Staff Pick
Books are powerful. When Speak was published 20 years ago, there were very few stories like it. Holding this book, I think of copies getting passed from person to person, lending solace and understanding. As the #MeToo movement has shown, stories like this that make survivors' voices heard are still extremely relevant and important. Recommended By Christine R., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
The extraordinary, groundbreaking novel from Laurie Halse Anderson, with more than 2.5 million copies sold!
The first ten lies they tell you in high school.
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.
Speak was a 1999 National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature.
Review
"A story told with acute insight, acid wit, and affecting prose." Library Journal
Review
"Melinda's pain is palpable, and readers will totally empathize with her. This is a compelling book, with sharp, crisp writing that draws readers in, engulfing them in the story." School Library Journal
Review
"An uncannily funny book even as it plumbs the darkness, Speak will hold readers from first word to last." The Horn Book (Starred Review)
Review
"Anderson infuses the narrative with a wit that sustains the heroine through her pain and holds readers' empathy….But the book's overall gritty realism and Melinda's hard-won metamorphosis will leave readers touched and inspired." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
About the Author
Laurie Halse Anderson is a New York Times-bestselling author whose writing spans young readers, teens, and new adults. Combined, her books have sold more than 8 million copies. She has been nominated three times for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Two of her books, Speak and Chains, were National Book Award finalists, and Chains was short-listed for the prestigious Carnegie medal. Laurie was selected by the American Library Association for the 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award and has been honored for her battles for intellectual freedom by the National Coalition Against Censorship and the National Council of Teachers of English.
In addition to combating censorship, Laurie regularly Speaks about the need for diversity in publishing. She lives in Philadelphia, where she enjoys cheese steaks while she writes.