Review (Randi): SPEAK

Title: Speak
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Publisher: Puffin
Publication Date: January 1st, 1999
Page Count: 208
Genre: contemporary 
Audience: young adult
Source: library
Rating: 5 I'd take my time getting to know this book and would be there for it when it needs me

Goodreads Summary: 
Melinda Sordino busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops. Now her old friends won't talk to her, and people she doesn't even know hate her from a distance. The safest place to be is alone, inside her own head. But even that's not safe. Because there's something she's trying not to think about, something about the night of the party that, if she let it in, would blow her carefully constructed disguise to smithereens. And then she would have to speak the truth. This extraordinary first novel has captured the imaginations of teenagers and adults across the country.

My thoughts: First off, let me begin by saying that I can’t believe I’ve waited this long to read SPEAK. I was amazed by Melinda’s character – she feels so real. Laurie Halse Anderson has a new fan and though I feel like I’m one of the only people who hasn’t already read this work of incredible writing, I’m now going to start recommending it to EVERYONE I KNOW. This should be required reading! While I fortunately have never experienced what Melinda has, Anderson’s writing gives us a look inside the mind and soul of a girl who has been raped. So many times I ached for Melinda, knowing she was hurting and not knowing how to help (THAT’S how real she is to me – it was as though I knew in my BONES as I was reading that the Melindas of the world are out there, and I want so badly to help them through their unspeakable trauma).

Melinda’s character, written so beautifully and so broken (but not irreparably), stands in as the face of the one in five women who, in their lifetime, are raped. I don’t say “victim” because I feel that takes the power away from these women. As we see in Melinda, she has been horrifically traumatized, but with help, like her art teacher for example (who is a superb character), and her internal strength, she begins to find a way to heal. And that is beautiful. Though the book takes place over Melinda’s freshman year of high school, and though it takes her that span of time to find her voice, the voice she speaks with is, I hope, a voice for all women who have been abused. Overall, a superb yet painful read. Melinda is one of the best protagonists I’ve ever encountered.

FTC Disclaimer: All reviews are solely the opinions of Becky and/or Randi. We are not paid in any way for our reviews, and all opinions are 100% honest.