Speak, the imprint of Penguin, and your own book Speak ? If so, how did that come to be?

The background includes a bit of publishing history. Farrar, Straus & Giroux published Speak in hardcover in 1999. At the time, FS&G was not in the business of publishing paperbacks; they contracted out to other publishers for that. Penguin won the auction to become the paperback publisher of Speak and negotiated a 10-year license. It’s important to remember that at this point, Speak had been nominated for the National Book Award, but no one had a clue about the book’s future popularity.

Penguin threw a lot of energy and love at Speak and when the time came a few years later to name a new teen imprint, they called it Speak, which was a huge honor. Then the book sort of went supernova. When the 10-year paperback license ended, Penguin negotiated hard, but Macmillan (which had acquired FS&G in the meantime) turned down all of their offers. (When I sold Speak to FS&G I did not yet have an agent, so when it came to this contract, I was not a part of the decision-making process.)

So now Speak is a Macmillan book, the rest of my “resilience lit” is at Penguin, and Simon & Schuster publishes my historical fiction (which is a whole other story.)

Speak reaches a tremendous number of readers each year. What do you think gives the book staying power?

I think it’s because everyone has had a bad thing happen to them and has struggled to figure out how to speak up. Everyone has felt alone and not-heard.

Over the last year, you’ve begun to call what you write “Resilience Lit.” Can you talk a bit about what that label means and what it might mean to readers?

The term comes from a high school teacher, whose name I, unfortunately, forgot to make note of. She took a photo of her whiteboard after a classroom discussion of Speak . It was covered with plot details, symbolism, and character notes, and in the top left corner, the teacher had written “resilience literature.” That was such a better description of what I write than “contemporary realistic YA” that I started using it immediately. Resilience is the quality that I hope all teenagers can develop so that they are ready when the world comes at them. Literature is a fantastic way to learn about the kinds of hardships you may have to deal with; watching characters grow and change is a great way to strengthen yourself for your own challenges.

You recently did a Reddit AMA , and one of the questions that came up was about the “John Greenification” of YA fiction . It’s impossible not to think about, especially since you’re a female author who has been writing and selling young adult books, including realistic titles, for 15 years. There are other female authors writing contemporary books who have been publishing as long as you have, and selling the huge numbers of backlist you have — Sarah Dessen and Meg Cabot, to name a couple. Why do you think that traditional media pursues the “John Green has influenced the YA world” when there are and have been equally powerful other writers, both male and female?

Because traditional media is largely edited and vetted by a much older, male-dominated generation that can’t or won’t recognize that women writers are just as powerful and important as men. Or that writers of all ethnic backgrounds, of every type of gender identity and sexual orientation, are as powerful and important.

However traditional media is crumbling, in part because there is such a large disconnect between it and most people under age 40. We all have the capability to promote the books and authors we care about. That is amazing and so exciting!! I enjoy shaking my fists at traditional media as much as the next person, but I know that I can achieve more change by taking advantage of the opportunities that New Media offer.

Do you think the contributions of female authors and female-centric novels in YA are downplayed or undermined?

Within the worlds of book selling, librarianship and education I see less evidence of this kind of undermining. I think the leadership of traditional media is where the problem lies.

Given the power and influence Green has had not only on the New York Times list, but also in mainstream outlets like Vanity Fair ( which noted he is beginning a revolution in bringing realistic teens to the big screen with his book-to-film adaptations), it’s clear he’s a household name not just to teenagers, but to their parents and other adults as well. What do you think it would take for a hypothetical “Jean Green” to do the same thing? Could it happen?

It will take a while, but it will happen.

I stand in this interesting place on the timeline of equality for women. My grandmother often told the story of the first time her mother voted, in 1920, and what a huge influence that had on her. I remember reading the newspaper want ads in third grade and asking my mom why there were Jobs For Women separate from Jobs For Men. My mom said “It’s not right, but that’s the way it is.” I was in that generation of girls who benefited tremendously from Title IX and other changes wrought by earlier generations of feminists. I was one of the only girls who worked on a dairy farm in my county and was the only woman in the stock brokerage I worked at after college.

Americans who are younger than 35 have taken the torch from my generation and continue to run towards equality for everyone. I’m thrilled to see how many guys are working towards this, as well as women, and how we are finally beginning to talk about true equality that encompasses gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnic background and faith community.

It’s still not right, but we are changing it.

Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack  by M.E. Kerr, The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, Hush by Jacqueline Woodson, Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block, Annie on My Mind  by Nancy Garden.

Who are some of your current favorite young adult authors?

These authors are amazing and their work deserves a lot more attention: Kekla Magoon, Coe Booth, Alex Sánchez, Jason Reynolds, Mitali Perkins, Nikki Grimes, Malinda Lo, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Jaime Adoff, Octavia Butler, Eric Gansworth, Jacqueline Woodson, Sumbul Ali-Karamali, Rita Williams Garcia and Meg Medina.

For my final question, I want to know how we — as adults, as readers, as advocates for young adult fiction — can help amplify the voices of females, especially teen girls like Melinda in Speak who don’t find themselves being heard?   

Seek out books that touch your heart and make sure that you are casting your reading net widely. Look for books being brought out by smaller publishers. Follow blogs that make a point of review books about all kinds of characters and by all kinds of authors. Participate in discussions like the Vida Count and [Maureen Johnson’s]  Cover Flip .

Call out the owners and decision-makers of traditional media when you see them choosing to review titles by one kind of author or featuring only one kind of narrator. Share their contact information with your friends and increase the visibility of your protest. Use New Media outlets to discuss and promote the books you are passionate about.

To remain silent is be complicit. We must all speak up and be the change we want to see.

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Book Review

• Laurie Halse Anderson
• Coming-of-Age , Drama

Readability Age Range

• Penguin Group
• 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award forCatalyst, Fever 1793andSpeak

Year Published

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine .

Plot Summary

Melinda Sordino begins the first day of high school as an outcast because of something she did over the summer. (What she did isn’t revealed until later in the story.) She makes an instant enemy of her social studies teacher when she fails to find a seat in the auditorium during freshman assembly. But at orientation, Melinda forges a tentative friendship with Heather, a transfer student from Ohio. Heather is desperate to fit in and is unaware of Melinda’s outcast status.

Only Mr. Freeman, the art teacher, is able to somewhat connect with Melinda. He challenges the students in his class to find their souls. Each student is asked to pull a slip of paper from a hollow globe. The art they create in his class must focus on that one word. Melinda draws the word trees. When she tries to put it back, Mr. Freeman scolds her, saying she must learn to embrace her destiny.

Melinda’s former best friend, Rachel, or Rachelle , as she prefers to be called now that she’s hanging out with the exchange students, ignores Melinda when she isn’t treating her poorly. At a pep rally, students pick on Melinda because she called the cops to break up a keg party over the summer. The kids in the stands pull her hair and ridicule Melinda while she tries not to think about the real reason she called the police.

Melinda names one boy IT in the hallway, at least in her mind. He is part of the nightmare that she can’t wake up from. IT is Andy Evans, the school’s “bad boy” — gorgeous, but with a dangerous reputation of sleeping around. He plays with Melinda’s hair while he flirts with the other girls at her lunch table. She excuses herself to the bathroom and vomits her lunch.

Melinda cleans out an old janitor’s closet and uses it as a refuge. She finds it more and more difficult to talk to her parents or teachers. Sometimes she longs to scream what happened to her, but her throat closes up. When Heather tells Melinda she no longer wants to be friends with her, explaining that Melinda is just too depressing, Melinda flees to her closet where she bites her wrist and cries. The next day she skips school and finds solace hiding in a hospital.

The principal calls a meeting between Melinda, her parents and the guidance counselor to discuss Melinda’s failing grades. She remains silent as the adults around her try to discover what has caused the change in her behavior. Instead of coaxing words from her, they argue about who’s to blame for the transition. Melinda is given in-school detention. Andy Evans is there. He blows in her ear. She wishes she could kill him.

When David Petrakis, her lab partner, asks Melinda to come back to his house for a pizza party after a basketball game, her façade begins to crack. She makes up an excuse why she can’t go, even though part of her wants to.

That night she relives the nightmare of the last party of the summer. Melinda drank too much and ended up wandering alone outside in the moonlight. It was then that Andy Evans raped her, leaving her bruised, scared and alone. Melinda vaguely remembers seeing a phone and calling 911 for help but being unable to speak when the dispatcher answered.

Later, Heather tries to manipulate Melinda into helping her put up the decorations for prom, but Melinda sticks up for herself and refuses. After her small victory, she decides to talk with Rachel. Her friend is dating Andy Evans and is planning to go to prom with him. Melinda confesses that Andy raped her. Rachel doesn’t believe her.

The Monday after prom, Melinda hears rumors that Rachel dumped Andy because he wouldn’t keep his hands off of her during the dance. When he tries to make up with Rachel at school, she snubs him. Empowered by Andy’s fall from popularity, Melinda decides to dismantle her secret hiding place. Andy follows her into the closet and locks the door. He is furious at her. Her stories caused Rachel to dump him. He assaults Melinda.

This time, however, Melinda is not silent. She screams and fights back to free herself from Andy’s hands. Eventually she uses a piece of a broken mirror as a knife and holds it to his throat. He is speechless, and Melinda is satisfied. She gets the closet door unlocked, and other students run for help.

Melinda turns in her last tree picture on the final day of school. It has been beaten and bruised, but there are new branches on it seeking sunlight. The entire school now knows what happened in the janitor’s closet, and Melinda has become a kind of celebrity. When Mr. Freeman offers her a box of tissues and comments that she’s been through a lot, Melinda sits down and starts to tell her story. She is finally ready to speak.

Christian Beliefs

God is used as a comparison, a simile, to represent something that is supposed to always be present.

Other Belief Systems

Melinda comments that her parents didn’t give her any religious values, saying they only worship credit cards. Melinda thinks maybe if she’d gone to Sunday school she would understand how the cheerleaders can sleep with the football team on Saturday night and come back as virgins on Monday.

In Rachel’s effort to fit in with the foreign exchange students, Rachel experiments with Islam.

Authority Roles

Melinda has little respect for any of the adults at her school — dubbing them with nicknames such as Mr. Neck, Hairwoman and Principal principal. She feels Mr. Neck is on a personal vendetta to label her as trouble; Hairwoman has no face and speaks to objects in the room rather than her students; and a student without a hall pass easily outwits Principal principal.

Melinda’s parents are self-absorbed. They don’t question her personality change until confronted with her failing grades. Her mother and father argue with each other and seem content to ignore Melinda. They impose restrictions on her after their meeting with the principal, but they never dig deeper into what has caused Melinda’s drastic decline.

In Melinda’s social studies class, Mr. Neck rants about his son not getting a job because of reverse discrimination. He opens a debate about whether America should have closed its borders to immigration in 1900. When pro-immigration students begin to take the upper hand in the debate, Mr. Neck abruptly ends the argument. David Petrakis stands up for the students’ right to have their opinions heard, whether the teacher agrees with them or not. David walks out on the class and hires a lawyer to help protect his First Amendment rights in Mr. Neck’s class. He tapes Mr. Neck’s lectures and later brings in a video camera to stop Mr. Neck from sneering at him during class. Mr. Freeman is both revered and considered weird for his “free spirit” attitude toward art and life. His classroom is considered a haven because he is nonjudgmental and challenges the educational hierarchy.

Profanity & Violence

Profanity is scattered throughout the book, including a–hole and bulls— . Several girls are called b–ch . The word crap is used, and God’s name is used in vain with thank, oh my or for the love of .

A girl jams her knee into Melinda’s back at a pep rally. Another yanks her hair. While dissecting a frog, Melinda passes out and cuts her head on the table. In her emotional turmoil, Melinda cuts her wrist with a paper clip, chews her lips until they are scabby and bleeding, bites her wrist and hits her head repeatedly against a wall.

Melinda’s memory of the actual rape, while emotionally horrifying, is not told in graphic detail. Andy’s attack in the janitor’s closet is much more violent in nature. Melinda is slammed against the wall, her hands pinned above her head. Andy hits her in the face. Later he holds one hand over her mouth and tries to choke her with the other. After Melinda breaks a mirror, she holds a shard of glass to Andy’s throat and draws a single drop of blood.

Sexual Content

At the beginning of the book, the school board doesn’t believe “the Trojan” as a mascot sends a strong enough abstinence message. Melinda is raped before the book starts. The rape is not told in graphic detail. It is described with sensory details — what the ground smelled like, how hard it was to breathe, how she tried to scream but remained silent. Andy tries to assault her a second time in the janitor’s closet.

A model with gold eyeliner is considered sexy. Melinda watches Heather at a modeling job, and the photographer keeps urging her to be sexier and to think about boys while she models a swimsuit. Melinda frets about the changes in her body when she looks at herself in a mirror.

Students giggle during a biology class on reproduction. Several students kiss on Valentine’s Day. The cheerleaders create a suggestive cheer and dance when the school mascot is changed to a hornet. Prom is referred to as the climax of the students’ mating season. Melinda overhears some girls saying that Andy will sleep with anything. Her friend Rachel is said to pant after him like a dog. When Melinda recalls the party, she tells about Andy’s first kiss, which was gentle and exciting. His second kiss was brutal, and Melinda became afraid, unable to speak while Andy raped her.

Melinda writes a note on a bathroom wall warning girls to stay away from Andy. Other girls leave their own negative comments, some of them explicit about Andy’s actions.

Discussion Topics

Get free discussion questions for this book and others, at FocusOnTheFamily.com/discuss-books .

Additional Comments

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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.

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Review: Book recalls the tumult of the teen years

'Speak' by Laurie Halse Anderson

Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $16

Review by Nancy Matson

November 29, 1999 Web posted at: 2:54 p.m. EST (1954 GMT)

National Book Award finalists meet with young readers November 16, 1999 Review: 'You're a Brave Man, Julius Zimmerman' October 19, 1999

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What's .css-1msjh1x{font-style:italic;} speak about.

“Speak up for yourself–we want to know what you have to say.” From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, outcast, because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Only her art class offers any solace, and it is through her work on an art project that she is finally able to face what really happened at that terrible party: she was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her. Her healing process has just begun when she has another violent encounter with him. But this time Melinda fights back, refuses to be silent, and thereby achieves a measure of vindication. A timeless novel about consent and finding the courage to speak up for yourself, the twentieth anniversary edition of the classic novel that has spoken to so many young adults now includes a new introduction by acclaimed writer, host, speaker, and cultural commentator Ashley C. Ford as well as an afterword by New York Times-bestselling author of All American Boys and Long Way Down, Jason Reynolds. This edition will also feature an updated Q&A, resource list, and essay and poem from Laurie Halse Anderson.Praise for Speak “In a stunning first novel, Anderson uses keen observations and vivid imagery to pull readers into the head of an isolated teenager. . . . Will leave readers touched and inspired.”–Publishers Weekly, starred review”An uncannily funny book even as it plumbs the darkness, Speak will hold readers from first word to last.”–The Horn Book, starred reviewPraise for Speak: The Graphic Novel: “[Emily Carroll] should be recognized as one of the best graphic storytellers out there.”–Kate Beaton, author of Hark! A Vagrant”What a talent. What a voice.”–Mark Siegel, author of Sailor Twain, or The Mermaid in the Hudson”Carroll knows how to capture uncomfortable emotions–guilt, regret, possessiveness, envy–and transform them into hair-raising narratives.”–New York Times Book Review Accolades for Speak New York Times BestsellerPublishers Weekly BestsellerMichael L. Printz Honor BookNational Book Award FinalistEdgar Allan Poe Award FinalistLos Angeles Times Book Prize FinalistALA Top Ten Best Book for Young AdultsALA Quick PickPublishers Weekly Best Book of the YearBooklist Top Ten First NovelBCCB Blue Ribbon BookSchool Library Journal Best Book of the Year

What Kind of Book is Speak

Primarily about, book lists that include speak.

The Creative Behind the Book

Laurie Halse Anderson is a New York Times bestselling author known for tackling tough subjects with humor and sensitivity. Her work has earned numerous ALA and state awards. Two of her books, Chains and Speak, were National Book Award finalists. Chains also received the 2009 Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction, and Laurie was chosen for the 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award. Mother of four and wife of one, Laurie lives in Pennsylvania, where she likes to watch the snow fall as she writes. You can follow her adventures on Twitter @HalseAnderson, or visit her at MadWomanintheForest.com.

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From an ELA teacher -- one of the best young adult books.

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Word choices, boring with no new messege, expressions of ptsd, speak is good for kids 10 and up very educational look into the highschool life, for mature kids over 13, very great story for older teens, not kids.

• Teen & Young Adult
• Literature & Fiction

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Speak Paperback – May 10, 2011

Purchase options and add-ons.

• Print length 224 pages
• Language English
• Grade level 7 - 9
• Lexile measure 690L
• Dimensions 5.54 x 0.59 x 8.25 inches
• Publication date May 10, 2011
• ISBN-10 0312674392
• ISBN-13 978-0312674397
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About the author, excerpt. © reprinted by permission. all rights reserved., product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Square Fish; Reprint edition (May 10, 2011)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0312674392
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312674397
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12+ years, from customers
• Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 690L
• Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 - 9
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.54 x 0.59 x 8.25 inches
• #3 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Being a Teen (Books)
• #3 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction on Sexual Abuse (Books)
• #4 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction on Depression & Mental Health (Books)

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About the author

Laurie halse anderson.

Laurie Halse Anderson is the New York Times-bestselling author who writes for kids of all ages. Known for tackling tough subjects with humor and sensitivity, her work has earned numerous American Library Association and state awards. Two of her books, Speak and Chains, were National Book Award finalists. Chains also earned a spot on the Carnegie Medal Short List.

Laurie received the 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award given by the Young Adult Library Services Association division of the American Library Association for her "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature."

Mother of four and wife of one, Laurie lives in Northern New York State, an hour south of the Canadian border, where she likes to watch the snow fall as she writes. Right now she's finishing up her next YA novel and researching Ashes, which will conclude the adventure of Isabel and Curzon that readers enjoyed in her historical novels Chains and Forge.

You'll find loads more information about Laurie and her books on her website: http://madwomanintheforest.com/. You can follow her adventures on Twitter, http://twitter.com/halseanderson, on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/lauriehalseanderson, and on her blog, http://madwomanintheforest.com/blog/.

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Review of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

by Laurie Halse Anderson

Spoiler alert! This review reveals significant plot details.

Reading this book was a surreal experience in a few ways. I read a lot of contemporary YA, so I’m used to feeling a lot older than the characters. Speak was originally published in 1999, when I was ten years old. So I was younger than Melinda when this book first came out, and the high school setting actually predates my own high school experience. Yet I’m older than her now, when I read it. Time is weird, y’all.

Trigger warnings include discussion of rape and at least one scene with some racism.

Speak is Melinda’s first-person journey through depression and self-loathing after she was raped at a party the summer before Grade 9. We don’t learn this right away, of course, although anyone who is paying attention will connect the dots fairly soon. Melinda’s initial coping strategy after this trauma is to withdraw and stop talking any more than is absolutely necessary. Abandoned by her former friends because they think she called the cops to the party for no reason, Melinda walks the halls of Merryweather High alone. She pretends to like it that way, but secretly she feels broken. As the story goes on and the school year progresses, Melinda struggles to figure out what she should feel, how she should act, while her parents and other authority figures try to figure out why she has changed.

My edition is set in block format, an interesting departure from what is conventional. It matches the style of the book, though, which while not epistolary certainly feels confessional. Most of the adults in this story are not named. They’re given epithets: Mr. Neck, Hairwoman, Principal Principal, etc. Even her parents are stubbornly Mom and Dad. Melissa’s narrative voice is descriptive and eloquent yet also very succinct in how she relates events. We move swiftly from scene to scene, never wanting to linger too long. At first I wasn’t a huge fan of this style. By the end of the book, I’d adapted to it, and even if it isn’t my favourite, it kind of works for how Anderson tells the story.

I’ve read several YA books that deal with the consequences of rape or attempted rape now. Speak has the distinction of being one of the earliest, chronologically speaking, in terms of both writing and setting. There’s no texting here, no social media—the backchannel is the toilet stall door of the girls’ bathroom. In many ways, it’s these absences, these differences from what we’re used to now, that jumped out at me the most while reading. It felt very anachronistic, because other than these small cultural and technological differences, this story definitely feels like it could have been set now.

Melinda is also quite young. Not only is she unsure of how to express what happened to others, she struggles even to wrap her own head around it. Anderson has Melinda call her rapist “IT” and often uses imagery like “bunny rabbit” to describe Melinda’s dynamic with him as predator–prey. Unlike someone in Grade 11 or 12, at Grade 8 going into Grade 9, Melinda has so little experience with dating, flirting, drinking, and sex, and this adds another layer of complexity to processing her trauma. When Anderson finally has us describe the scene, it’s disjointed and occasionally difficult to follow, as one might expect from reliving a traumatic memory. Yet there’s also a nervousness to the passages. As if Melinda is worried we won’t believe her, because she doesn’t know how to explain what was happening to her.

I do wish there were more resolution here. I wish we got to see the aftermath of Melinda finding her voice and speaking up. Obviously Anderson chose to end the story where she did because she wants us to focus on Melinda’s journey to that point. I respect that even if I’m left wanting a lot more. Similarly, I find myself yearning for a little more than the somewhat stereotypical tropes deployed for the parents and authority figures. While there is an appealing kind of universality to the experience Anderson carves out in this story, it also left me feeling a bit bored. Okay, so Mom and Dad aren’t the most affectionate and attentive parents ever. Why? Could we go a bit more into that? I’m reminded a bit of Sana’s relationships with her parents in It’s Not Like It’s a Secret and how Sugiura helps us understand the full extent of those dynamics.

So really … Speak has elements of power to it, and I understand why so many people have enjoyed it and praised it. This is a book about the struggle to find one’s voice following an intense trauma. Despite being 20 years old now, it is as relevant, sadly, to our rape culture today as it was when it was written: none of this would have happened if we lived in a society that educated boys to treat women with respect and privileged consent over all else. In these regards, Speak feels like it belongs in that classics category. It has staying power. Yet like many classics, that doesn’t automatically make it perfect.

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Speak: Book Review

Home » Speak: Book Review

“ Speak  is the tough, tender, and darkly funny story of a teenage outcast.”

Banned in many schools across America, Speak,  by Laurie Halse Anderson, has been at the center of a debate due to the question concerning the appropriateness of its content. Controversy has arisen regarding the novel based on its depiction of sensitive issues alleged to be unsuitable for the intended young adult audience. To some, however, this novel is a profound exploration of resilience, self-discovery, and the transformative power of finding one’s voice.

Now a novel, graphic novel, and film, Speak follows Melinda and her journey through her first year of high school. After calling the police at a party the previous summer because of a traumatic event, Melinda is an outcast to her friends and classmates. Dealing with the trauma has caused Melinda to withdraw more and more into her mind, silent to the outside world. She only expresses her voice through the art that she creates in Mr. Freeman’s class, but not even Mr. Freeman can truly understand what is going on in Melinda’s mind. Through her art, she is able to slowly gain her voice back and confront what silenced her in the first place.

What resonates with me is the authenticity of Melinda’s experience—the raw, unfiltered portrayal of her pain and isolation. As a reader, you’re not just an observer; you’re immersed in her world, feeling the weight of her silence and then the power of her eventual resurgence.

The novel’s artistic approach (particularly Melinda’s expression through her art) is another aspect that captivates me. In Mr. Freeman’s class, Melinda discovers a medium for her silenced voice—her art becomes a cathartic outlet for her pain. This creative element adds depth to the story and serves as a metaphor for the transformative power of self-expression.

Speak  is the Michael L. Printz Award winner because of the impactful narrative that Anderson uses from her personal experiences, having dealt with a similar traumatic experience herself. Anderson’s personal connection to the narrative demonstrated in her poetic memoir Shout,  adds an extra layer of empathy and sincerity to Melinda’s journey.

Speak is a compelling and emotional novel that deals with topics relevant to teens and adults, making this book an important addition to the world of literature. It shows the value of finding one’s voice and speaking up in difficult situations. Speak is a must-read for teens and adults alike, offering a touching and inspirational story that leaves a lasting impact on its readers.

—Alexis Tucker,  Inscape  Staff

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The Eagle Times

The Restricted Section: Speak

Zoe Lodge , Co-Managing-Editor | November 4, 2021

The front cover of AGHS library’s copy of Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak

Speak , a 1999 young adult novel written by Laurie Halse Anderson was named one of the “Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2020” by NPR. This book is a hat trick being  “banned, challenged, and restricted.” 

The novel tells the story of Melinda Sordino. She has lost her friends, her social status, her GPA, and her voice. Melinda has gone essentially silent to the outside world, the story told via her internal monologue and occasio nal spoken word.

The story follows Melinda all throughout her freshman year, starting with the first day of school and coming to a close with the last. At the beginning of the book, readers are blind to Melinda’s silence and the reason behind it. As the story unfolds, there are hints and clues left in the text and Melinda’s memory as to what happened that left her so afraid to use her voice, unable to engage with the supposedly life-changing prospect of beginning high school.

This story and Melinda’s experience can build empathy and connection amongst students to continue to raise a more aware and considerate generation, rather than one that protests being able to read about such important and relevant topics.

In 2010, in Republic, Missouri, an associate professor at Missouri State University “cautioned parents of the Republic School District that Speak’s rape scenes were akin to “soft pornography” and should not be used in the school’s curriculum.”

In 2013, in Sarasota, Florida, a group of parents at a local middle school “became outraged when they equated the book Speak about a 13-year-old girl being raped as “pornographic.”

The novel is hardly the “soft pornography” that some claim. The only relatively sexual content is restricted to just a few lines of a girl finally revealing and painfully reliving her trauma. 

To claim that the book is wholly about rape deflects from the core of the story and the character’s development for a novel so clearly about mental health. From the beginning, it is clear that Melinda struggles with anxiety, depression, and PTSD. It’s not something that has to be hidden by metaphors and flowery language. The main character’s grapple with the psychological damage inflicted by her rape is clear. 

For the majority of the book, Melinda embodies the more physical symptoms and signs of depression. Her grades slip beyond repair, except for the class with the one teacher who can truly see her. She’s apathetic about her school and social life. She cuts class to spend time by herself, hiding from the world. She sleeps more than anything else and spends her waking hours in bed or on the couch unless forced to be somewhere else. 

The author brilliantly explores mental health and trauma in a way that isn’t cliche or overdone, where the character spends all their time crying or acting in the way other pieces of media have told society to expect mentally ill teenagers to act. 

*Trigger warning for self-harm and suicidal thoughts next few paragraphs* 

“I open up a paper clip and scratch it across the inside of my left wrist. Pitiful. If a suicide attempt is a cry for help, then what is this? A whimper, a peep? I draw little window cracks of blood, etching line after line until it stops hurting.” 

Anderson’s depiction of suicidal thoughts and self-harm are incredibly realistic and relatable to those who have struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts as well as intertwined with the character. This is the only explicit mention and description of self-harm throughout the book, providing insight into Melinda’s many attempted coping mechanisms. The response from Melinda’s parents is deeply troubling as well. 

“Mom sees the wrist at breakfast. 

Mom: ‘I don’t have time for this, Melinda.’

Both the parental commentary and unique formatting of conversation throughout the novel, particularly in this scene, make for a more introspective read and much easier for readers to connect with the main character, even if readers haven’t experienced anything close to what Melinda goes through.

Invalidation of mental health, particularly from parents, is a timeless concept. This idea was relevant when the book was written in the nineties. The problem persists with modern teenagers and the overall exacerbated battle with depression on the back end of the pandemic. 

The format of the dialogue in this book also lends a unique storytelling and reading experience, emphasizing the fact that Melinda struggles to use and find her voice. Nearly every instance of dialogue is told in almost a script-like format, a way to showcase Melinda’s silence and the surrounding dissatisfaction. Her high school world is forcing normalcy upon her, something that she fears and rejects. 

This specific writing technique is also used to demonstrate Melinda’s character growth as the book goes on. By the end, there are no longer blank spaces where Melinda is supposed to be speaking. Instead, willing sentences fill the frames. 

It’s heartening to be able to grow with Melinda and get a taste of what it’s like to develop the kind of solidarity that young women should have with each other. The literary techniques in the creation of this book work hand-in-hand with a solemn message. This crafts an incredibly important story for students who wish to read along those lines and delve into heavier topics.

One of my only critiques of the book concerns the plot. 

There isn’t much of a plot or a storyline to follow. This is what some call a character-centric storyline, where the main focus of the book isn’t the standard story arc, with an opening, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. 

Character-centric storylines tend to follow a specific character’s journey and monologue. While most plot-centric storylines have more of a focus on the destination, character-centric storylines are about what happens in-between and with the character rather than the story as a whole.

There is nothing wrong with character-centric storytelling, specifically in coming-of-age YA novels such as Speak . A majority of popular coming-of-age stories are character-centric rather than plot-centric. 

However, with Speak , the lack of a structured storyline provides slight repetition in events and chapter style. The uniformity and little change to it all connect directly to Melinda’s mental state, the primary focus of the book. It’s a good stylistic choice and makes the most sense for the way that this story is told, but it might be disappointing for readers who come in with expectations for a book that follows a more generic outline. 

By banning a beautifully written story such as Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak , schools and parents are shutting out outlets for understanding and relating to teenage characters who struggle with the same mental health issues and traumas that one in six women forcibly experience in their lifetime.

To put it simply, this is a beautifully insightful book on the damaged teenage psyche that sends a powerful message about mental health and is enjoyable to read . A misinformed opinion shared by some adults shouldn’t affect every student’s access to quality literature.

Zoe Lodge is a senior and this is her second year at the Eagle Times! When she isn’t writing (for the Eagle Times, for school, or creatively), you can...

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Former Prime Minister Liz Truss’ Fox & Friends Book Fumble Goes Viral

T russ, who led the country for just over a month, was on the show to speak with co-host Brian Kilmeade about her new memoir. (Screengrab via X/Fox And Friends)

Former Prime Minister Liz Truss’ book launch appearance on Fox & Friends didn’t quite go to plan Tuesday after it took her three attempts to successfully hold up a copy of her new memoir.

Truss, who led the country for just over a month, was on the show to speak with co-host Brian Kilmeade about the new book when, attempting to display her book, fumbled repeatedly, flipping the book upside down before finally presenting it correctly.

The moment was fortunately captured by Stateside viewers and shared for benefit of Brits everywhere by Downing Street cat parody account Larry The Cat:

Needless to say, internet users were amused by Truss’ “on-brand” gaffe :

In February Truss visited the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland to tell right-wing Republicans and supporters of former President Donald Trump that her premiership had fallen victim to the “deep state” conspiracy. Yet her book has been met with mixed reviews in the UK as a rather contradictory call for a “deeper state” by a self-described libertarian who wants to “blame everyone else” for her eventual downfall.

The memoir, entitled Ten Years to Save the West Lessons: From The Only Conservative in the Room and released to its target US audience as Ten Years to Save the West: Leading the Revolution Against Globalism, Socialism, and the Liberal Establishment , outlines Truss’ ideas for paring back the state while complaining about the lack of provision for UK government leaders.