Speak

Reader reviewed by jmj

·         Summarize the book and relate the author's main point, or thesis. (Somewhere early in the paper, identifies the author briefly.) [The authors point in the book was to show a story of a young girl who was raped. The author was trying to give the message that rape is bad and should not happen to anyone. He shows the story of how it can ruin someones life in one second.]

·         Describe the author's viewpoint and purpose for writing; note any aspects of the author's background that are important for understanding the book. [He wanted people to see how it could happen even when youre in high school. Also wanted people to see the emotional and physical burden that it brings up on them and that they never forget what happens. This was also done so that people know you can move on after something like this and that there is still hope out there.]

·         Note the most important evidence the author presents to support his or her thesis.  [She went to a party and was invited in the woods by a jock and he raped her. She tried calling 911 but all she did was get a party busted and more people to hate her. She becomes very depressed and stands offish and everyone can tell. She began to do things she never did, skipping school&etc. Then he tries to rape her again but she screams and someone sees and finally has a little bit of proof that he has done something.

·         Evaluate the author's use of evidence, and describe how he or she deals with counter evidence. (See pp. 18-19 for a discussion of counter evidence.) [He didnt use much evidence in the book besides the girl getting raped and Melinda screaming and her friend coming. Other than that she has no proof that he raped her or anything because she was scared to call and report it. Luckily he got what he deserved.]

·         Is the book's argument convincing? If so why, if not, why not. Cite examples from the text. [Because of how they were in the janitors closet and she was screaming no and held up the glass to his throat. To me that shows me that there was real emotion going on in the story. Also its convincing because most people dont tell anyone because they are scared of what will happen or what wont happen.]

·         Compare this book with other books or articles you have read on the same subject. [I havent read any other books about this subject other than this one. I would like to say that this book seems real and is relatable in many ways to people in these kinds of situations. Not many books grasp the concept of what really is going on, make the situation not as a big of a deal]

·         Conclude with a final evaluation of the book. You might discuss who would find this book useful and why. [I love this book and the story that it gives because it could help people out. There are many people who can benefit from this book and the first people are rape victims. Maybe they will see this has an opportunity to tell the truth and be free from the secret.]

Reader reviewed by Brandy Alexander

Summary:

Melinda Sordino is raped at a summer party prior toher freshman year of high school. She calls the police for help, and the party ends up being raided. Everyone find's out she's the one who called the police. And by her first day of high school her friends,a dn everyone else shun her. Throughout the year she struggles to keep a friend, make a friend, keep up in school, and deal with the fact that she was raped.

Opinion:

To be completely honest, I did not enjoy this book. I felt that it was typical, predictable, lousy, and unoriginal. I feel like the storylibe is over used and then fabricated, which makes it worse. Also, I felt like her writing was forceful, like she had to forcefully pull the words out one by one, and over thought it as well. This is not meant to insult Laurie Halse Andersn nor her novel, it's ust my genuine opinion. I do beleve she has the potential as a professional writer to write better than she has.

Reader reviewed by lisa_sps

Warning: This book will make you cry and laugh! Make sure you have a box of tissues and a glass of water next to you while you are reading it!

Spoller Alert

Melinda Sordino (her last name is an Italian Word that means mute or deaf ) starts her freshman year at high school the worst way possible: she has no friends and most of the school hates her because she call the cops at a party where teenagers where drinking!

While the story continues we start to get some inside of Melindas troubled familie, and past! We soon discover that Melinda was rape at the party and she never confessed it making her stop talking!

Melindas, life  is always getting more complicated: she stops talking and doesnt tell anyone one about the attack , her only friend abandoned her, her rapist  is a senior at her high school, all adults in her life (except her art teacher) are mad with her and grounded her because her marks are low,&

But though Melindas life is falling apart her sense of humor (though sometimes a little morbid) never disappears providing the reader with sarcastic comments about her high school life!

  I love this book, is amazingly strong and real and I totally understand Melindas feelings!
The writing is simple and everyone can understand the message that Laurie Halse Anderson is

passing: if something bad happened to you SPEAK UP !

10/10

 

Reader reviewed by Morgan Cap.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is a novel about Melinda Sordino, a freshman student. She is seemingly normal on the outside, but hides a dark secret that she cannot tell anyone. If I told you what exactly happened to her, it would ruin the twist ending. Her situation is relatable to lots of teens, so that's one of the reasons that I loved this book. I could empathize with Melinda's feelings at many points, which made it a fast paced read that I finished in about two days because I just couldn't put it down. From the moment she begins high school, she's strange, an outcast. The art room is the only place where she feels safe and she pours her feelings out into her artwork. Melinda is such a complicated character- it seems for me that whenever I thought I had her figured out, something would happen in the book and I would have to rethink everything again. Laurie Halse Anderson's complex storytelling style and abrupt, short chapters lend a feeling of a narrator who doesn't quite have all her priorities straight in life, and it suits Melinda's character perfectly. One of my favorite parts was when rebellious Melinda decides to cut Spanish class, and literally, the chapter is 'I didn't go to Spanish today, so conjugate this: I cut class, you cut class, he, she, it cuts class, we cut class, they cut class, you all cut class.' Speak is wry, complex, thought provoking and just plain awesome. Read it, you'll be glad you did.

Reader reviewed by Bani

This book is so touching. It can be upsetting and unsettling yet very easy and engaging to read. It really makes you feel what it is like to be alone in the world, to be abandoned by the people you call friends because of something that wasn't at all your fault. This can sound like something frustrating to read- but to watch how the character overcomes the trials ahead of her is worth the while.

Reader reviewed by Natalie

Melinda Sordino is the most hated person in her school.Ever since she called the cops on the best party of the year, Melinda has been treated as an outcast in her school , her best friends diched her the new girl , breathing down her neck to fit in , will she finally break her silence and tell what happened that horrible night? Will she finally speak?
    This book was really great. Most books have chapters this book has settings. This book is like a play. All of the characters have a part in the book. I really liked Melinda she gets to the point and doesn't spare you the deatials.
   Overtall the book was awesome, I loved it! People should read this book for a good read!

Reader reviewed by Amy

Speak is about a high school freshman named Melinda who is an outcast at her school after she calls the police while at a summer party that gets out of hand. The book is a great short read that allows the reader to enter the life of a high school student and see the daily problems that occur. 

Reader reviewed by Marina

This was the best book i've ever read in my entire life! The things that the young girl went through was just horrible. And the things the kids did to her was just very mean. The movie itself related to book 100%. I just can't believe what she went through. So many girls out there relate to that character. It was just a wonderful book overall. I love it. And it will forever be in my heart.

Reader reviewed by Katie

This book is an intense read for those of you who have not read it. It is a very powerful book and gives you a day in the life of someone who is truly suffering from a really persol experience like rape. In this book, Melinda is raped at a party and calls the police who crash the party. The following year of high school to say the least is Hell for Melinda. Shes outcasted just for ruining other peoples good time, but what they don't know is that what she had to go through. The emotions pouring from this novel are beyond intense. The is a very powerful message in this book and it caan be interpreted several ways. From Melinda's view, it's ok to get help for something like rape and don't let people tear you down further. From the people looking at her, don't always jump to conclusions about someone because you aren't always going to know just what's going on and sometimes its much worse than you may anticipate. I think this book was very well written and I definitely recommend it. The movie is also pretty good. It stars Twilight's Kristen Stewart.

Reader reviewed by Erica

This book is amazing. Laurie Halso Anderson does an amazing job illustrating the feelings and hardships the main character, Melinda, is going through. She highlights the fact that teenagers are mean, and all her characters seem so real. There's the appropriate background and depth behind them all. The story also seems to have so much meaning behind it, and get the message out to SPEAK. The book keeps you interested, and you always want more.