Speak
Ratings324
Average rating4
Melinda Sordino is about to start her freshman year, and something terrible has happened that Melinda can't talk to anyone about, especially since she feels as though the whole school hates her. Because of this, she becomes depressed and talks as little as possible. The only thing Melinda enjoys is her art class with Mr. Freeman, who senses a lot of Melissa's internal pain and encourages her to express herself through art. The book brings up the controversial subject matter of rape and has often been challenged.
Although it was written by an adult, Laurie does a great job of portraying the thoughts and feelings of a teenage girl. It's the typical “angst”, but no overly whiny, as other books such as Twilight often can be. I found myself connecting and sympathizing with Melinda as I watched her live through her senior year. The book is great for young girls, encouraging them to speak up when violated. Also, with a strong emphasis on art, you could encourage teens to create their own masterpiece based on their internal feelings.
⭐⭐⭐
This book is good and worth reading. I enjoyed it but it felt a little lacking. I may recommend it to a certain audience. It gave me mixed feelings, possibly with potential it didn't quite live up to. It's a good experience, not amazing, but not bad.
I wish I had read this when i was younger. this is such a powerful book and absolutely sad on the events that happen to the main character. middle school/high school is already hard enough but adding the additional bits (not going to spoil it) just doesn't help situations
Excellent book for teens... and maybe pre-teens, with the right conversation. I added this one to my list to help one of my kids get through her high school homework. I guess this one has been added to some “banned” lists. I think that's a travesty. Young people need to know that they are not alone, that it's not their fault, and that there is help out there. And the young perpetrators need to know that what they're doing is WRONG!!! NO means NO!
If you have trouble speaking to your teens about sexual assault and consent, this book might open that door for you. You read, then have them read it, and start an open dialogue.
One of my biggest fears as a mother come to life within the pages of Speak. It may be a short read, but it is not without power, emotion or depth. This one hit hard and really messed with my feelings.
Narrator is quite emotionally self aware. They just know exactly how they feel (or can communicate in unique ways that they aren't quite sure how they feel, which is equally as important). at the same time, the writing itself felt boring and childish. If you opened up a journal of a thirteen year old girl, I feel like it's be more invested in plot than some of this. Just so much of what I ate and this class was boring/we talked about science or i sat and watched this. Like I don't need a play by play of your day. That's what vlogs are for. Ultimately, I think this would've been easier to emotionally connect with when I was younger.
Also would like to add that whenever moments felt emotionally intense or raw, it was undercut by dry statements. I mean, our narrator is forced into a janitors closet with her rapist (who proceeds to grope and threaten her) and the next page we're just in art and we've passed by all the rumors and reactions to the event?
TW RAPE
Speak is a novel that means something very personal to me. The author managed to capture the pain and conflict that I felt myself as a sexual assault survivor. I saw myself in the Melinda and I saw the people I knew and grew up with in the other characters — including the man who assaulted her.
Reading this book felt therapeutic and healing to me. Melinda had so much more than just her voice taken away from her that night and watching her grow and trust herself into relearning how to use that voice to speak up for herself really allowed me the opportunity to do the same.
I truly believe this is a book that needs to be read by so many people, especially high school students so there can be conversations had about reaching out to people to see if they are in need of support and conversations had about sexual assault.
It's not your fault. Never. Your voice will be heard
Brutally honest. Rightly so.
A perfect rendition of violence against women.
Highly recommend
3.5
this book is good. at some points it just seems kinda unrealistic. some chapters will be really boring and then have an important detail almost hidden in it. I really don't understand how she got over what happened to her in A YEAR?!! that shits traumatic. for such a short book it took me a month to finish, not because of how disturbing the books content was but how boring the rest of it was.
I can add this books to my favorites. I read this in 5 hours. I couldn't put it down. This read was just mind blowing. I truly truly truly hated high school and I relate to Melinda on every single aspect. I wanted to be her friend so badly and help her out. On to the subject on things I want. I wanted to punch Andy, Rachel, and Heather at the same time. Seriously. I never hated a trio this much. Andy was a creep who needed his head bashed against the wall. Rachel was a horrible friend who didn't deserve Melinda. Heather was vapid and too self involved to even think properly.
I just can't describe the anger I felt when reading this. Why didn't I read this in high school? This is a book we should all read. But no, they are going to shove toxic Romeo and Juliet down our throats til the aliens take over. I have nothing else to say but to go read this book. It's so short but it captures the reality of trauma.
This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Speak
It's hard to speak when you're drowning.
Melinda's Summer before 9th grade was supposed to be a fun time spent with friends. But when she is invited to a senior party her life changes forever. An upper classmen takes advantage of Melinda and rapes her. Not knowing what else to do, Melinda calls 911, and the party is crashed.
She starts 9th grade as the freshman who ruined the party. Her friends shun her and it seems like the whole school hates her. She no longer feels like she fits in, alone and without anyone to talk to. Melinda wants to talk about what happened. To tell everyone the truth. She wants to make sense of the emotions running rampant in her mind, but she doesn't know how. Something bad happened, something unspeakable and she needs someone to listen to her.
It's heartbreaking to see all the people Melinda should be able to confide in, turn their backs on her. Even her parents neglect to acknowledge the drastic behavior changes in Melinda. Wrapped up in their busy lives, they only see a misbehaving child. They cannot see the pain behind it all. And the worst part, is that this happens every day.
How many times do we hear about someone being molested and raped? Countless people have been victims, and yet still society shuns them not wanting to believe the evil that is out there in the world. No one should have to feel alone and isolated like Melinda. No one should have to endure the pain this awful act brings.
This should be required reading for everyone.
Except for the slutshaming of cheerleaders in the beginning and...
I don't believe it goes as easily as this either, but - if it helps anyone to speak up, and I think it has done that, it's worth it.
It was easy read, interesting.
Raw and honest but a big predictable. I wanted this story to be a bit more fleshed out, but other than that it's solid for young adult.
Raw and honest but a big predictable. I wanted this story to be a bit more fleshed out, but other than that it's solid for young adult.
The synopsis of this book is more interesting than the book itself. Short chapters of five paragraphs with no transition between them are very annoying and seem unfinished. Although book gets kinda interesting in the final chapters, it doesn't compensate for the rest of it.
This is an actual YA book with a story to tell - it's not the cookie-cutter type of book about friends fighting over some guy or girl.
A tragic event causes Melinda to be an outcast at her high school. The event renders her mute at the most inopportune times. Melinda finds the help she needs to speak from the most unexpected thing of all: a class assignment. As she channels her energy into the project, Melinda deals with the tragedy by thinking to herself and talking herself off of the ledge. Highly recommended to parents and educators alike.
LAURIE HALSE ANDERSON/PRINTZ
Melinda's high school experience is horrific, to say the least. After she calls the police during a party over the summer, she becomes a social pariah. But nobody knows the truth, which is that she was raped at the party by an upperclassman. The story follows her through her ninth grade year's failures, and at times it seems as though nothing will ever get better. Anderson is a whiz when it comes to generating memorable and unique nomenclature (Mr. Neck, school cliques, etc), and her short, choppy writing style punctuates Melinda's pain with every sentence. What surprised me, however, is that for a book with such heavy subject matter and with so frustrating and broken a protagonist, the book is funny. Recommended for older female teens.