Speak
Anderson, L.
(1999). Speak. New York: Farrar
Straus Giroux.
Speak tells the
painful story of Melinda during her freshman year of high school. Melinda is
obviously dealing with a form of trauma and she is battling serious depression along
with become almost mute. Melinda’s grades are falling and she has lost all of
her friends from junior high although she has a few students who try to reach
out to her. Melinda spirals into a deeper depression as the school year
progresses, the only activity that she shows interest in is art. Slowly, as
winter fades, Melinda has moments of coming out of her shell. She spends time
outdoors and tries to keep up with her studies. Melinda continues to struggle,
but soon realizes that she may not be alone with the trauma she faced and that
the perpetrator is a repeat predator who has assaulted many girls at school.
She is forced to confront him and finally finds her voice.
Speak is a contemporary
realistic fiction novel set throughout the course of one year and is divided by
grading periods. It is told in first person with a more script like dialog.
There are occasional flashbacks that help retell the events that leave Melinda
broken. One of the themes in the novel is that “truth will set you free”. By telling
the truth this allows Melinda to face her attacker, voice her feelings and
share her story. Melinda suffers from feeling like she does not fit in to any
social group or at home and barely manages to function at school. Her parents
are so out of touch with what is happening with their daughter leaving her
feeling that she has no one to turn to for support. When Melinda finds her
voice, she first tells her story to her art teacher.
Awards:
National Book Award Finalist (1999)
Golden Kite Award (2000)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2000)
Printz Honor Book (2000)
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