Speak

Speak

By Laurie Halse Anderson

This is the story of incoming freshman Melinda, who is starting the year off on a rocky note. Apparently, at some big party over the summer, a party filled with the most popular upper-classmen, something happened that made Melinda call the police, thus getting many of these kids in trouble and positioning her as a social pariah.

Silence is the overarching issue with this book. Something happened, something justified her calling the police, but Melinda says nothing. She nearly drowns in her own silence.

                                   

This is a story about finding the confidence to speak up and speak out. About the dangers of keeping quiet. And about how getting an idea out there, whether written or spoken, can create and allow the unexpected.

As a young-adult novel, this book tackles a lot of important issues. And while it is about finding your voice, I have to admit that I was bothered that it takes her so long to find it because she is waiting for someone to ask.

Young readers, pay attention to this important lesson:

DO NOT WAIT FOR SOMEONE TO ASK, FOR SOMEONE TO SEEK THE TRUTH… YOU HAVE TO SPEAK UP FOR YOURSELF, FOR WHAT IS RIGHT! Say it because you need to say it, not because someone else wants to hear it.

Aside from that, and the melodramatic flair that tends to happen in YA novels about high school females, this is an easy and enjoyable read.

Will it challenge your notions about youth, society, or feminist history? I seriously doubt it, but definitely a great venue to open up challenging conversations with middle and high school age kids.