Speak (Book)

Anderson, L. (1999). Speak. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

Interest Level: Ages 13 to Adult
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Subjects/Themes: Rape, Bullying, High School, Teen Girls, Emotional Problems, Friendship, Banned Books

Plot: The book follows Melinda's freshman year at high school following her being raped at a summer party.  Everyone is mad at her for calling the cops and getting people arrested for drinking.  Nobody knows what really happened because Melinda got scared and ran away rather then talk to the cops or anyone else.  During her freshman year, Melinda has almost stopped speaking altogether, no longer cares about her looks or hygeinie, and is failing most of her classes.  As she struggles with surviving everyday life, Melinda learns that her ex-best friend is dating the boy who raped her.  Melinda's concern for her friend's safety starts to overwhelm her but will she find the courage to break her silence? 

Personal Thoughts: A gritty emotional rollercoaster ride.  Melinda could be any girl from anywhere.  The inner dialouge that moves the story is wonderfully constructed and helps to highlight the inner turmoil that Melinda struggles with in the course of everyday things.  This book describes a deeply troubled girl, unfortunately misunderstood and overlooked.  This is a story about a young girl trying to cope with an extremely traumatic event all on her own.  This is a story about the importance of speaking up for justice. They made the book into a movie in 2004 starring Kristen Stewart (Twilight star).  Check out the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) for more details.

Personally I'm not a fan of realistic fiction, but I found this book impossible to put down once I started reading.  A Must Read for any female, teenager or adult.  I would suggest parents reading it before handing this book to their teen though.  A lot of hard issues are brought up during the reading that you may want to have discussions about.  Issues like safety, rape, alcohol at parties, asking for help, expressing yourself, academic, social, and emotional problems and coping skills. 

National Awards:
ALA Best Book for Young Adults
ALA Top-10 Best Book for Young Adults
ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults
Edgar Allan Poe Award finalist
IRA Young Adult Choice
Junior Library Guild Selection
Michael L. Printz Honor Book (ALA)
National Book Award Finalist
New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
New York Times Bestseller List
SCBWI Golden Kite Award
YALSA Popular Paperback for Young Adults

State Awards:
Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award runner-up
California Young Reader Medal nominee
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award nominee (Maryland)
Garden State Teen Book Award (New Jersey)
Iowa Teen Book Award nominee
Heartland Award (Kansas)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award
Maud Hart Lovelace Youth Reading Award nominee (Minnesota)
Teen Three Apples Award nominee (New York)
2005 New York Reads Together Book
Carolyn W. Field Award (Pennsylvania)
Pennsyvania Young Readers Choice Young Adult List
Rhode Island Teen Book Award nominee
South Carolina Young Adult Book Award
Volunteer State Young Adult Book Award (Tennessee)
Tayshas High School Reading List (Texas)
Evergreen Young Adult Book Award (Washington)
Sequoya Book Award (Oklahoma)
Young Reader’s Award Nominee (Nevada)

Bookseller and Media Recognition:
Booklist Editors’ Choice
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon Book
Fanfare, The Horn Book’s Honor List
Los Angeles Times Award finalist
Publishers Weekly Bestseller
Booklist Top 10 First Novels (1999)
Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year (1999)

Laurie Halse Anderson Website: Mad Woman In the Forest 

Other Books by the Author: Catalyst (2002); Chains (2008); Fever 1793 (2000); Prom (2005); Twisted (2007); Wintergirls (2009)