Speak (Platinum Edition) by Laurie Halse Anderson Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
(Click here)
Book Reviews of Speak (Platinum Edition)
Book Review: An Empowering Read for All Ages
Summary: 5 Stars
A riveting novel that is bound to strike the right emotional chord. Reading stories that carry themes of self-growth and empowerment is always a joy because it is something that all can relate to. The protagonist ventures off into a horizon in search of identity and solidifies a voice that projects harmonious tunes. Anderson's writing is simplistic, but highly endearing because it amplifies an astonishing magnitude of vividness and life. The author personifies the very essence of what it means to be a teenager and magnifies the various sensations that one goes through in the process whether it be anger, defeat, triumph, joy, etc. All in all, Speak is a wonderful and captivating story that outlines the very beauty of setting sail and searching for the missing element that completes the self.Book Review: An important piece of literature
Summary: 5 Stars
Melinda had always been a normal kid - a pretty good student with plenty of friends. During the summer between middle school and high school, she attended a party and something so horrific happened, she called the police during the party. Since she never revealed the reason for calling, she was ostracized when everyone discovered that she was the one who made the call.
As she entered her freshman year of high school, Melinda found herself an outcast. Heather, a new girl befriended her at first, but dumped her when she realized that their friendship was hurting her chances or being accepted by the popular kids. Melinda's parents became concerned when her grades suffered, but they were also very busy with work, so their attempts at helping her fell short. Melinda discovered that no one listened to her when she spoke, so she became a selective mute. She thought:
"It is easier not to say anything. Shut your trap, button your lip, can it. All that crap you hear on TV about communication and expressing feelings is a lie. Nobody really wants to hear what you have to say."
Before the year was over, Melinda decided that she couldn't let a former friend suffer the same way she had and by trying to help her, she began to take steps to take control of her life.
I bought Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson on Buy Indie Day and stacked it with some other books. It languished there until I read Molly's review and knew I had to read it next. This book follows Melinda's life through one school year. It is hard for me to express how I feel about this book - to say I "loved" it seems so cliched, but I don't know what else to say about a book that is so powerfully written that it stirred memories of what it felt like to be in high school. I don't think adolescents are selfish by nature - I just think they're all so busy trying to figure out who they are and how they fit into the world that they don't notice when someone else needs help. I think Anderson did a superb job of capturing the voice of a teen-ager, so the book felt very real to me, even though I knew it was a work of fiction.
There is a reason Speak has won so many awards and is being taught in middle schools and high schools. This is an important work of fiction that I think the parent of every teen-ager should read. I marked so many passages in this book that I can't possibly share them all, but I want to close with this one:
"Sometimes I think high school is one long hazing activity: if you are tough enough to survive this, they'll let you become an adult. I hope it's worth it."
Book Review: Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Summary: 5 Stars
SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson is a riveting, compassionate book about a teenage outcast.
Melinda Sordino destroyed her reputation before even setting foot in the dangerous halls of Merryweather High School. By calling the police at an end-of-summer bash, she is now officially considered a loser. With her old friends gone, Melinda no longer speaks to anyone; even her new "best friend," Heather.
This novel on self-discovery, empathy, and social acceptance is simply breathtaking.
Without a doubt, SPEAK is a phenomenal book. It is emotional, inspirational, gripping, and surprisingly funny. It is told from Melinda's poignant, outspoken point of view. Anderson perfectly depicts the cliques, heartbreaks, and reality of high school. This book will grip you from cover to cover.
SPEAK captured my heart with it's sarcastic sense of humor and perfect portrayal of high school. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a laugh, a tear, or anything in between.
Reviewed by: Tara - The Class
Book Review: Giving a voice to so many
Summary: 5 Stars
Melinda has lost her everything, herself, her clan. She is a much different girl than she was before, withdrawn, despondent. It happened at a party. People think she was a snitch, but what they don't know is she was trying, desperately, to cry out for help. What they did not know is that her voice, her will, her self, was lost, no, was stolen. By rape.
I really wanted to make a vague summary of this book, because, well, because you need to read it. We all need to read it. This book has rocked me to my very core. The story of Melinda is one we all know, in some form. Either we know girls like her, or we are girls (or boys) like her. Or something else has damaged us, stolen our voices. How many people have stories like this that will never ever be told.
I loved this book beyond words. There are parts of the book that make you chuckle, there are parts of the book that make you weep. But mostly, the book made me want to speak out, about the terrible injustices that happen to women, to everyone. The book made me want find Melinda and hold her, hug her, cry with her, and tell her she is beautiful.
The book is considered controversial, because it deals with teen rape, and that is construed as violent and overly sexual. But rape IS violent, and it DOES happen. How many kids did this book give a voice too. Some of the reviews and comments about this book on merchant websites appall and sadden me. Yes the book is graphic, but no more so, in fact less so, than many popular teen books. And the message is so important. Listen to the poem the author wrote about responses she has gotten to the book.
Because the book does deal with such an intense trauma, I would recommend it for readers 14 and up. But other than that, I sincerely think everyone should read this book. Not forced as part of a school curriculum necessarily, because the readers might resist and not get the message. I think everyone should come to this book in his or her own time. Read it, and help all those who need to speak.
Book Review: Gold Star Stickers.
Summary: 5 Stars
I read Laurie Halse Anderson's "Speak" for a Children's Lit Book Award Assignment. At first, the story of the 9th grade girl depressed me, with its grim descriptions of a life that's uncomfortable living in its own skin and its painfully normal description of high school life that can only be summed up as "the old grind." I guess what made me wince the most was the fact that I can remember high school. And Anderson's descriptions hit a little too close to home.
But, then I had to stop and step back and think about why she wrote the book. The story is about a girl, who, as I said before, is horribly uncomfortable with herself, but you can't just chalk it up to teenage awkwardness. No, her issue goes a little deeper.
She's been a social outcast since the summer because of something that happened at a drinking party. She apparently called the cops and got everyone in trouble. Now no one will talk to her. But no one ever thinks of asking her WHY she called the police. And she's got no one to confess to. If she could only learn to Speak up about it.
I realized that feeling a little uncomfortable about the familiar settingis no reason to write off the book. In fact, you're supposed to feel uncomfortable when you read it! How else are you supposed to connect with the character? And when you understand what Anderson is trying to do with her story, you realize that Speak is a gold mine.
Thus, I give it five shining gold stars. Amen.