Review of “Speak,” by Laurie Halse Anderson
“Speak,” by Laurie Halse Anderson is about an outcast girl who has been rejected by most of the students at her school.
When Melinda Sordino breaks up a wild end of summer party by calling the police it is the right thing to do, but it causes her fellow students to view her with disdain. When the police arrived, most of the party goers ended up in big trouble with their parents for being at the party and a few people were even arrested. Melinda’s friends see her as a tattletale and they all disown her. Although Melinda tries to explain herself her former friends don’t want to listen. The truth, though, is that Melinda had a good reason to call the police, and now she is caught holding on to a troubling secret that she can’t seem to let anyone know about.
While coping with fellow students and obnoxious teachers, Melinda has only one refuge: art class. Melinda’s art teacher encourages students to express themselves by choosing one subject that they will create art about all year long. In this way they will learn to understand the full potential and scope of their subject. Melinda is assigned the subject “tree.” While working on drawing her chosen subject Melinda must also develop the strength to step forward and do what she knows is right.
“Speak” is a very interesting book. One aspect that I took note of right away is its unusual format. Unlike most other novels Laurie Halse Anderson chooses to ignore the traditional indents at the start of each paragraph. Instead the paragraphs are separated by extra space so that the text appears in solid blocks. This non-typical layout, combined with the unique voice of Melinda, give “Speak” a solid appeal that I found very admirable. “Speak” teaches teenagers that they should never be afraid to speak up for themselves. The characters and sentiments in “Speak” will appeal to teenage readers worldwide.
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