Reviews with content warning for Fatphobia - Speak

Reviews tagging 'Fatphobia'

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

6 reviews

drraytay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

This book is certainly a product of its time. There were a lot of instances of body shaming and slut shaming and even an instance of the well known ableist slur everyone was using in the 90s and 2000s. None of these instances added to the story in any meaningful way. This story is still an important one though for teens and adults alike. Any form of sexual assault feels incredibly alienating and silencing and Laurie Halse Anderson did a phenomenal job at showing that.

Trigger warnings for rape, toxic friendships, toxic parents, bullying, slut shaming, body shaming, fatphobia, with brief ableism and minor self harm.

Content Warnings

kodi_rae's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

My first time rereading this since the first time when I was probably around Melinda’s (the protagonist) age. I remember really liking it then and it’s even more devastating now with time and experience. The claustrophobia of the mind and your own silence.

While I’d like to think society has grown a bit since Speak was first published, I’m glad it still exists and can maybe provide validation and healing to those who need it. Does anyone else remember the movie with a young Kristen Stewart? Maybe I’ll pay that a visit too.

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orchidd's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

reading the reviews on this site for this book reveals the persistent need for this book to exist. i applaud the author’s trust of teenagers to handle difficult content. i found this book a very quick read but one that will stay with me for a while.

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