Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Kate

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson may be my favorite book of all time. I came across it at a pivotal point in my life, and Anderson's sarcasm and dry look at the world was just what I needed to help guide me through.

The basic premise is about a freshman girl in high school who gets raped at a party over the summer, and calls the cops. The entire grade shuns her, and she refuses to talk. Her grades drop, she loses interest in school and her family life grows even more distant. She is depressed, though she's not sure how to tell anyone, or if they will listen to her story.

Though the bare bones of this book may sound like a familiar plot, it can be assured that everyone, no matter their high school experience, will find something to identify with. The accurate, almost chillingly perfect descriptions and observations of teachers, people, and the drama that is high school-- it all makes you feel like you are reading pages out of your own life and experiences. At times, it was difficult to read for me because of the eerie similarity between Melinda and myself.

This book brought me many laughs, and a great deal of hope. To know that I am not alone with a lot of my emotions really put my mind at ease. This story can help anyone, no matter the situation, pull through a difficult ordeal. It is a book that stays with you, and leaves you thinking long after you've finished. The sympathy I have for Melinda is almost crazy-- she's not even real! When an author creates an atmosphere and a story so to-the-point, it's no wonder Speak continues to haunt and amaze me.