Speak Review

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Anderson, Laurie Halse. 1999. Speak. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux. ISBN: 0-374-37152-0.

Speak is the story of a ninth grade girl, Melinda, who called the police and ended the hottest party of the summer. She enters school an outcast and retreats further and further into herself as the year progresses until she finds her voice in the midst of a painful confrontation.

Everyone is so busy being angry with Melinda that no one bothers to ask why she called the police. She didn't tell her parents about the party, her friends snub her, and her teachers, except her art teacher, Mr. Freeman, can't see much past their chalkboards. Readers will recognize the cliques, the teachers, the cafeteria, and the drama of high school from the opening pages, especially "the first ten lies they tell you in high school."
The novel is structured around the four marking periods at Merryweather High and much is told through Melinda's grades each term. Art proves to be the only place she finds something to care about even when the counselor becomes involved. Basketball could be the release Melinda needs since she can sink foul shots easily, "She keeps bouncing balls my way, and I keep putting them up-swish, swish, swish. Forty-two shots later, my arms wobble and I miss one." But her grades keep her from joining the team, C's have become D's and F's.
As the school year passes and the seasons change, so does Melinda. Her art class assignment to make her chosen object, a tree, "...say something, express an emotion, speak to every person who looks at it" has led to many hours of frustration, but she feels safe in the art classroom. Spring brings a new spark of fight to her and she begins to find ways to warn others about Andy Evans, the upperclassman who Melinda now fully understands raped her at the party. The months of trying to forget, of refusing to talk about him, have been painful and have led to the realization that others will be hurt also if Melinda cannot find a way to help. When Andy finds her again, she finally finds the strength and voice she needs to end the nightmare begun the past summer.
Anderson uses the first person narrative to great effect as Melinda retreats inside her head, speaking to the reader while speaking to those around her less and less as she tries to forget the trauma of the past summer. When she does find her voice, readers feel hopeful even though we know Melinda will be dealing with the rape for the rest of her life, "There is no avoiding it, no forgetting." ... "He hurt me. It wasn't my fault. And I'm not going to let it kill me."

Laurie Halse Anderson is a New York Times bestselling author. Her books have earned many awards and she was honored with the Margaret A. Edwards Award in 2009 for her "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature." Her website is available here: http://madwomanintheforest.com/.

Speak received many accolades including:
1999 National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature
Booklist Editors' Choice
Michael L. Printz Honor Book
An Edgar Allan Poe Award Finalist
A Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist
Winner of the SCBWI Golden Kite Award
An ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults
An ALA Quick Pick
Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
Booklist Top Ten First Novel
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Book
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Horn Book Fanfare Title
New York Times Bestseller
Publishers Weekly Bestseller

“In a stunning first novel, Anderson uses keen observations and vivid imagery to pull readers into the head of an isolated teenager. . . . Yet Anderson infuses the narrative with a wit that sustains the heroine through her pain and holds readers’ empathy. . . . But the book’s overall gritty realism and Melinda’s hard-won metamorphosis will leave readers touched and inspired.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“An uncannily funny book even as it plumbs the darkness, Speak will hold readers from first word to last.”—The Horn Book, Starred Review

“A frightening and sobering look at the cruelty and viciousness that pervade much of contemporary high school life, as real as today’s headlines. . . . The plot is gripping and the characters are powerfully drawn . . . a novel that will be hard for readers to forget.”—Kirkus Reviews, Pointer Review

“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.”—School Library Journal

“A story told with acute insight, acid wit, and affecting prose.”—Library Journal

“Melinda’s voice is distinct, unusual, and very real as she recounts her past and present experiences in bitterly ironic, occasionally even amusing vignettes. . . . Melinda’s sarcastic wit, honesty, and courage make her a memorable character whose ultimate triumph will inspire and empower readers.”—Booklist

Speak is realistic contemporary fiction that can lead to discussion of several topics that are difficult to broach including rape, underage drinking, bullying, and depression. The book is often challenged because of the controversial nature of the topics, but children and teens face all of these issues and more in their daily lives. The opportunity to discuss such topics in a safe environment has the possibility of changing bad situations and allowing a young person to receive help when needed. My daughter read Speak when she was in middle school and has since told me that she became more careful of her surroundings and the people around her as a result. 

Teacher's guide here: http://teachers.madwomanintheforest.com/youngadult-speak/.
Shmoop, an excellent website for educators and students, offers a guide to Speak: http://www.shmoop.com/speak-anderson/.
Macmillan has a discussion guide: http://media.us.macmillan.com/discussionguides/9780312674397DG.pdf.
A whole new group of readers may discover this wonderful book according to this article: http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2013/0802/Laurie-Halse-Anderson-s-Speak-will-be-adapted-as-a-graphic-novel.

Barnes and Noble. Editorial reviews: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/speak-laurie-halse-anderson/1100163764?ean=9780312674397. (Accessed November 29, 2013.)