Young Adult Literature-Speak

 

Young Adult Literature-Speak

Bibliography:

Anderson, L. (1999). Speak. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.

Summary:

Melinda Sordino has food, shelter, and that is about it.  She lacks the feelings of love and belonging, she does not feel safe because of something that happened at the end of the summer.  At the end of the summer Melinda attends a party and after many drinks she is raped.  She did not know what else to do, but call the police and officers are sent and the party is stopped.  Calling the police caused Melinda to be the social outcast, everyone was so upset because she had called the cops.  No one knew what was killing Melinda inside because she could not talk about it.  Throughout the story she slowly begins to build relationships with some of the kids at school and also begins to gain esteem and confidence.  At the end of the story Melinda is finally able to come out and talk about what happened to her.  Through this she gains the respect of her old friends and is able to move on with her life.

Strengths:

Speak deals with a very strong topic, rape.  This book can be used by teachers and counselors to teach important lessons about sexual assault and friendship circles.  It brings to light the thought "it will never happen to me." It is important for young adults, especially females, this can happen to them or to someone they know.  This is also a great novel to help young adults develop empathy for others and to strike conversation about awareness of the steps to follow if this happens to you or someone you know. What should you do?  Who can you talk to? Who are the professionals we can speak to or hotlines that can be called.

Connections:

Other books written by Laurie Anderson:

   

Other books about sexual assault:

  

Connections to the textbook:

This novel made me think about my younger years and how difficult it was to be an adolescent trying to fit in, having so many issues.  It made me realize that it is very important to think about all the issues youth face and how difficult it is to be an adolescent. We need to express to the children in our lives that they can talk to us about any difficult circumstances they may face.  We need to build a strong relationship with the children in our lives and it is very important we always keep the lines of communication open and they know that regardless of how difficult the problem may be there is always someone to talk to.