Speak (novel)
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 Book cover of the first edition |
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| Author | Laurie Halse Anderson |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Young adult novel |
| Publisher | Farrar Straus Giroux |
| Released | October 1999 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 197 pp (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0374371520 (first edition, hardback) |
Speak is a 1999 novel by Laurie Halse Anderson about a teenager named Melinda Sordino. It was made into a film in 2004 (see Speak (film)). It was a New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
In the summer before her freshman year of high school, Melinda Sordino is raped at a party by a popular senior, Andy Evans. Melinda calls the police and they break up the party, so she does not report the rape. When those attending the party find out that it was Melinda who called the police, even her closest friends refuse to speak to her and Melinda begins her freshman year as an outcast. Melinda's art teacher, Mr. Freeman, asks his students to focus on one randomly chosen topic and make it "say something" by the end of the year. Melinda is assigned the subject "tree."
Over the course of the year, Melinda works to regain some confidence and regain her former friendships. The development of her tree artwork mirrors her gradual regrowth. When one of her former friends, Rachel, begins dating Andy Evans, Melinda works up the courage to begin telling her story, if only in fragments. At the close of the novel, Andy confronts her, but this time Melinda finds the strength to defy him. "I *SAID* NO!" she yells, and this is a major turnaround point for her, as one of the issues factoring into her silence and self-blame was that she was in shock, and couldn't say no. Victim blame is typical of rape survivors, and it is not a victim/survivor's fault.
The truth comes out about what happened at the party. Realizing the truth, the students no longer treat Melinda as an outcast but as a sort of hero instead. And finally, Melinda tells her story to her art teacher, Mr. Freeman.
Melinda reappears very briefly in another of Anderson's books, Catalyst (novel), which is about a high school senior at the same school dealing with a personal crisis. Around a third of the way into the novel, Melinda gives advice to the teen while working on an art project.
[edit] Characters
Melinda Sordino: The distressed heroine of Speak. After being raped at a party going into high school, Melinda refuses to talk, both about the incident and to anyone. Normally a smart student, her grades drop during the school year, with the exception of her art grade, which is exceptional. Even though she does not speak often to her peers, she is very observant and notices small details. Her tone in the novel is both cynical and amused. Like many rape victims, she refuses to admit that she was abused.
Andy Evans: A high school senior, Andy is an aggressive predatory teenager who attacks Melinda at a party before the novel opens. He is very confident of himself and enjoys being in control over women, shown through his relationship with Melinda's old friend, Rachel Bruin.
Rachel Bruin: An old friend of Melinda's who abandoned her after her rape (which she does not know about until far into the novel), Rachel is a popular teen at her school. She is cheerful and friendly, but wary of Melinda. She is always changing herself to fit in at school. When Melinda tries to tell her about the rape, she does not believe her because she thinks Melinda is jealous of her dating Andy. Though later on into the novel she realizes how aggressive Andy is and that Melinda was telling the truth.
Heather: A new student at the high school, Heather befriends Melinda. However, Melinda's depressive attitude and quiet state disturb Heather, who breaks off the friendship in order to be a social climber. She advises Melinda to get help. She wants to be popular, but finds it hard to fit in at her new school. Heather, though seemingly sweet, is in truth cold, obnoxious, and only nice when she needs something, she uses Melinda.
Mr. Freeman: Melinda's positive, friendly art teacher who encourages her to express herself through her art projects. He is somewhat of a rebel, often disagreeing with his fellow coworkers and the administration. Many of his students like him and enjoy his refreshing attitude towards life. Melinda confesses the rape to him at the end of the story.
Mr. Neck: Melinda's aggressive and intimidating history teacher who dislikes Melinda intensely. During a lecture he reveals inadvertently to the class that he is xenophobic, as the result of his son losing his job to an immigrant. When Melinda does a silent presentation on the women's voting movement, the suffragettes, he takes her to the principal.
David Petrakis: A friendly student in Melinda's biology and history class. He is both intelligent and politically active. After accusing Mr. Neck of being xenophobic, he launches a lawsuit on the school, earning Melinda's respect, he's her hero. It is hinted at the end of the book that David and Melinda are attracted to one another.
Ivy: A former friend in the beginning of the novel. Later, they become more friendly to each other,especially at art class. Ivy is against Andy Evans, though is not told about Melinda being raped.
Nicole: Nicole, like Ivy, is a former friend of Melinda's.
[edit] Symbolism
Anderson's novel is rich in symbolism, from the school's mascot to Melinda's art projects. At the beginning of the school year, Melinda is assigned to focus on drawing trees, symbolic of her growth as a person. Like her trees were originally, she seemed plain but was really full of life. Her rape took place surrounded by trees, representing how the trees have dual purposes in her life. The changing mascot portrays how Melinda is finding it hard to settle on her feelings and find herself.
Her classmates read The Scarlet Letter in which a young woman is cast out from her town after having sex while married to another man. Like the character, Melinda is unsure how people will respond to her rape. Melinda's role model is Maya Angelou who was also raped at a young age and refused to speak for years after the incident. The color of Melinda's clothing is also symbolic to the events in her life.
The dissection of the frog makes Melinda faint because it reminds her of how she was raped. The frog is spread open and completely helpless just as she was during the rape.
Melinda's last name, Sordino, means "mute" in Italian.
[edit] Awards and nominations
- A National Book Award Finalist
- An ALA Quick Pick
- An Edgar Allan Poe Award Finalist
- Winner of the SCBWI Golden Kite Award
- An ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults
- A BCCB Blue Ribbon Book
- A Horn Book Fanfare Title
- A 2000 Printz Honor Book
- Speak was nominated to the Siver Book Award
[edit] Censorship
Due to its controversial subject matter, Speak has often been challenged. In the Platinum Edition of Speak, released 2006, Anderson spoke out against censorship. At the end of the novel, after an interview regarding the content of the book, Anderson wrote: “But censoring books that deal with difficult, adolescent issues does not protect anybody. Quite the opposite. It leaves kids in the darkness and makes them vulnerable. Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance. Our children cannot afford to have the truth of the world withheld from them.”[citation needed]
[edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
The story was adapted for film in 2004 and stars Kristen Stewart as Melinda Sordino and was directed by Jessica Sharzer
[edit] Translations
The book has been translated into a Chinese version and sold in Taiwan, under the title of I No Longer Keep Quiet (我不再沉默), ISBN 9789578157545 [1] [2] [3]
[edit] References
- ^ Educational listing Taiwan ?. Retrieved on 2007-02-14.
- ^ Findbook Taiwan. Findbook.tw. Retrieved on 2007-02-14.
- ^ Books.com Taiwan. Books.com.tw. Retrieved on 2007-02-14.
[edit] Major source
- Anderson, Laurie Halse (October 1999). Speak, 1st ed., Farrar Straus Giroux. ISBN 0374371520.
