Speak

Anderson, L. H. (1999). Speak. NY: Penguin. Melinda Sordino is the protagonist in Speak. In the novel, freshman Melinda is raped during a senior party and calls the police but does not tell them what happened, and the police arrive and arrest some of the party goers. Starting out her freshman year, Melinda is shunned by her school peers for calling the police without giving an explanation. For this, Melinda solves this problem by slowly settling into a deep state of silent depression, distancing herself from everyone and everything. The story ends with Melinda being ultimately abused by her rapist for revealing the truth to her best friend. Afterwards, the truth spreads and Melinda is now treated as a hero by the peers who once treated her as an outcast. I think the intended audience of Speak might be for ages 12-18 years. Recommendations for follow up reading include Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, and Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks. I believe a lesson that might come from reading Speak is Melinda could be considered a “real” person because she can be relatable to students who also don’t speak their mind or are also considered outcasts. Speak meets the social developmental criteria because Melinda struggles to tell the truth of what happened on the night she was raped, and is ultimately outcasted by her friends and peers. However, in the end, she comes out a hero for speaking the truth and regaining her reputation, friendship, and place amongst her peers once again.