SPEAK

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

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

2. PLOT SUMMARY

Thirteen-year old Melinda Sordino attends a high school party the summer before her freshmen year. At the party, popular Andy Evans rapes her in the woods. In shock, she calls 911, which breaks up the party and angers the other kids. Like the others, she runs home when the police are on their way and never tells her story. Once school begins, she is shunned by the student population, including her best friend Rachel, for breaking up the party. Melinda falls into a deep depression and is selectively mute throughout the story. She is befriended by a new girl, Heather, who abandons her for a more popular group. Melinda learns to trust her lab partner, David, who champions her right to speak for herself. She develops a love of art and trust of her art teacher, Mr. Freeman, who exhibits tremendous compassion toward all his students, but especially Melinda. Slowly, Melinda begins to speak and process all that has happened to her. She finally shares the events of that night with her former best friend, Rachel, after Rachel begins to date Andy Evans. The climactic scene occurs when Melinda is given a final chance to defend herself against Andy, when he again attacks her on school grounds. This attack attracts the attention of other students at school and the truth of the summer rape is finally revealed to all, turning Melinda from outcast to hero at school.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This book is a must-read for any parent of a teenage girl and for teenagers themselves. It serves as a launching point for a discussion no one wants to have, but which must occur between teens and the adults who love them.

As the reader, the most important journey Anderson takes us on is the one occurring inside Melinda. We are privy to her thoughts, while the characters in the book are not. We understand her pain, while the characters are confused by it. And we know the truth of the rape, and the character of Andy Evans, long before her family, teachers or friends: 

"Rachel Bruin, my ex-best friend. She stares at something above my left ear. Words climb up my throat. This was the girl who suffered through Brownies with me, who taught me how to swim, who understood about my parents, who didn’t make fun of my bedroom. If there is anyone in the entire galaxy I am dying to tell what really happened, it’s Rachel. My throat burns.” 

Page10

Anderson beautifully uses the parallel journey and symbolism to tell Melinda’s story. In English class, they are studying Nathaniel Hawthorne’s THE SCARLET LETTER. At the school, Melinda finds an abandoned custodial closet in which to hide. Melinda’s closet mimics the cottage of Hester Prynne, also an outcast. Also in her closet, Melinda hangs a poster of Maya Angelou. Maya begins to symbolically speak to Melinda, encouraging her to tell her story. Melinda becomes Maya Angelou’s caged bird, and Maya coaxes her, day-by-day, to sing:

"Maya taps me on the shoulder. I’m not listening. I know I know, I don’t want to hear it. I need to do something about Rachel. Something for her. Maya tells me without saying anything. I stall. Rachel will hate me. (She already hates me.) She won’t listen. (I have to try.) I grown and rip out a piece of notebook paper. I write her a not. A left-handed note, so she won’t know it’s from me. 

‘Andy Evans will use you. He is not what he pretends to be. I heard he attacked a ninth-grader. Be very, very careful. A friend. P.S. Tell Greta-Ingrid, too.’

Pages 162-163

At the climax of the story, it is important that Anderson created a final confrontation between Melinda and Andy, but this time Melinda finds her voice and screams for help. Also, there are two strong male heroes who significantly influence the ending. Both David, the lab partner, and Mr. Freeman, the art teacher, provide the emotional support Melinda needs to find her literal voice and speak up about her story. 

This is a book which stays with you. You continue to think about it. It stirs your heart. For me, after the end, I realized that although it was a male (Andy Evans) who silenced her, it was two men (David and Mr. Freeman) who helped Melinda find her voice again. Especially for teenage boys who read this title, this is significant. While the talking points for a teenage girl are explicit, since parents and adults will know what to discuss with their daughters and female students, it is the heroism of David and Mr. Freeman which provide great talking points for the teenage boy, too. Every reader understands why Andy is evil, but the subtleties of David and Mr. Freeman as heroes lend to superb discussion, as well, and give the teenage boy a deeper understanding of what it means to be a stand up guy.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

BOOKLIST: “Melinda's voice is distinct, unusual, and very real as she recounts her past and present experiences in bitterly ironic, occasionally even amusing vignettes. 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."

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “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.”

5. CONNECTIONS 

*English teachers can read with a class and discover both the connections to other literary classics, like THE SCARLET LETTER by Nathaniel Hawthorne and I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS by Maya Angelou. It can be discussed on its literary merits, but then extended to include contemporary issues, like rape, censorship and the power of school cliques.

*If both teens and parents read SPEAK, it can serve as an important discussion anchor for conversations about boundaries, rape and how to communicate during a crisis. 

*After reading speak, watch the 2004 movie. It stars Kristen Stewart, who later rose to fame as Bella in the TWILIGHT movie franchise. Teens will be more likely to want to watch the movie since Kristen Stewart portrays SPEAK’s main character, Melinda. 

*National Book Award Finalist, 1999

*ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 2000

*Printz Honor Book, 2000

*Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults, 2000