Speak in What's the Name of That Book???

Jun 08, 2009 karen rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mark-harmon, bossy-book-titles

bleg. greg loooooved this book and said it made him wish he had written his own angst-books in high school, but i was a teenage girl and he wasnt, and this just didnt do it for me. its not poorly written at all, i just have never liked books that were about clique-y high schools because i couldnt relate to them at all. maybe i just went to a smaller, or a nicer, high school. but i can definitely see the value of this for a teen reader, and i really liked the authors note on censorship at the end ...more

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Oct 15, 2007 Lisa Vegan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: groups-buddies, goodreads-author, young-adult, z2009, reviewed, novel, zz-5star, readbooks-female-author-or-illust, fiction

I loved this book although I do wish I hadn’t seen the movie some years ago because the “reveal” was something I knew about already, although that did not prevent me from getting emotional in many places in the story.

Melinda’s voice is wonderful. I love the perceptive and hilarious main character Melinda (and the perceptive and hilarious author) and was glad this story had so much humor throughout as it could have been overwhelmingly sad without it.

I know Melinda wasn’t letting anyone in direct ...more

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Mar 03, 2010 Philip rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, phys-plant

Going into this book I was a little worried that it would be too dark. I knew the basics of the content before reading it. I can't remember if it was on the back cover itself, or if friends told me... Either way, I thought it might be too dark for middle school children.

While it was dark, and the subject matter was serious, I thought it didn't touch the realm of the inappropriate. More than that, the narrator's tone was humorous - no doubt to add some comic relief to what would have been an othe Going into this book I was a little worried that it would be too dark. I knew the basics of the content before reading it. I can't remember if it was on the back cover itself, or if friends told me... Either way, I thought it might be too dark for middle school children.

While it was dark, and the subject matter was serious, I thought it didn't touch the realm of the inappropriate. More than that, the narrator's tone was humorous - no doubt to add some comic relief to what would have been an otherwise unbearable book.

And it worked. Melinda's character was completely believable. She was withdrawn, but not to the point teachers would single her out or call CPS. She was isolated, but passed over.

Though fiction, it was a good reminder that as teachers we often have huge gaps in what we know of our students. Even though we connect with them, there is ~~probably~~ certainly stuff going on that we don't know about.

Her perception of her teachers is worth noting too. I'm a nicknamer, so I found the nicknames (Mr. Neck - the social studies teacher that teaches so he can coach, Principal Principal - the semi-clueless... ummm... well, I think you can figure out what he does... I don't want to give all the nicknames...) amusing.

I also found her English class intriguing. At the end of my edition, there's an interview with Anderson. She says, she was the student that questioned her English teacher's assertion that Hawthorne was very intentional in his use of symbolism. "Who says he meant to write it this way? That's just a bunch of post hoc literary critics adding their own thoughts into the text." *Ok, I know I put that in quotes, and that's not a direct quote from the book... you get the idea... ...I got in trouble for incorrectly quoting a book once...* In Melinda's English class, they are discussing The Scarlett Letter. Her teacher (I think the nickname was "Hairwoman") claimed there was all this symbolism to which Melinda (or maybe another student) picked up Anderson's own 9th grade mantra - that it was all a bunch of huey. The teacher asked if Melinda questioned her math teacher the same way? Does 3x4 not equal 12? Do you not believe that? When you know what to look for, it is overwhelmingly evident.

I took that to mean, "Hey! Look around! There is symbolism ALL OVER this book." A little romantic irony if you will. (Personally, I didn't think we needed the reminder that books had symbolism... I thought it was all over the place... the tree, the seasons, familial struggles coinciding with her struggles to... never mind, if I keep it up I'll need a spoiler alert.) However, another person that read it took the interview in the back to imply that the story is what it is, and people read too much into things.

Loved it. Bought it for my class collection. Recommend it. ...more

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Oct 08, 2008 Liz rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-and-realistic, young-adult, 4-star

It has definitely been a while since I read Speak, but I I wanted to share my thoughts on it with you in the spirit of Speak Loudly. I have a hard time imagining anyone who’s been to high school reading this book and make it through the entire thing without thinking, even if only for a split second, that he or she could relate to Melinda’s story in some way. Anderson tackles many tough subjects, and does so with eloquence.

Melinda is not an easy character to read about. I definitely got frustrate ...more

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Jul 13, 2018 junia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 07, 2010 martha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: year-2010

Got this from the library this afternoon and finished it this evening. So, uh, it really draws you in. Interesting writing and a story that pulls you right along with it. I particularly liked how well-balanced the slow reveal of the story was. Some books -- especially for younger readers -- drop hints so heavy you know what happened from the first page. Here you could definitely figure out what had happened before the explicit reveal, but it was nicely subtle.

I think in the hands of another writ ...more

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May 18, 2007 Emma rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

If there is a canon for contemporary teen literature, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is in it. A Printz Award honor book and a National Book Award finalist in 1999, this book is, quite frankly, awesome.

The story follows Melinda Sordino during her first year in high school. Starting high school is hard enough, but for Melinda it's even worse. Over the summer, Melinda became a social outcast and now watches the goings at school from the fringe. She also doesn't talk to anyone if she can avoid it.

T If there is a canon for contemporary teen literature, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is in it. A Printz Award honor book and a National Book Award finalist in 1999, this book is, quite frankly, awesome.

The story follows Melinda Sordino during her first year in high school. Starting high school is hard enough, but for Melinda it's even worse. Over the summer, Melinda became a social outcast and now watches the goings at school from the fringe. She also doesn't talk to anyone if she can avoid it.

The reasons for Melinda's shunning by the rest of the school and her reticence are revealed as the novel progresses and Melinda tries to define herself in light of that summer. Along the way, Melinda finds the outlet she needs in an unlikely place: her high school art room.

Anderson's writing voice is utterly unique, making this novel a real experience to read. It is one of the few novels out there that is completely conversational while maintaining an absolutely realistic voice. Melinda's narration is snappy and caustic. Being written in the present tense adds to the immediacy of the novel.

In addition to dealing with Melinda's trauma and her healing process, this book addresses a lot of common issues for teens. Anderson aptly portrays what it feels like to be the outcast with no one to sit with on the first day of school. And how hard it is to realize that sometimes having no friend is better than having a bad one.

Strangely, for a novel where the narrator doesn't speak to other characters, one of the best features of this novel is Anderson's dialogue. Even though Melinda rarely has anything to say to other characters, the dialogue flows, Anderson making used of ellipsis and asides in the narration to fill in Melinda's half of the "conversations."

Even though Anderson is writing about a narrow experience, this is a book that everyone should read. Even if you don't usually read "chick lit," check out Speak for the excellent writing. I have never seen a character that sounds as real as Melinda, or a writing style as fresh as Laurie Halse Anderson's.

A couple years ago, this book was made into a movie for the Lifetime network. If you plan on reading the novel, do so before you see the movie. The events of the story are much more powerful if you read it without knowing what's coming up next.

Also, after you finish Speak, be sure to check out Catalyst--a novel set a few years after Speak in the same community/high school.
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Aug 12, 2007 Jen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: tweens_and_teens

A girl is assaulted at a party and then everyone turns their backs on her at school. She has a tough time of it until she "speak"s. It's an important read, and fortunately, the kids who could use it, like it. ...more

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