★★★★★
Review by Caroline S, Montpelier
Speak is the story of Melinda Sordino, told through the four grading periods of her freshman year of high school. She went to an end-of-the-summer party and something happened to her there, something she has not told anyone. She ended up calling the police, which caused her friends to break off their friendship with her. This event was the catalyst for Melinda's detachment from her school, her friends, and her parents. Her only friend at school was Heather, a new student who Melinda did not genuinely like but became friends with so she was not alone. Melinda starts spending more and more time alone and distancing herself from everyone. Her grades drop and she starts to skip whole school days. When she tried to speak up, everyone hated her. Melinda turned to the only available option, silence. She believed no one really cared what she had to say, so why bother? Months were spent where she barely said a thing. Art class was her biggest comfort. Throughout the book, she is working on a year-long art project that eventually guides her to recovery.
Speak resonated with me in a way that many books have not. I found myself immersed in Melinda's story, racing to the end. Laurie Halse Anderson writes with no filter and complete authenticity. The characters are realistic and raw, almost painfully so. The dialogue is written so naturally as if it had been plucked straight from a teenage conversation. Speak is not a particularly lengthy book, but it offers so much in terms of empowerment for anyone who may need it. I recommend this book to all teens, in the hopes that someone else may find their own refuge in Melinda’s story. To anyone who feels their voice does not matter, this book will encourage you to speak.
Check out our catalog at www.pamunkeylibrary.org if you are interested in checking out this book.
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