Speak (Banned Book)

By Laurie Halse Anderson

Summary: High School freshman Melinda Sardino had a traumatic summer. She was raped at a party by an older kid from her new school. She instinctively called the police, but said nothing when they answered. She ran when she saw the flashing lights, but not before people noticed she'd been on the phone. Now it seems the whole high school is talking about how Melinda ruined the party. Some torment her. Other's just whisper behind her back. All her friends dump her. She is an outcast. Melinda tries to bury that night and ignore her feelings. She stops speaking. It's not so much a conscious decision to stop, it's just that she doesn't know what to say and even if she did, she doesn't think anyone will listen. So, she says nothing at all. As the school year progresses, Melinda slowly begins to find her voice again. She starts to face what happened to her and comes to terms with what it really was, a crime. Eventually, she is forced to face her attacker, but this time she fights back and as a result exposes him and gains the respect of her classmates.

Review: Speak is maybe one of the best written books I've ever read. It is a fast-paced, pager turner. It is not the type of book I would pick to read for fun. I do not like dark subject matters. But Anderson takes a very sad story and infuses it with realism and sarcasm and, yes, even humor. The character, Melinda, is authentic and even if you can't relate to her situation (and I sincerely hope you can't), you will empathize with it. Readers get the payoff they are waiting for when Melinda takes back control of her life and comes out a winner.

My Two Cents: Speak is more than a decade old, but still gets a lot of attention. It is #60 on the American Library Association's Banned Book List for 2000-2009. Just this past week a Dr.Wesley Scoggins blogged that Speak and a couple other books should not be allowed in Missouri schools. He argued Speak is essentially "soft pornography," because it depicts two scenes of rape (There was technically only one and it was tame, believe me), and because the character comments that the cheerleaders score more than the basketball team. He goes on to write: "As the main character in the book is alone with a boy who is touching her female parts, she makes the statement that this is what high school is supposed to feel like." This is actually false. The boy is touching her butt (definitely not strictly a female part), which Melinda thinks is rude. Comparing the moment to high school, I believe, has more to do with how fast things are moving at that point. Scoggins references Christian beliefs in his blog and asks, "How can Christian men and women expose children to such immorality?" Rape is immoral, I'll give him that. Using a condom is not. Having sex is not. Maybe what he really objects to is that the character admits, "My parents didn't raise me to be religious."

If you look at this book by the few bad words it says, the rape, and a few shocking comments made by a character who is depressed and angry, Speak looks bad. But Speak is 198 pages and these words and scenes put together would take up two pages at most. All I'm saying is Speak is a story that deserves to be told and you should not let Scoggins or me, or anyone else decide for you if this book is suitable or not suitable for your kids. All I ask is that you read it before you deny the chance to read Speak to your teen.

Interest Level:

8th-12th grade

AR Level:

4.5

Lexile Level:

680

Profanity:

Pissed

Asshole

Whore

Potentially Inappropriate References:

Trojans - reference to condoms

Abortion - referenced when the character talks about cheerleaders getting abortions in mass after prom

Slit my throat - not a literal reference

Get it up -

Potentially Inappropriate Behavior:

Rape

Bullying

Knee to the back

Pulled hair

Violent fight involving choking and a shard of glass held to a person's throat

Parental Concern Rating:

5 out of 5