Bibliographic Information: Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. 1999. New York, NY : Farrar Straus Giroux. ISBN 0374371520.Summary:
At an end-of-summer party before she begins high school, Melinda is raped by a popular senior. Though she doesn't report it, a call to the police breaks up the party and makes her a pariah at school. With the help of an empathetic teacher, she comes to grips with what happened to her and regains her inner strength.
Critical Analysis:
Melinda's story is very believable, almost painfully so. It is easy - especially as an adult who has been through high school and come out on the other side - to relate to the pain she feels as she loses the companionship of all those she once considered her friends and becomes an outcast, accepted by no social group. One can almost feel the claustrophobia of being back in high school, judged by classmates for doing something they don't even understand. This feeling of not belonging is a universal one with which most readers are likely to empathize.
It is easy to relate to Melinda, even never having suffered an assault as she did. As we are privy to her internal pain and the emotional growth she experiences, we as readers root for her to be vindicated and become popular. In the novel's final pages as she tells her former friend and classmates about the rape and sees an outpouring from other girls about their own experiences with her attacker, she begins to become more confident and assertive. When he attempts to assault her a second time, she fights him off and is finally able to talk about what happened. The novel, thus, ends on a positive, hopeful note. It's not a neat and tidy ending, all happy and tied up in a bow. It's left open for readers to decide what eventually happens with Melinda but we know that Andy no longer has any power or control over here because the truth is out and she's talking and working through it. We can be confident that she is going to be alright.
The story really keeps readers turning the page, wanting to know what's going to happen next. It's a realistic story with believable dialogue. Readers can actually imagine themselves in a modern-day high school in the midst of these conversations and interactions. The characters don't always behave as we may want them to but they do behave in ways we can belive teenagers would. The author does not moralize in Speak. There is no indication that Melinda is to blame for being at such a party to begin with. Readers are shown that she is just an average freshman kid, at the party with many others like herself, who was attacked by Andy for no reason other than he wanted to do so and thought she was weak prey. By story's end, we all know she was not.
Book Review Excerpts:
"In her YA fiction debut, Anderson perfectly captures the harsh conformity of high-school cliques and one teen's struggle to find acceptance from her peers. Melinda's sarcastic wit, honesty, and courage make her a memorable character whose ultimate triumph will inspire and empower readers." (Reviewed September 15, 1999) - Debbie Carton.
"Anderson expresses the emotions and the struggles of teenagers perfectly. 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." -Dina Sherman, Brooklyn Children's Museum, NY. Copyright 1999 - Cahners Business Information.
"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." - Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 1999.
Awards:
Connections/Further Activities:
Have students discuss a time when either they or a classmate seemed to be an outcast. Discuss how that person was treated by the group and why such ostracizing behavior is akin to -if not outright- bullying.
Lead a further discussion on bullying and all the recent anti-bullying efforts. Have students discuss something they or other classmates have done to fight bullying in their school or social groups.
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