Anderson, Laurie Halse. (2001). Speak. New York: Puffin Books, 208 pp.

Grade Range: 10-12

Genre: contemporary fiction

Summary and Critique

Melinda Sordino begins her ninth grade year as the total outcast of the school because Melinda called 911 at the end-of-the summer party, resulting in the police arriving to break up the bash. As the novel continues, the reader is given more hints about that night when Melinda refers to a senior jock, Andy Evans, as IT. Melinda is not quite ready to recall the night in which she had too much to drink. That was the night IT raped her in the woods while everyone at the party, including the police, remained clueless about the attack. This state of isolation for Melinda continues at home, where her parents are so engrossed in work and life, they hardly seem to notice the signs of depression expressed by their daughter, who is refusing to speak, biting her lips until they bleed and scab over, and cutting school regularly. All the while, Melinda's grades are plummeting and her reputation as "weird" is growing. It is only in art class where she feels she can truly express herself through her art. When Andy attempts to attach her again, Melinda fights back and is able to overpower her attacker, whose true side is finally revealed to the rest of the school.

Speak is powerful. Anderson's use of symbolism is brilliant and fills the pages with many ideas for the reader. The protagonist is fourteen years of age, which suggests that the novel is appropriate for anyone aged 12 and up. Although it is written for a young adult audience, adults should also find this novel unforgettable for its honest portrayal of life in an American high school. Every individual has had to face the reality of cliques. Unfortunately, many adult women can also relate to issues associated with teen rape and violence. It reminds both the young and the not so young that in order to live, everyone needs to have a voice and speak.

Awards

2000 Printz Honor Book

1999 National Book Award Finalist

Edgar Allan Poe Award Finalist

Winner of the Golden Kite Award

ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults

ALA Quick Pick

Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year

Booklist Top Ten First Novel of 1999

BCCB Blue Ribbon Book

SLJ Best Book of the Year

Horn Book Fanfare Title

Themes/Topics

Friends and Enemies

The Individual vs. Society

Love, Sex, and Romance

Challenges and Triumphs

Families

Author Information

Laurie Halse Anderson grew up in Syracuse, New York, which is the setting for Speak. She has also written three picture books: No Time for Mother's Day, Turkey Pox, and Ndito Runs. Her historical novel, Fever 1793, was chosen as the 2001 Teacher's Choice by the International Reading Association, the Best Book for YA by the American Library Association, and the New York Public Library's 100 Best Books of Fall 2000.

For more information on Laurie Halse Anderson:

http://www.writerlady.com/ Anderson's official home page. Contains biographical and bibliographical information.

http://www.teenreads.com/authors/au-anderson-laurie.asp Biographical information on Anderson and an interview with Anderson.

Media Connections

Movies

Shame (1987) A female attorney befriends a single father and his daughter and is determined to help the daughter find her voice after being date raped.

Mermaids (1990) A few clips from this feature film starring Cher, Winona Ryder, and Christina Ricci, can be used to demonstrate the struggles between mothers and daughters.

Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) There is a clip from this movie that depicts a female teenager who has been"silenced" by her brother, who tires of her talking too much. Her mouth is completely missing as if it were never there; her eyes, ears, and nose are anatomically correct; however, there is simply skin and chin were there should be a mouth. The disturbing image of the young girl is riveting and will leave the viewers with a startling view of one who cannot speak.

The Breakfast Club (1985) Five very different Teens learn about relationships, friendship, love, and cliques while serving detention together.

Girl, Interrupted (1999) Film adaptation of Susanna Kaysen's autobiographical novel exploring her time spent in a psychiatric hospital.

My Family/Mi Familia (1995) – Explores the struggles and triumphs of three generations of a Mexican-American family, beginning with one man's emigration from Mexico to Los Angeles in the 1930s and concluding with his descendants in the 1990s.

School Ties (1992) Students at a prep school with a WASP student body harass a new student and star football player after learning he is Jewish.

The Wave (1981) Film adaptation of the book, based on a true story, of history teacher Burt Ross's experiment called the Wave, where he attempts to demonstrate for his students the negative consequences of peer pressure and the relevance of fascism in their lives.

Television

Square Pegs (1982) This is the story about adolescents trying to fit in a high school where everyone already belongs to a clique. Students will be able to relate to the two female protagonists and the struggle to make their"square pegs" fit.

Beverly Hills 90210 The early episodes from 1990 to 1994 portray the life of Teens in high school. While these characters attend an upper class school, common teen issues are still addressed such as drinking, drugs, sex, parents, cliques, friendships, etc. Small portions of these particular episodes may be used, but the teacher must be selective.

Dawson's Creek This series portrays teenage characters who are struggling with decisions concerning life.

Music

"I Hope You Dance." Performed by Lee Ann Womack. Written by Mark D. Sanders and Tia Sillers. From I Hope You Dance. MCA Music Publishing, 2000. It has a powerful message about learning to have a voice, with the metaphor of dancing.

Online Resources

http://www.writerlady.com Laurie Halse Anderson's personal web page is complete with information about Speak as well as her other books and favorite links. This website also includes a lesson plan for the novel, complements of Grant T. Smith, Ph.D., Viterbo University, LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

http://www.wgby.org/edu/flirt/fhmain.html A website developed from the book, Flirting or Hurting? A Teacher's Guide to Student to Student Sexual Harassment in School by Nan Stein and Lisa Sjostrom. The website contains a survey for Teens , parents, and teachers to take concerning sexual harassment in schools.

http://www.1-teenage-suicide.com A guide for parents written by the parents of a teenager who committed suicide. It lists the signs that parents and teachers should look for in Teens who show symptoms of depression. It also contains a comprehensive list of places to go for help.

http://teenadvice.about.com/?once=true& A magazine type Web site that includes articles about teen issues such as dating, depression, drugs, alcohol, sex, etc.

http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu This website is maintained by students at Columbia. It offers a Question & Answer format where Teens can ask any and every type of question without embarrassment.

Related Texts

Pipher, Ph.D. Mary. (1994). Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls. New York: Ballantine Books, 293pp. Dr. Pipher, a clinical psychologist, gives a case study of Teens she has counseled throughout her career. It is a helpful insight for Teens , parents, and teachers.

Shandler, Sara. (1999). Ophelia Speaks: Adolescent Girls write about their Search for Self. New York: Harper Perennial, 285pp. This is a semi-sequel to Reviving Ophelia, which Shandler read as a high school student. She compiled and edited letters from teenage girls who have actually lived through the issues addressed in Dr. Pipher's b4teens_book. In this book, Shandler's goal was to actually give Ophelia a"voice."

Pollack, William S. (1999). Real Boys: Rescuing our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood. Owl Books, 447 pp. This is the young teen boys'complimentary book to Mary Pipher's Reviving Ophelia, which is for girls. Just as there are girls who struggle to fit in, there are many identity issues for young boys as well.

Angelou, Maya. (1969). I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. New York: Bantam Books, 290 pp. This is the first of an autobiographical series written by Angelou. It is a testimony of her journey in life as a child through adulthood. In Speak, Melinda finds a friend in Angelou when reading this book; therefore, it is definitely worth an examination.

Neufeld, John. (1999). Boys Lie. New York: DK Publishing, 225pp. This is another YA novel about a fourteen-year old girl who is groped by a group of boys, prompting her to move to another state. However, instead of a new beginning, she is again tormented by more boys. It follows her journey of discovering more about the world and its inhabitants.

Marsden, John. (1995). So Much To Tell You. Boston: Joy Street Books, 119pp. This additional YA novel follows the transformation of Marina, who has been physically scarred by her father and sent away to a boarding school by her mother. In this story, Marina finds her voice.

Teaching Ideas

(1) "Importance of Clothing" This is an examination of an issue that is very important to many high school students. It can define a person, make a person, and even ruin a person: clothing.

1. Ask students to share an experience that reveals the importance of a specific article of clothing in their lives (orally in small groups).

2. Assign several short stories in which clothes have significant meaning. Students are to record in a journal their thoughts about the following question: Why is clothing so important to teenagers?

3. Students are to spend a class period writing a character sketch. Ideas can come from the short stories read earlier during the week. Volunteers may share with the class.

4. Students are to spend the next class period writing a dialogue between either a few teenagers or between a teenager and a parent explaining why they"must have" a certain piece of clothing. Volunteers may share with the class.

5. Students should cut pictures from popular magazines such as Time and Seventeen. The pictures should be glued to index cards with a paragraph about the person based totally on appearance.

The assignment provokes a lively follow-up discussion since students discover how our attitudes toward people are influenced by their dress and physical appearance.

[Summarized/adapted from "The Clothesline" by Groski, L.D. and Shirley S. Stevens. Ruth Cline, Editor in The Best of Notes Plus: Practical Classroom Activities for Junior and Senior High School Students. Urbana, Illinois: National Council of Teachers of English, 1989.]

(2) "Every Student Is a Star"

1. Students will create a fictional future star based on themselves.

2. They are to write about the star each week

a. Week 1: Appearance

b. Week 2: Setting

c. Week 3: Interview with the Star asking the following questions:

i. What is the most important issue of the new century and why?

ii. What message do you try to convey through your work and personality?

iii. Who has most influenced you?

iv. The last question is left up to the student.

d. Week 4: What does the star do during his/her free time? How does he/she treat the fans?

e. Week 5: Write 5 critics'appraisals of their star.

The stars can have any type of talent: dance, soccer, future talk show host, mathematician whiz, etc. All students have the opportunity to share their unique talents with their classmates. It gives the 8^th graders a positive sending off to high school despite fears and insecurities; it reminds them they are special. In addition, the assignment requires writing and performing at the end of the year, when the students are completely comfortable with one another.

This activity will give students a stronger sense of self, both in the now and in whom they may become.

[Summarized/adapted from "Star of the 21^st Century" by Ronna Edelstein in Classroom Notes Plus: A Quarterly of Teaching Ideas. April, 2000.]

(3)"Observations" The students should keep a journal of examples of what they perceive to be"sexual harassment" throughout the week at school, work, the gym, cafeteria, and in the halls. They are to keep a record of who commits the harassment (gender, age, etc.) and the type of harassment (verbal, written, gestures, physical, etc.). Students should be able to explain why the act was considered harassment rather than"flirting." The students'findings should be discussed along with the question, Is this book, Speak,"authentic?" If so, what makes it authentic?

[Summarized/adapted from "Daily Observation and Journal Assignment" by Grant T. Smith, PhD, of Viterbo University, LaCrosse, Wisconsin.]

(Review written by Robin Robinson Kapavik and edited by Jennifer E. Moore)