by Rozelle Javier
Note: There are spoilers.
Rating: 5/5
This is a story of a high school student named Melinda Sordino. Melinda has been ostracized by her peers for calling the cops during a party. Nobody knew why she did, and nobody asked her. It was later revealed that Andy Evans raped her outside during the party, which was why she called the police. Scared and traumatized, she wasn’t able to talk to the police. She sinked into depression, withdrew herself from her parents, and started skipping school. Her lab partner, David Petrakis, encouraged her to speak up for herself. In the end, Melinda tells her art teacher what really happened and the truth finally came out.
Speak was in many ways, a book about speaking out against violence and sexual assault. There were times when Melinda felt guilty of what happened to her, even if she was the victim in the situation. I think this mirrors our society. Most of the time, people blame the victim of rape. They say things like, “Well, she shouldn’t have worn clothes that barely covered her up.” or “She had it coming, she never was a conservative girl.” The thing is, what the victim chose to wear or chose to do doesn’t justify rape. It never does and never will. Just because a woman wears skimpy clothes does not give anyone consent to sexually abuse her.
Overall, the book was well-written. It became one of my favorite books fast. The book was also adapted into a movie (2004) starring Kristen Stewart, but I’ve yet to watch it since I just recently found that out.
This novel has received several awards and honors, including the 2000 Golden Kite Award, the 2000 ALA Best Books for Young Adults, and the 2000 Printz Honor. I also have seen a lot of readers writing to Laurie Halse Anderson and expressing their thanks to her for writing this novel. Most of them were victims of rape as well, and they said the story helped them realize the importance of speaking up.
Rating: 5/5
This is a story of a high school student named Melinda Sordino. Melinda has been ostracized by her peers for calling the cops during a party. Nobody knew why she did, and nobody asked her. It was later revealed that Andy Evans raped her outside during the party, which was why she called the police. Scared and traumatized, she wasn’t able to talk to the police. She sinked into depression, withdrew herself from her parents, and started skipping school. Her lab partner, David Petrakis, encouraged her to speak up for herself. In the end, Melinda tells her art teacher what really happened and the truth finally came out.
Speak was in many ways, a book about speaking out against violence and sexual assault. There were times when Melinda felt guilty of what happened to her, even if she was the victim in the situation. I think this mirrors our society. Most of the time, people blame the victim of rape. They say things like, “Well, she shouldn’t have worn clothes that barely covered her up.” or “She had it coming, she never was a conservative girl.” The thing is, what the victim chose to wear or chose to do doesn’t justify rape. It never does and never will. Just because a woman wears skimpy clothes does not give anyone consent to sexually abuse her.
Overall, the book was well-written. It became one of my favorite books fast. The book was also adapted into a movie (2004) starring Kristen Stewart, but I’ve yet to watch it since I just recently found that out.
This novel has received several awards and honors, including the 2000 Golden Kite Award, the 2000 ALA Best Books for Young Adults, and the 2000 Printz Honor. I also have seen a lot of readers writing to Laurie Halse Anderson and expressing their thanks to her for writing this novel. Most of them were victims of rape as well, and they said the story helped them realize the importance of speaking up.