Speak

by Laurie Halse Anderson

Anderson, L. H. (1999). Speak. NY: Penguin

The summer before her freshman year of high school, Melinda and her friends attend a party full of older high school students.  When a good looking upperclassman takes an interest in Melinda, talking and dancing with her, she is elated.  However, things quickly take a turn for the worse when he takes her into the woods and rapes her.  Scared and confused she calls the cops leading to the party getting busted up and a lot of people really angry with Melinda who chooses not to explain why she called the police.  Alienated by her friends and most of the people at school, Melinda is forced into almost complete silence as she tries to deal with the trauma of what happened to her and her inability to express her thoughts and feelings.  With Melinda’s sudden withdrawal and drop in grades, some of her teachers believe her to be a troublemaker and her parents are left exasperated with no idea how to help her. The one thing that helps Melinda to relieve some of her stress is her art class.  Her art teacher is different, inspiring and helps Melinda to see things in a different light.  When her ex-best friend suddenly takes an interest in the boy who assaulted Melinda AKA “It” or “The Beast,” she decides that she has to speak up about what happened.  While her former friend doesn’t believe her at first, the rapist’s true nature is eventually exposed bringing a sense of relief and peace to Melinda and a reconciliation of friends.  This book opens up an opportunity for a healthy classroom discussion on rape, how it can make a victim feel, and ways to cope. Readers who enjoy this book may also enjoy Punch Like a Girl by Karen Krossing.

Interview with Laurie Halse Anderson on Speak