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Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson
Speak
by: (author)
4.11 415
The first ten lies they tell you in high school"Speak up for yourself - we want to know what you have to say." From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows that this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, outcast, because she... show more
The first ten lies they tell you in high school"Speak up for yourself - we want to know what you have to say." From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows that this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, outcast, because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Only her art class offers any solace, and it is through her work on an art project that she is finally able to face what really happened at that terrible party: she was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her. Her healing process has just begun when she has another violent encounter with him. But this time Melinda fights back, refuses to be silent, and thereby achieves a measure of vindication. In this powerful novel, an utterly believeable heroine with a bitterly ironic voice delivers a blow to the hypocritical world of high school. She speaks for many a disenfranchised teenager while demonstrating the importance of speaking up for oneself. Speak is a 1999 National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature.
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Format: paperback
ISBN: 9780312674397 (0312674392)
ASIN: 312674392
Publisher: Square Fish
Pages no: 214
Edition language: English
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Community Reviews
Hol
Hol rated it
3.5 Speak By L.H.Anderson
Speak by L.H. Anderson was a short book (143 pages), but it delivered a strong message. The protagonist, Melinda, doesn’t say much and as the novel progresses says even less. As the novel is written in deep POV we’re only privy to past details if the protagonist is thinking about them in the present...
Val's BookBlog
Val's BookBlog rated it
5.0 Speak
I did not enjoy high school. When I hear about those who had 'fun', I always wonder how they managed to avoid the angst that comes from bullying, academic pressure, or bad teachers. But some enjoy it. Maybe they had the steel to survive the bullshit. Everyone is different. Most kids were just trying...
danae
danae rated it
This is one of the books i read in high school and actually enjoyed. I think it's really well-written. Melinda has a unique voice that, in my opinion, is sullen, but not whiny. I think the mystery is really well-developed. It's mentioned every now and then that there's more to Melinda's story than w...
Lydia's Page
Lydia's Page rated it
4.0
One of my goals for 2016 is to seriously pare down my collection of books. I know, I know, it's a blasphemous thing to say on a site for book lovers. It's taken me a loooong time to feel comfortable with letting my books go, but I want to travel light for awhile. I've been rereading some old copies ...
Abandoned by Booklikes
Abandoned by Booklikes rated it
5.0 Speak
So I hands down loved this book from beginning to end. The subject matter is hard to get through though, but I thought the way the book was structured with the reveals coming was very well done. The main character is Melinda Sordino. Prior to her freshman year in high school all we know is that Meli...
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