Speak

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Anderson, Laurie Halse. 1999. SPEAK. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0374371520

PLOT SUMMARY
Melinda is starting her freshman year in high school as an outcast. She called the cops at a party during the summer and everyone, including her former best friends, hates her. Her grades drop and she withdrawals as she keeps the secret of what really happened bottled up inside. As her freshman year draws to a close she starts dealing with what happened in order to help a friend.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Anderson’s book deals with a very tough subject in a way that teenagers can relate to. SPEAK focuses on the internal journey of Melinda as she deals with the aftermath of the events that happened at a party that summer. The tone of this book will speak to students as they read about high school from an outsiders point of view. Older students will relate to Melinda as she is teased and tormented by other students. This is something that most all students have experienced at some point in their lives.

Whether they know it or not, students will connect with Melinda as she acts out by skipping class, not doing her homework and not talking to her parents instead of dealing with her problems. This book will show students that others have gone through situations similar to theirs. “I stand in the center aisle of the auditorium, a wounded zebra in a National Geographic special, looking for someone, anyone to sit next to.” Many students have felt this way at one time or another.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Michael A. Printz Honor Book
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: " This is a compelling book, with sharp, crisp writing that draws readers in, engulfing them in the story.”
BOOKLIST “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.”

CONNECTIONS
Have students write about how they feel other students view them at school.