The first ten lies they tell you in high school.
“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. … 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.
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Very sad, beautiful book. I think this book should be read in schools. Rape is a big issue in today’s society and I think this book could be used to teach people the importance of a support system for rape victims. You fall in love with Melinda and feel her pain. Five stars.
An excellent book by an excellent author. This book was so thought provoking. It made me think about my relationship with myself, my family, my friends, and the world around me. As a teen, I could relate so much with the characters in the book, it made me feel so understood.
I am not great with writing reviews but I personally loved this book.
I kept me on my toes and I could not put the book down. The character build was beautiful and the ending moved me.
This book is a gift. It creates connection, making those who have experienced trauma and/or mental states like the main character feel less alone, and it also creates conversation about the subject matter.
I hope it encourages adults to talk to their kids about sex, consent, mental health, empathy.
I hope it encourages sexually active people to …
It was beautifuly and sensitively written
This was sad to read. You figure out pretty early on that she had been raped at a party and its eating her alive. Her parents and friends are oblivious, even though she’s quiet now; eating her lip and fingers raw; and gaining wait.
I was glad to see that at the end things start to get better, but its hard to read.
‘Speak’ is not a book intended for easy reading, not at all. Although I haven’t experienced any such experience myself, I feel a high identification with Melinda, the heroine of the book. I was, and I still like her. This book is unique for several reasons: its writing style is unlike anything I have read in the past. Two, the subject is difficult …
Fuck
I loved this book, as it provides great insight into the impact of sexual assault, and the characters are realistic. I love the way LHA takes on this difficult topic with such skill and sensitivity. This is one of my goals as a YA author.
I read this book when I was in high school and to this day I can remember the struggle and just how well written and captivating this read was and is.
Powerful and realistic
Loved the way this book was written. It blew my mind. Excellent writing and such a compelling journey. Awesome.
First of all, this book is about a heavy subject matter and could be a very emotional read for some people.
I like the way the author told the story through the main characters thoughts and observations rather than through a lot of dialogue. It made perfect sense in this story. I also thought the use of purposely misspelled words in Melinda’s …
Good read for young adults or people of all ages. Really opened me to the fact we never know what others are dealing with.