Speak: (National Book Award Finalist)

There are some books that have gained some notoriety, and yet somehow, curiously, have passed you by. I first encountered Speak through the movie, which was very well done. I made a note to read the book sometime, but only encountered it again recently. I picked up the book and immediately fell into the story, reading the entire book in one fell swoop.

If someone had told me that a book which is, at its core, about a depressed teenager who was raped, could be funny, I would have been skeptical. But here, Laurie Halse Anderson pulls it off. The book starts with Melinda, a freshman who is entering her first year at high school ostracized from her previous friends. We find out that Melinda had attended a party earlier with her friend, but the party was broken up after Melinda called the police. Carefully, Anderson doles out hints: "IT" is referred to, Melinda wishes her friends knew what "really happened", and it is clear that there is something traumatic hiding in Melinda's past.

However, Melinda's snarky commentary on the events of the novel, from the school struggling to rename their mascot to the cliques in the school, balance out the story so that the tragic backstory is never so overwhelming as to slip into maudlin. It also makes it very easy to root for Melinda as she stands up to a "friend" who uses her and dumps her, or ultimately, to her own greatest fear.

This book is not shy. It has a painful ring of truth to it. Melinda is not a broken bird who recovers fully in Act III; she is a wounded young girl who is making her way through a trauma as best she can. What the book, I think, does better is that it shows Melinda's spark. She is funny, and smart, and quick-witted. She has a dry sense of humor. None of that went away because she was raped; it just becomes part of her inner world rather than her outer.

Well worth a read, and I'm sorry it passed me by for so long. Speak is a genuinely moving, authentic story that is worthy of every ounce of praise it has earned.

I read this book a few years ago, but didn't enjoy it much, and therefore couldn't understand the hype around it. With this re-read, everything clicked. The book is amazing. Melinda is a high school freshman narrating the hell of her first year after everyone thought she called the cops at a party with underage drinking during the previous summer. No one knows the real reason she called the police, and she's not speaking. The tone is darkly humorous and poetic at times, though always straight to the point with no fluff.

The premise: Melinda Sordino has started high school off on the wrong foot. Her former friends refuse to speak to her, and people who don't even know her are giving her the evil eye. She can't explain why she busted up that party over the summer by calling the cops. Not to her former friends, not to her teachers, not to her parents, and really, not even to herself. If she does, that means she has to accept the truth, and by doing that, everything she knows will fall apart. So she retreats deeper and deeper and deeper into herself, and she won't stop until someone or something thing forces her to speak.My RatingMust Have: At any rate, the book is solid and important. Like anything that should be considered literature, I think it transcends labels like "good" or "bad." It's just a book that teens should definitely read (no doubt, Melinda's experience of high school is relative, though I question if current teens, who have their cell phones on them 24/7, can truly appreciate the limitations of teens back in the late nineties, when this book was written), and for that matter, their parents should read it with them. The point isn't to judge Melinda's behavior, but to try and empathize with her. If you don't already know her secret when you start reading, start asking yourself what could happen that could make someone feel that the way Melinda does. If you do know her secret, really pay attention. I feel this book really speaks to the truth of Melinda's situation on so many levels, and it's important to empathize with her, to understand why people like her act the way they do. Bottom line, it's just an important book, one that makes me consider what it means to be a parent (whenever that day comes) and one that reminds me of how completely desperate and scary it is to be a teen, even if you don't have something like Melinda's secret weighing you down.Review style: this is a book that I can't discuss without referring to spoilers, and for better or for worse, I knew those spoilers before I ever picked up the book, so it influenced my reading. This review will be of the original, regular sort in which anything behind the cut is ripe for spoilers, so if you don't want to be spoiled, this entry is all you need. The full review, with spoilers, is in my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome. REVIEW: Laurie Halse Anderson's SPEAKHappy Reading!

In Laurie Halse Anderson’s first novel, Speak, narrator Melinda Sordino is entering high school, an event replete with enough unknowns that even the most confident teen will have plenty of reason to feel anxious. Unfortunately, Melinda’s situation is made infinitely more excruciating because an incident that took place at a party to mark the end of summer has caused her peers to ostracize her and former friends to shun her. Anderson withholds details until past the midpoint of the novel, but we know from near the beginning that Melinda put an abrupt end to everyone’s fun that night by calling the police. She hasn’t told anyone what happened, but the incident has left her emotionally adrift and sufficiently traumatized that she has shut herself off from those closest to her. Once school begins it becomes clear that she has accepted her status as an outcast as an inevitable outcome of her actions—she avoids making eye contact and sits alone in the cafeteria—and it’s not long before she’s cutting classes and neglecting assignments. At home, she avoids her distracted parents, and it’s only when tanking grades and a spotty record of attendance bring her delinquency to their notice that they sit her down and read the riot act. Her only sanctuary is art class, where a sympathetic teacher allows her to work at her own pace and express herself as she sees fit, and it is here that she eventually re-discovers her voice and the strength to break out of her shell. Anderson uses Melinda’s fresh and authentic first-person narration to draw the reader into the story of a teenage girl with nowhere to turn. Melinda’s wry observations about the cruelty of childhood and the pain that teens inflict on one another, gleefully and without thinking, are presented impassively, without judgment, and are all the more wrenching and effective for it. Melinda Sordino is a remarkable creation and Speak is a novel that you will not soon forget. A finalist for the 1999 National Book Award.

This was a very good book with a very important message. I loved it and found myself unable to put it down. If you haven't read it yet, I recommend picking it up.

Melinda has been ostrasized by her peers because she called the cops at a summer party, but no one knows the horrible secret she is hiding. "It" has devastated her life and she feels there is no one to talk to so she keeps silent about it until "It" rears its ugly head again and she needs to save her former best friend from undergoing the same fate Melinda did.A truly memorable novel that reaches into a young teenagers anguish which reaches into your soul.An excellent must read for young teenagers and parents alike.

*SPOILERS*
If we had read this when we were in High School, I think we'd have been more likely to call out some of the date rapes that happened back then, rather than just let the ugliness slide under the surface. I hope reading it allows somebody to see themselves or their friend and get help.
Of course, the vengeance provided here at the end gives me a vicarious thrill... I'll never be able to avenge things that happened to my peer group, but I can at least dream.

I read the original book in high school and when I saw there was a graphic novel I wanted to check it out because nostalgia, but then I saw it was illustrated by Emily Carroll and I HAD to check it out 'cause I'm a huge fan of her original work. I related to this book in high school but I relate a lot more now. The only differences between the main character and I are our parents, grades in school, and the way IT happened. Neither of those mattering over everything else. Even if you don't relate you should read it. This and Speechless by Hannah Harrington are books I feel should be required or at least strongly recommended to all high schoolers.

I wouldn't normally give a five star review to a book I didin't enjoy. Speak is an exceptional book; well written - emotional. The reader will feel Melinda's pain. And that's not easy or comfortable.It is the story of a girl who was raped during the summer before she begins high school. It is a sad and depressing book, filled with pain. But these things are real. I have been lucky in my life (so far at least) not to have experienced anything even remotely as traumatic as what Melinda experienced. Hopefully I never will. Hopefully my children never will.I generally read for fun and relaxation, and this book was not fun or relaxing. It was powerful, and worthwhile.

I must be up front and admit that I only read this book because I saw that there was a graphic novel adaptation that intrigued me, and I feel odd not being familiar with the original before experiencing an adaptation. I had only a vague awareness of this author and the book before seeing the graphic novel on the shelves at my local library.

This is a pretty good book, though I must admit that around the halfway mark I grew a bit weary of the angsty tone, especially when I predicted to myself at that point that the author probably wasn't going to change things up much until the final ten pages.

And frankly, the ending bugs me. It's okay, but it seems a cheat to spend this whole book waiting for this girl to find her voice and speak up, and instead of it organically growing out of finally successfully processing all the emotional turmoil she is experiencing and moving forward on her volition, she is instead given a do-over as her rapist attacks her again. Again, the existing ending makes sense and is earned, but I feel the character was on the verge of making a breakthrough of her own, and it was stolen from her and me.

I first read this book at the age of perhaps 11 or 12, and really didn't understand what all the fuss was about. Why? Well, I'd only been at secondary school for about ten minutes, had no knowledge of sexual violence, and thus didn't really appreciate the level of 'reading between the lines' that is required in order to catapult this book up to greatness.This time around I absolutely loved it! On the surface it is the story of Melinda Sordino, a thirteen year-old girl starting high school for the first time. Unfortunately, Melinda has recently alienated her entire group of best friends - amongst others - by calling the police from a party over the summer. What her ex-friends don't know is why she called the police: she was raped at the party by the hottest boy in school. Which brings us to what's going on under the surface - because this isn't just some flighty Mean Girls novel about an unpopular girl in high school. It's really about a young woman slowly healing after a terrible experience, finding her voice, discovering her own strength, and finally being able to speak out about what happened to her. And what a beautifully evoked journey it is...Not only is the writing deceptively simple and frequently gorgeous, but what really surprised me was how much humour runs through this book! I didn't remember that at all from my first reading, so I was delighted to discover that Anderson has a marvellous knack of combining sparkling wit with troubling themes to offer a reading experience that has it all - it's funny but truthful, sarcastic but airy, tongue-in-cheek but very moving.One thing I absolutely loved was the idea of art as therapy. Early in the book, Melinda's unconventional and completely awesome art teacher allocates each student an object that will form the basis of their work that year, across as many media and styles as they care to try. Melinda's object is 'tree'. Not only does this offer a metaphor for Melinda's personal growth, strength and return to life as the novel goes on, but her artistic efforts, and Mr Freeman's enthusiastic mentoring, become the means for her to learn self-expression and explore her feelings in new ways. She keeps her work in a deserted janitor's closet (like a mini staffroom), which she cleans, personalises and adapts into her own little sanctuary.I think these elements of the novel particularly struck a chord with me because I, albeit for different reasons, found similar refuge within my school environment as a teenager. Like Mr Freeman's art room, ours was light, bustling, relaxed, and always open to students during breaks and lunchtimes. I'd tag along with friends who were taking art and spend time doing homework, eating lunch, singing along to the radio, and ogling my crush, a shy boy from the year above who was also a proficient artist and could usually be found hiding away in the art room with his best friend. My 'janitor's closet' was an upstairs classroom, my Mr Freeman a history teacher who would quietly unlock the door for me and unceremoniously throw out any rowdier groups who dared to invade by pretending I was in detention! Like Melinda, I found that having somewhere peaceful to go made school more bearable.In conclusion, this is a truly fantastic novel. Despite being published fifteen years ago (so around the time I first read it, rather scarily), it still has a wonderful blend of humour and truth, a school setting that is still relatable now, and a strong and inspiring message about sexual violence, self-expression, and having the confidence to speak UP and speak OUT against people who have hurt us and experiences no one should have to endure alone. This is definitely a story that will stick with me this time around - I may even buy my own copy to keep - and I can't wait to read Wintergirls, which is already installed on my TBR shelves!

This novel focuses around a girl named Melinda who characterizes herself as 'outcast'. She has started high school without her original friend group because of an incidence that happened at a party over the summer. Melinda was being assaulted (raped) by a boy she names as 'IT' for coping purposes, and called the cops. No one knows what happened to her, but everyone blames her for breaking up the party. Throughout her year, a girl named Heather befriends her and she tries to act normal. Melinda enjoys her art class (in which she receives an A) and finds refuge in an old abandoned janitor's closet which she hides out in during the day. She had stolen late passes and uses them for her time in the closet. At the end of the novel she comes face to face with IT, who tries to hurt her again. After telling her family, she opens up and begins to find things to enjoy life again. A weight has been lifted. One way this novel could be taught is to address the topic of bullying. Melinda is constantly bullied by the students of her high school just because she called the cops during a very bad situation. You could have the students write Melinda a letter and tell her why they thought she did the right thing. Ask the students to put themselves in her shoes. If they were being hurt like Melinda was, what would they do? Another teaching method is to have the students keep a journal for a two week time period. Have them describe instances that happen in their school (such as bullying, outcasts, etc.) and write about them. What can they do to make the school a better place? At the end of the two weeks have the students relate their journal entries to the novel and Melinda's experiences. I have really enjoyed this book. I have read it more than once, and happen to own it. I really like the raw content the main character provides and her viewpoints. This book gives major insight into the struggle of being an outcast in high school. It forces the reader to understand the emotion of a victim, especially a victim of rape. This can inform adolescent readers that not everyone has a 'perfect' life and there are real struggles in high school that need to be addressed. I highly recommend it. It was hard to put down. I also felt myself sympathizing with Melinda and wondering what I would do in her position.

it did not affect me as much as i thought it would and i just didn't love it.

This is the third time I've read this book and every time I read it I like it better. The first time I read it was when I was working at the book store and noticed it was on reading lists. The second time I read it was for the kids/young adult month of my church book club. What I forget each time is how amazingly funny this book is and how insightful Melinda's comments on the high school experience are. Neither are necessarily things I would expect from a book about rape and recovery.

Very intense story about a young girl who enters high school as a complete loser and outcast because of a misunderstanding that she cannot talk about. Although a bit stereotyped, very poignant story for most high school students.

I didn't think I'd be so gripped by this book but the author captures the pains and troubles of everyday high school life with such honesty and emotion that I couldn't help recognise half the characters from my own high school days. There's Rachel, the ex best friend who's had a personality transplant over the summer... Heather, the temporary friend who's only waiting to be snapped up my a cooler clique... and, of course, the protagonist who doesn't quite fit in anywhere.

The beauty of this novel is that it could have survived alone without the much more sinister story behind it. But, that said, it also served as a very sad and moving voice for rape victims, particularly the vast amounts who feel at fault or scared or embarrassed by what happened. It was a quick, easy teen read but it's also the kind that plays on your mind repeatedly after finishing it.

Melinda has been ostrasized by her peers because she called the cops at a summer party, but no one knows the horrible secret she is hiding. "It" has devastated her life and she feels there is no one to talk to so she keeps silent about it until "It" rears its ugly head again and she needs to save her former best friend from undergoing the same fate Melinda did.A truly memorable novel that reaches into a young teenagers anguish which reaches into your soul.An excellent must read for young teenagers and parents alike.

For Melinda Sordino freshman year is not easy. She is a social outcast who hides in a janitorial closet she has renovated into her secret place. She has stolen hall passes from one of her teachers so that she can write herself excuses when she wants to avoid teachers and her former friends. The summer before Melinda's freshman year she attended a party where she ended up calling the police. Throughout the book Melinda refers to someone as "IT" and sees "IT" around school. She doesn't want to talk about what he did to her at that party, but she slowly comes to grasp what happened. She starts to try to skip school because of the way that IT, a boy named Andy Evans, treats her in the hallways at school. Her parents start to be concerned with her and her guidance counselor tries to get her to talk about it. Andy starts to pursue Rachel who use to be Melinda's best friend. Melinda tells Rachel what Andy did to her and it makes her feel better by getting it out there. Art class is the only class that Melinda enjoys and continues to work on her project with trees. Melinda is able to find happiness in this art project. Melinda eventually stands up for herself when Andy corners her in the janitor's closet. Through Melinda sticking up for herself several other girls come out about what Andy did to them. I would teach this book in a high school english class. I do not think any teenagers under the age of 13 should be able to read this book. I would teach this to students to help them to realize that they are not the only ones that are going through tough times. A lot of teenagers think that they are the only ones who are outcasts and have been hurt by people of the opposite sex. Teenage girls struggle with falling into guys traps and this would be a good book to teach girls and boys how to avoid these problems in their high school years. I would also teach this book to show kids that everyone comes from a different background. Melinda comes from a family who doesn't know how to communicate with each other. Her parents are never around for dinner or holidays. I believe that her lack of communication with her family affects her social skills. This books would just be a great book to teach students on the themes of outcasts, family problems, and sexual violence. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It showed me that teenagers go through so much in high school. I guess you would say that I was sheltered in high school because I never even thought that someone like Melinda probably went to my high school. I could have passed a girl that struggled with being raped and being an outcast every day of school, but never thought anything was wrong with her. I believe that it this would open students eyes like it did mine.

Summary: Melinda is starting high school at a serious disadvantage: everyone in the school - including all of her former friends - already hates her for calling the cops on an end-of-summer party. But none of them have heard Melinda's side of the story, and Melinda's not talking... because in order to stays sane, she knows she needs to stay silent, or else the terrible secret she's keeping inside since the night of the party will tear her apart.Review: I am in an uncomfortable position with this book. It is clearly an Important book on a Serious Subject, and it equally clearly resonates strongly with a great number of people. So, I feel like kind of a jerk admitting this, but: it didn't really do much for me. It was really well-written, very good at evoking Melinda's pain while still retaining a dark sense of humor. It doesn't shy away from the tough realities of high school, depression, or rape, and manages to present them in a way that's appropriate for young teens without talking down to them or making light of their problems. I wasn't being facetious when I called it an important book; it's the sort of novel that should be recommended if not required reading for high school students everywhere.But. I didn't really connect with Melinda at all. We - thank goodness - don't have much if anything in common. Her pain was vividly and realistically depicted, but it wasn't something that I identified with. Her reactions would not have been my reactions, and I consequently had a hard time getting into her shoes. So, while this is objectively a good book, and definitely should be read, it's not for everyone, and it wasn't really something that spoke to me. 3 out of 5 stars.Recommendation: Even though it wasn't my favorite, I can easily see why it won the awards that it has, and since it's so fast, I think it's worth reading for just about everyone.

Love the book. I like how the main person, does not talk. And i also, like how the book is set up, it small "chapters" that may only be a page longer.My favorite person in the book is the art teacher becaue he can get her to talk more than anyone eles and he sounds like a cool person.

I liked how despite the seriousness of the subject matter there was still humor. I liked how Melinda was able to make her way through the depression that resulted.

This novel is about a girl named Melinda. She attends a party and calls the cops because of an horrible event that happens to here. All of her so called "friends" are mad at her and she becomes an outcast. No one knows until the end of the story what really happened to Melinda at the party. I believe that this would be a good book for young adults to read. This book will help them see that if something bad happens that they should not hide it they should speak up. I also believe that this would be a good book to use because I believe it will keep their attention, because a lot of teens could relate to this book. I believe that this is a book that would help teens understand that they should always make "good choices" and they should always be prepared for situations that may come up. I honestly liked reading this book even if it would probably appeal more to teens. This novel keeps you interested and wondering why all of Melinda's schoolmates treated her so badly. You are also trying to figure out what has made her so depressed. You do not find out until the end of the novel that she was raped. This book will definitely keep the reader guessing and curious.

This was a great book to read, but I can also understand why many libraries don't have this book because it is so true to actual life, and it seems no one wants to talk about what really happens in high school -- everything is sugarcoated. This book is about Melinda who is raped at a party right before she is about to start high school. She becomes an outcast of sorts - it reminds me of a Lifetime movie - and struggles with who she is and why things happened the way they did. I think this is a great book for both parents and teens to read and discuss.I would recommend this book for my library (medium public library).

This book was listed as "required reading" for one of my ed classes. The teacher cut it, but halfway through the semester, I saw it on the syllabus, freaked, and bought it without remembering I didn't *have* to read it.I'm really glad I did, though. I love YA fiction, and even though I figured out really quickly what Melinda's secret was -- what she refused to speak -- the book held me riveted anway. It told, very eloquently, of a spiral of descent into deep depression and near-madness by an emotionally exhausted girl.Melinda Sordino was always a good student -- decent grades, decent friends, well-behaved. Then she calls the cops at an end-of-summer party right before starting high school, and she walks into the school with nearly every student already hating her. What happened to her that night is a secret, and her refusal to talk about it translates into a refusal to talk about ANYTHING. WIth the help of a dedicated art teacher, Mr. Freeman, she tries to express herself through drawing trees, her assignment for that year.The hardest part - as a teacher - was watching how little anyone really cared about what happened to her. She kind of fell through the cracks in the educational system -- not enough of a troublemaker to get real attention. But Melinda's emotional journey, her struggle in the second half to find her way, really struck me. This didn't feel like a character, she felt like a real person going through a real trauma.Mr. Freeman, as a character, also delighted me. Funny, serious, with emotional issues of his own, he was a good contrast, and an excellent choice of confidante for Melinda. I could honestly see him caring about what happened to her, even as he lived his own life.All in all, a perfect YA read. They're teaching this book in some middle and high schools now. I hope I get to teach it one day.

Q4 P3"I stand in the center aisle of the auditorium, a wounded zebra in a National Geographic special, looking for someone, anyone, to sit next to. A predator approaches: gray jock buzz cut, whistle around a neck thicker than his head. Probably a social studies teacher, hired to coach a blood sport. Mr. Neck: 'Sit.""(Page 5)

Melinda's journey to heal after a horrible event lead you rooting for her to find her voice again.

The main character is very sarcastic. Not my favorite.

I wanted to literally enter the book to help Melinda find her voice. She was making me so angry by keeping it all bottled up! And it is really mysterious - only near the end do you find out the real reason Melinda called the cops. The characters are so vivid and the story is so true to life. I also loved Melinda's witty and fast inside-her-head conversations, and on the rare occasion that she did speak, I loved what she had to say! David Petrakis also became a favourite of mine as he helped her through her troubles and tried to get to the root of her problem. Overall I think this book was really stunning and very thought provoking.

A powerful story of a young woman afraid to speak about a trauma, which effects her freshman year of highschoolBooklinks2007; NYPL 1999; Hornbook 1999Available in soundrecording

Excellent young adult fiction, dealing with some quite difficult issues.Sensitive and well written, this book deals with a horrible event in a teenager's life, and how she grows and begins to live in the real world again.Highly recommended read.