Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

I’ve heard a lot about this book, so I was excited to read it. Half the people I talk to love it and the other half have a hard time with the content.

Summary:

"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 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 Laurie Halse Anderson's powerful novel, an utterly believable 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.

I liked this book overall. I loved the main character even though she has so many flaws. As a reader, I felt for her. Most of these flaws came because she was raped. She’s in pain but she doesn’t know how to say anything. She loses her voice, her willingness to speak. And then, some things start to happen that help her slowly gain it back.

The style is different than most books, reading a little like a diary. I had to adjust to it, but after a few pages, it was easy. There were also some “chapters” that did not further the plot, which makes for a slower pace.

I know that some people are concerned with the rape part when Melinda thinks about what happened. It’s descriptive enough that you, as a reader, know only the basics of what happened. It’s not graphic by any means. It puts you through the horror with Melinda, without experiencing a literary rape. I thought it was executed well.

The metaphors in Speak are beautiful. I found myself jealous of Laurie’s ability to use these metaphors to show what Melinda was feeling so perfectly.

I thought this book was a great read. You may need some chocolate to get through it.