Speak Review

 A powerful novel for young adults..

Book Review #17, Speak

1.       Bibliography: Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. Square Fish; 2011. ISBN: 9780312674397.

2.       Plot Summary: Melinda is a quiet high school student, currently friendless due to an incident that occurred over the summer. Even though she tries to befriend a new girl and enjoys her art class, things get so difficult for her that she becomes completely silent. As the story unravels, readers discover that Melinda was raped over the summer by a boy who still attends school with her. Melinda must decide if she will stay silent, or if she will speak up about the horrific event.

3.       Critical Analysis: This is a very powerful book. High school can be extremely vicious. There are students like Melinda, those that can go unnoticed by teachers, while at the same time getting harassed by their fellow students. Melinda is a very aware narrator. She observes things in a satisfyingly snarky way, one that will either bring older readers back to high school, or win current high school student readers over. When confronted by an aggressive, male teacher, she thinks, “It is easier not to say anything. Shut your trap, button your lip, can it. All that crap you hear on TV about communications and expressing feelings is a lie. Nobody really wants to hear what you have to say.” There isn’t a moment where someone has not felt that way before. In the beginning of the book, she keeps referring to an incident that happened over the summer, a party where something happened. Other students hint at it, recalling how she called the police, and there were consequences for some. It is the reason that no one will speak to her at school, the reason other kids are mean to her, and the reason that her former best friend, Rachel, hates her. All of the characters serve a purpose. Melinda’s parents are distant from her. Heather, the new girl, could be a friend, but she is so different than Melinda, and ends up ditching her anyhow once she realizes that Melinda isn’t cool friend material. Her teachers are distanced as well, either barely noticing her, or noticing her too much, as an outcast. Melinda gives them names- Mr. Neck and Hairwoman, which shows more about her character, how she feels distanced and detached from people and reality, and how she has a sense of humor that isn’t serving her the way it could right now. Her art teacher, Mr. Freeman, is different. He faces trouble with administration and the school board, and because of that, becomes an ally. Similarly, Melinda refers to the incident as “IT”, seeing and remembering it everywhere. The other students are kids readers will recognize from high school. There are all twelve cheerleaders, which are described as “blondest of the blondes” with their names being variations of the name Jennifer, or Santa’s reindeer. Rachel has morphed into Rachelle, a “foreign”, more interesting version of herself. She eventually tries to reconcile with Melinda. Near the end, she and Melinda exchange notes in the library, where Melinda finally reveals she was raped at the party by Andy, the boy Rachel is now dating. At first, Rachel is appalled, but then turns on Melinda, unable to believe her. Andy also known as Beast, finds Melinda in her solace spot, the janitors’ closet. He tells her, “You’re not going to scream. You didn’t scream before. You liked it.” Melinda fights back, finally saying, “I said no.” They are interrupted by the girls’ lacrosse team, who reveal the truth about Andy to the entire school. Only then does Rachel want to talk with Melinda. It is never revealed if they speak again or not. In my mind, I like to imagine that the damage is not repairable, that Melinda decides to make new friends and move away from someone who would not believe her. At the end, Mr. Freeman notices Melinda crying. He says, “You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?” The book ends with Melinda deciding to open up, finally having someone to trust, and finally able to start putting the incident into the past. A book about rape can be a hard to read book, but it’s also an important book. The book has a major theme about speaking up. Melinda almost loses the ability to physically speak because she metaphorically cannot speak up and tell the truth about the incident. It has paralyzed her. When she finally does decide to open up, the book ends. Readers don’t need to see what she is going to say, though. We’ve already read it in the book; we already know her thoughts. It is satisfying enough to know that she is able to try finally. Themes involving friendship, change, and identity come up too, with Rachel becoming Rachelle, Heather becoming a Martha, and most people in high school just being fake anyhow. Melinda goes from being an outcast to being extremely popular at the end now that people know the truth about what happened. It’s disturbing in a way, but that is how things happen sometimes. Anderson has a writing and narration style that is very much her own. She is absorbed into the characters. It would be hard for me to think of Melinda as not real, same as when I read her other book, Fever 1793. By doing this, she creates books that are compulsive to read. I can recognize her voice and also see the works as completely different. The book is mostly set in a high school, and the surrounding neighborhood that Melinda lives in. It’s very typical of any teen story, however, the subject matter is not. Since this book’s initial publication, there have been many books written for young people that tackle difficult, but realistic subject matter, such as The Hate You Give and Felix Ever After. Reading these stories are empowering for young people, as they give realistic portrayals of teens lives, showing them what their own lives could be like.

4.       Review Excerpts:

·         From Publisher’s Weekly, “The book’s overall gritty realism and Melinda’s hard-won metamorphosis will leave readers touched and inspired.”

·         From The Horn Book, “Speak will hold readers from first word to last.”

·         From School Library Journal, “This is a compelling book, with sharp, crisp writing that draws readers in, engulfing them in the story.”

5.       Connections: Use as part of a display on other young adult books that tackle tough subject matters:

·         Thomas, Angie. The Hate You Give, Balzer and Bray, 2017. ISBN: 9780062498533.

·         Kemmerer, Brigid. Call it What You Want. Bloomsbury YA, 2020. ISBN: 9781681198125.

·         Waller, Sharon Biggs. Girls on the Verge. Henry Holt and Co., 2020. ISBN: 9781250151698.

·         Albertalli, Becky. Leah on the Offbeat. Balzer and Bray, 2019. ISBN: 9780062643810.

Have teens write stories based off of their own high school experiences.

Ask teens to write an extension of the ending- what happens after Melinda decides to tell her story?

Melinda enjoys her art class. Ask students to draw or paint new cover ideas for the book.

Teach teens about organizations that can help students in situations like Melinda’s.