Speak by: Laurie Halse Anderson

Fantastic! A must read for all us stupid teenagers out there who think we know it all. Speak is about a girl named Melinda who is about to start High School the following fall and goes to a blow-out of a party her friend Rachel got them invited to. I love the way this book is written! It's a running narrative and dialog. You don't get to find out what happened at the party until the en of the book because, Melinda won't 'Speak.' In fact, the author has a technique that I really loved as a reader. people would ask Melinda specific questions and the dialog would read--Mon:Whats wrong with you? Me:______. I thought the blank was very effective and powerful because you quickly got the picture of everyone around Melinda getting frustrated and totally misunderstanding her because Melinda wouldn't 'Speak.' Melinda goes from a happy 8Th grader with friends, to a severely depressed 9Th grader. Her grades are worse each marking period. She has no friends, they all abandoned her because she called 911 at that out of control summer party.

Since the order of events in this book are sort of backward, its hard to relate it without giving away the end. High school begins and Melinda is totally alone. All the kids hate her and make fun of her because she called the cops and because of that phone call some one's brother got arrested. So Melinda tries to survive each day best she can alone and hated. Her x-best friend Rachel now with new friends in tow make quite comments and giggle behind her. People throw paper at her. Melinda is awkward and uncomfortable everywhere in school except art. As the school year rolls along things keep getting worse. A new girl, Heather, from Ohio comes to the school- Merryweather High School, in Syracuse- who is the only person who will sit and talk to Melinda at lunch. Heather is a bit high strung but tries to include Melinda in what shes doing, and be her friend. Melinda though barely participates. You can't help but wonder why when Melinda has nobody else and is dieing for friendship that she is so dead pan around Heather. Heather is so perky trying to find where she fits in and Melinda is just like- whatever or "_______ ." Its hard for Melinda to see her old friend enjoying themselves. Shes always looking to escape and she finds a very creative way to do that. Melinda finds a dirty old, now unused, janitor's closet. She cleans it up and makes herself a little hide away where she can get away from it all. Home is no better nobody communicates with each other. They just leave notes to let each other know whats going on day to day as they pass each other. Her parents fight a lot so Melinda retreats to her room with her bunnies and bed. Melinda's behavior has really changed and neither parent has asked her whats wrong. They just get more frustrated and Melinda gets more alienated.

As Melinda's grades continue to sink, " Principle principle," and guidance councilors call her in along with her parents who have had it. Melinda's Mom even curses out Principle Principle for prying into the workings of their marriage. Melinda says, "_______ ,"but so much is going on in her head world. Should she tell them? Can she tell them? Melinda mentions always wanting to take a nap. That very Freudian- sleep is the ultimate escape. What Melinda doesn't see is that some people really do want to help, Heather really does want to be her friend, and other people might try too, except Melinda won't let them. She can't let the because of what happened at that party.

The school year continues on. I like the technique that the author uses to mark the passage of time. At the end of each section she posts Melinda's grades. Very clever.

Heather is tiring to get involved with a very fashionable group of girls called the "Martha's," who do a lot of good things for people and dress alike. Heather is trying to take Melinda along but Melinda just can get involved. Eventually Heather dumps Melinda although it really isn't Heathers fault. Heather is trying to fit in and Melinda refuses to fit in, so one day at lunch Heather drops the "we're not friends any more," bomb on Melinda. Cruel yes , but Heather does make a point of saying you really weren't my friend - like you never invited me to sleep over and stuff. Heather was right. Now Melinda is really alone. She starts cutting school. Her parents have had it- yet another phone call from the school. Mr. Freeman (who hates the school board) a great character himself, really notices Melinda, he likes her, and is trying to help her through her art to find out who she is as an artist and as a person. In the beginning of the year each student picks a topic that they will develop all year. Melinda's topic is a tree, which is very symbolic of Melinda actually. Trees grow and withstand damage, parts die, new parts grow and continue to live and survive. This process is exactly what Melinda is going through in life. She is in the process of dropping dead wood, healing, and beginning to grow a new. Tree symbolism is used in another place in this book, the trimming of the dead wood on the oak tree in Melinda's front yard symbolizes the healing that takes place between her father (her parents) and herself.

Mr.Freeman helps Melinda to find herself again through Picasso. Picasso's cubic figures 'speak' to her. She is finding herself again and getting stronger. She starts going to class, doing her work. She also starts doing the yard work which is metaphoric -cleaning away all the dead leaves exposing the new growth beneath. Melinda finds she doesn't need to go to her closet at school very much anymore. Shes finding strength in herself and it feels good.

Heather, who hasn't spoken to Melinda in months, comes over to Melinda's house unexpected one day and begs Melinda to help her decorate the road with balloons for the prom. The "Martha's" direct Heather to do this but they can't help because they have to get ready to go to the prom. Heather just wants to use Melinda, she doesn't really want to be her friend. Heather comes up with a lame excuse about how the 'Martha's ' are driving her nuts and how Melinda was smart to get out from under the 'Martha's ' when she did -... DA DA DA DA DA....Melinda though doesn't but in and she says- NO! Heather is shocked that her manipulation didn't work. Go Melinda! The fact that the prom is coming up is a very important turning point for Melinda though because there is something she feels she must do. There is a guy at school that Melinda calls, " It."She hates him. She fears him. " It," is Andy Evans or as Melinda also calls him- Andy Beast, a handsome, super pig jock. Prom is coming and Rachel Melinda's childhood ex best friend who dumped Melinda after she called 911 at that summer party - is going to the prom with "It" and Melinda can't let that happen because "It" raped her at that party and Melinda too scared to tell anyone was never able to "speak" a word about it to anyone. Her fear, her pain, her confusion, her inexperience, her youth, kept her silent and destroyed her from within. Even though Rachel has hurt Melinda so bad she cannot let her be put in danger by going to prom with "It". Melinda gets all the courage she can muster together and tells Rachel what happened at that party. Rachel is shocked. At thirteen Rachel and Melinda went to wild unsupervised party where there was beer. Melinda drank one - two - four and got drunk. "It" asked her to dance then forced himself upon her and she was too frighten and messed up to stop him. He held her down, raped her and walked away. Melinda knew she needed help and called 911. She couldn't even "speak" to tell police where she was but the police were able to trace the call. When they came the kids at the party were already so angry she was afraid to get the help she needed and just slipped away into the darkness and walked home. Rachel said why didn't you tell me - who was "it". When Melinda told her Rachel was in instant denial. She refused to believe her and walked away.

On the bathroom wall at school where anonymous written conversations are scrolled, Melinda in liberation writes, "guys to stay away from" and under that writes " Andy Evans". Prom happens- Rachel goes with "It" and something big does happen. Andy gets too aggressive- Rachel gets away- Andy is alone and embarrassed- prom ends. Andy infuriated that Rachel wouldn't even talk to him confronts Melinda and traps her in her closet and says you liar you told people I raped you... and begins to try to raped her again. This time Melinda finds her voice she screams "noooooo." She fights and is about to cut his throat with a piece of broken glass when the girls lacrosse team beats on the closet door. Melinda is saved. Everyone understands and Melinda is free because she used her strength to fight "It" and "speak." The details of what happens at the party, school, and in the closet are well worth reading this book.