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Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Name of the book: Speak
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
Language: English
About the Author
Laurie Halse Anderson is an American
writer, known for children’s and young adult novels. She received the Margaret
A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 2010 for her
contribution to young adult literature. She was first recognized for her novel Speak,
published in 1999.
Book Summary
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
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 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withdrawn, feels like an outcast, and has troubling talking as a result of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, 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 is evident from page one.
As a reader, it is not hard to guess what
happened that night, but everyone in Melinda’s life is 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 to puzzle out the pieces of herself.
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.
As the reader, we are the only ones she
truly communicates with. But even with us, she holds back. She keeps us at arm’s
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.
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 the movie a watch.
My Ratings for this book: 4.5/5
Get your copy from Amazon – Speak
Written By - Violet Priscilla S
Edited By - Anamika Malik
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