Speak

Speak is a YA novel about a girl who becomes isolated at the start of high school and has to confront her own experience while living with the memory of sexual assault and a silence that has taken hold of her. Its precise psychological portrait and restrained narration make trauma, loneliness, and recovery feel immediate and unforgettable.

Young adult fictionAdolescenceSexual assaultIsolation and silenceRecovery

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Work Information

Told from one girl’s point of view, the novel follows the long road to breaking silence and reclaiming a voice while carrying the memory of pain.

Speak follows a girl who loses her voice after a traumatic event and slowly moves toward self-recovery as she is isolated at school and at home. The Japanese edition was published by Shufunotomo as a 284-page book, while the original English novel from 1999 remains widely read in English-speaking markets.

Review Summaries

Readers praise the novel for its direct voice and emotional urgency. Although the subject matter is heavy, the way it stays close to the protagonist’s inner life gives the book a lasting impact.

Book Information

Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux
Published: 1999-10-22
Pages: 197 pages
Language: 英語
Size: 14.86 x 1.78 x 21.72 cm
ISBN-13: 9780374371524
ISBN-10: 0374371520
Price: 3937 JPY
Category: 洋書/Politics & Social Sciences/Politics & Government/Specific Topics/Censorship

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.

Laurie Halse Anderson is a New York Times bestselling author of books for kids of all ages--including Fever 1793 , Chains , Twisted , and many others. Known for tackling tough subjects with humor and sensitivity, her work has earned numerous national and state awards, as well as international recognition. Two of her books, Speak and Chains , were National Book Award finalists. Anderson was honored with the 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award given by the YALSA division of the American Library Association for her "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature." Anderson was born in Potsdam, New York in 1961. Growing up, she loved reading and listening to family stories. She graduated from Georgetown University in 1984. Before becoming a full-time writer, she was freelance journalist, and then worked part-time at a bookstore to earn money while working on her fiction. Mother of four and wife of one, Laurie lives in northern New York, where she likes to watch the snow fall as she writes.

Reviews

引き込まれる内容

明るい内容ではありませんが、どんどん引き込まれていきました。
A powerful read

In subdued tone, this book describes what goes in the head of a girl who has been raped. The full meaning of the content, can perhaps can be only understood by a victim
Darkly Funny times ten

I guess I`ll start by telling you that this book really is "darkly funny." There`s no other word for it. It`s about a girl who suddenly became mute because she got raped. Period. I don`t know how the author made this book gripping with this idea, but she did it. I couldn`t put it down! Talk about weird. I would`ve given this book one more star, but it was a little to dark(for me, at least). One last thing: DO NOT read this on a rainy day; it would probably make you feel down in the dumps. ...Hope you like it!
funny but dark and harsh

Everyone is really mad at Melinda Sordino for calling the cops at an end-of-summer party. But they don't know what really happened. No one will listen to her. And before she knows it, she is having trouble speaking at all. By reading this book, readers may even shed tears. I almost did. I recomend this book to anyone that knows what it's like to be unable to speak up. And to anyone that understands...
Speak

I've finished to read this book for a few hours, cuz I couldn't wait knowing how the story goes to the end. It was kinda dark, but I could understand a lot of Melinda's feelings and stuff as a same teenage girl. I'd like to recommend this book to anyone especially teenagers.
Ningún problema , todo genial
This book was delicate and beautiful. It was very bittersweet in a nice way. Please check the trigger warnings of this book if you want to purchase it. Melinda acts like a real teenager. She is not a clichéd teenager. That inside look into her mind. This book was great. I recommend you go and watch the movie for free on YouTube. This book correctly portrays being a teenager, friendships and high school. Oh and bonus points for the stunning cover 7/5 stars!! Shipping and all that was great too!!!!!
Mel's character really killed it for me. The book is so raw and honest it feels like we have ourselves gone through what Melinda has. It literally travels down your spine. Every teen must read.
Un vrai livre pour ado que les post ado liront avec passion et découvriront un autre monde oublié L environnement scolaire est si important et les parents si peu présents
Laurie Halse Anderson is the author of numerous books for children and teens. Her highly spoken about novels include Speak, which was a National Book Award finalist, Printz Honor Book, and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. Her novel Fever 1793 was named one of New York Public Library's 100 Best Books of 2000, was selected as an ABA Pick of the lists title, and has won more than a dozen state awards. Her novel, Twisted, was a New York Times bestseller. She currently resides in Pennsylvania where she enjoys living with her two children, Stephanie and Meredith, and her husband, Scot. The book Speak starts out with the main character Melinda Sordino moving to Syracuse, New York. The book is instantly suspenseful because Melinda moves to a new high school with a big secret; she was raped. Because of her secret the book stays suspenseful, you want to continue to read it to see how a mentally disturbed girl internally deals with problems. Since Melinda’s secret does make her mentally disturbed her outlook on life is very negative throughout the book while she deals with her struggles. Even Though the book is negative, it ends on a positive note when she is able to speak. Melinda Sordino is the main character in the book “Speak”. At the end of the summer there was party she attended entering as a freshman. She was raped by a senior named Andy Evans and she called the cops to report the rape. When she called, she didn’t respond right away and they said they were sending help on the way to her location. Melinda did not mean to report the party, but to report the rape. The cops showed up and the big party is busted, which the rest of the school believes that she did this on purpose. Melinda endures deep depression throughout the story because of this. Rachel Bruin was Melindas best friend up until the party was busted. Rachel believes that Melinda just wanted to bust the party just like the rest of the group there. Rachel doesn’t have many lines in the book, however she is important because Melinda wishes she could tell Rachel what happened to her. Rachel also attends prom with Andy. Heather just moved into town from Ohio. She just wants to belong to this school, so she tries to join a different club everyday. Melinda is one of the first people Heather gets to talk to because they have an awkward first meeting. Melinda sort of uses Heather because she has no one else in the school that cares or talks to her. There is a distinct distance between the other girls and is obvious in the fact that Melinda does not confide in her. Mr. Freeman teaches art, which becomes Melinda’s safe haven. Mr. Freeman tries to convey what he sees in her art work and tries to connect with her in that way. He sees that Melinda is hurting and encourages her along the way. My overall impression of the book was, it was really good read. When I first saw the book I thought it would be good and it did live up to my expectations. It was sad but informative, and really opened my eyes to the bullying and suicide aspect of what people can actually go through. It also shows what can really happen at a party, and how rape is a big deal and shouldn't be taken lightly at all. My favorite part of the story had to be the ending. Melinda starts to recover from her trauma, and she starts to talk about it. Even though Rachel doesn't believe Melinda, she feels free after speaking up about what happened and how much it impacted her. It was a big step for Melinda, talking about what happened. I would definitely read this book again because it was a good read and kept me on the edge of my seat. I was never bored, and it talked a lot about what people go through now. By going to parties and seeing what can happen first hand myself this really opened my eyes to what happens to the girls who actually do get raped.