SPEAK, by Laurie Halse Anderson

Bibliography

Anderson, Laurie Halse.  1999.  Speak.  New York: The Penguin Group.  ISBN 014131088X

Plot Summary

Melinda begins her high school career by being cruelly ostracized from her peer group after a phone call results in police breaking up a late summer party.  But the truth behind her actions is kept secret and inflicts torment on her more than any misunderstandings with her peers.

Critical Analysis

Speak is the story of Melinda, a high school freshman in Syracuse, NY who has been plagued with challenges at school and at home following an assault which took place at a late summer party.  While the specifics of the assault are not revealed until more than halfway through the story, Anderson sets up the impact this event has had on Melinda with revealing internal narration that is honest, witty, and emotionally poignant.  Feelings of not belonging, loneliness, and bullying are all themes with which teens (and even adults) can not only relate, but also have probably experienced themselves directly or indirectly.   Readers will relate to her realistic and entertaining commentary about high school life and the various teen cliques which only adds to the distress that she has been shunned by them all.  Anderson’s characters are memorable and realistic.  Melinda is a likable and relatable young woman struggling with the same problems most teens struggle with, but she must do so in the midst of emotional chaos.  Her actions reveal her inner turmoil as well: constant lip biting and her almost uncontrolled inability to speak, especially with adults.  The only peers that do not initially shun her are her lab partner, David Petrakis, who understands what it’s like to be the odd one out, and Heather, the new girl from Ohio (though she later grows weary of Melinda’s depression and shuns her too).  Melinda suffers at the hands of adults as well; she is unfairly judged by some teachers and inadvertently neglected by her parents.  One adult stands out as a source of possible empathy and reassurance: her art teacher Mr. Freeman.  He makes no grand gestures.  He just pays attention and gives her the space for her creativity to reveal itself.  And who among us does not remember both the best and worst teachers in our past with equal passion?  

Anderson deals with a very sensitive topic, rape, with enough detail to be authentic while still remaining appropriate for the middle school reader.  The resolution between Melinda and her attacker is realistic and psychologically important.  There is no knight-on-a-white horse rescue.  What finally allows Melinda to begin to heal is the fact that she realizes that she is not alone; other girls have been victimized by the same villain.  Teens, especially those in their early teens, often feel that they are the only person suffering from whatever problem is plaguing them which breeds these feelings of disassociation from the peer group.  Her realization gives her the strength to stand up to her attacker after a second attempted assault and repair the damage inside herself.  And while Melinda’s future is left a bit up in the air, the resolution still leaves the reader feeling satisfied.  If anyone questions whether teens identify with Anderson’s first novel, one need only look to the introduction of this 10^th anniversary edition which includes a poem created from a multitude of excerpts from real letters written to the author from readers who have been significantly affected by Melinda’s story.  

Awards and Review Excerpts

2000 Printz Honor Book

1999 National Book Award Finalist

• Kirkus: “The plot is gripping and the characters are powerfully drawn, but it is its raw and unvarnished look at the dynamics of the high school experience that makes this a novel that will be hard for readers to forget.”
• Publishers Weekly: “the book's overall gritty realism and Melinda's hard-won metamorphosis will leave readers touched and inspired.”
• School Library Journal: “Melinda's pain is palpable, and readers will totally empathize with her. This is a compelling book, with sharp, crisp writing that draws readers in, engulfing them in the story.”

Connections

• Melinda’s emotional distress is, in many ways, increased because of the strained relationship she has with her parents.  Encourage parents to read this book with their teens, both boys and girls, to stimulate important discussion. 
• The topic of teenage cliques plays a significant role in this story.  Have students write about peer groups.  Do they serve a purpose?  What are their advantages and disadvantages?  What can students do to take a bit of a risk and broaden their social horizons?

Personal Reflections

One of the things I loved about this book is how natural and real Anderson made her protagonist.  Reading this from the perspective of both an adult and a mother, I wanted to literally crawl into this book and give Melinda a giant bear hug (and then summarily smack her parents around a bit too).  In my research I saw this book has been made into a movie, and I look forward to viewing it sometime soon.