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4.47 AVERAGE
4.47 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
After finishing this, I sat in silence.
When I picked up this book, I didn't know what this was about. I briefly read the back, but it wasn't until I cracked this open that I realized how much deeper of a subject this book would be.
This book was powerful. You know it's good illustrations and writing when you can hate a character in a book, when you dread the face of the character popping onto the page. Even though I do realize this was a real situation that happened to the author, it was still interesting to me how I was able to feel hatred for this illustrated character in a book.
I felt a lot of emotion reading this book.
At times, I felt tears in my eyes, or stopped and reflected on the real world, and that this situation is a reality for many and isn't just fiction.
When I read the title, "Speak," before starting this book, I didn't feel as much power in that word until I finished this book.
The title is powerful and sums up what part of this book is about, the underlying message. How words and speaking up for yourself is important and powerful.
This is the type of book where you want to go into this world and hug the main character, to validate her and tell her it wasn't her fault, because it wasn't.
When I picked up this book, I didn't know what this was about. I briefly read the back, but it wasn't until I cracked this open that I realized how much deeper of a subject this book would be.
This book was powerful. You know it's good illustrations and writing when you can hate a character in a book, when you dread the face of the character popping onto the page. Even though I do realize this was a real situation that happened to the author, it was still interesting to me how I was able to feel hatred for this illustrated character in a book.
I felt a lot of emotion reading this book.
At times, I felt tears in my eyes, or stopped and reflected on the real world, and that this situation is a reality for many and isn't just fiction.
When I read the title, "Speak," before starting this book, I didn't feel as much power in that word until I finished this book.
The title is powerful and sums up what part of this book is about, the underlying message. How words and speaking up for yourself is important and powerful.
This is the type of book where you want to go into this world and hug the main character, to validate her and tell her it wasn't her fault, because it wasn't.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault
Moderate: Bullying, Racism, Violence, Toxic friendship
Minor: Eating disorder, Xenophobia, Vomit, Alcohol
Have I read the graphic novel before?
It seems I have, for a rating is already present.
Well. It remains as amazing as ever.
It seems I have, for a rating is already present.
Well. It remains as amazing as ever.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wasn’t expecting to cry over tree symbolism today, but here I am. Speak on its own is very effectively done, and the graphic-novel adaptation had the perfect illustrator—just the right mix of detail, sparseness, and keen understanding of panel design to deliver deftly the catharsis* as well as the gut punches.
* Melinda finally being able to say what happened to her, and the anonymous support on the bathroom wall.
* Melinda finally being able to say what happened to her, and the anonymous support on the bathroom wall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Self harm, Toxic friendship
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3.75 ⭐ On entre vraiment dans la tête d'une victime d'agression sexuelle.
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Speak has been a favorite of mine for a long time -- I have read the book and watched the movie a number of times. As I have been exploring graphic novels, I came across this and couldn't wait to see how it translated on the page. Art is so critical in Melinda's story, so I loved being able to see that on the page here. Very, very powerful story.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Would still encourage people to read the original work, but the art in it was wonderful and made the story even more visceral.
3.5/5
I’m going into this fully admitting there is some bias involved but hear me out:
I read Speak the novel, in middle school/early high school. It was a book from a long list that we had to choose from (some others included the Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver which I chose later on in the year, Life of Pi, which I have never gotten too, among some other well known literary works). Sometimes things just land on our laps right when we need them. I won’t profess this to be some kind of magic, or sign from the heavens, simply something I needed when I needed it most. You see, when I was 14 I experienced something very similar to Melinda in this story. Luckily for me I had friends who I did feel I could trust, the incident didn’t ostracize me from all of my peers in a weird miscommunication/misunderstanding, I didn’t speak out to any authority figure, but I was able to let it off my chest in small ways. The most relatable part which both graphic novel and the original provided were Melinda’s parents and how they treated her throughout. As much as my relationship with my parents has improved into adulthood they were exactly like this when I was going through the same situation, along with a long stint of self-harm behavior. The scene hardest being when Melinda is sitting at the kitchen table with her fresh cuts out and her mother simply scoffs and says “I don’t have time for this”. What made the novel so important for me, I felt lacked in this graphic novel. It gave Melinda almost too much presence where the novel proper left her enough out where I could put myself into the story. Normally I wouldn’t say that that’s always a good thing, but a story like Speak, for me at least, it was.
On a more nit-picky note, I didn’t enjoy the additions of newer pop culture. It didn’t make the story more relatable just because there was Instagram mentioned, maybe if social media played a role, but it felt like a cheap jab to relate to a younger crowd when the message behind Speak is good enough by itself. I also read a lot of comments saying they enjoyed the art and maybe it’s a preference thing but I felt it a little distracting. I do remember Speak feeling a bit “all over the place” as it switches seasons rather quickly given it isn’t a particularly long novel, and is told over the course of a school year; but I felt the graphic novel took that even further and sometimes it felt disjointed.
I did like David and how they reinvented him in a way, I always felt he was a rather bland character and kind of reminded me of Warren from the video game Life is Strange, just there to pose as a possible knight in shining armor but showing in the end Melinda didn’t need one. I liked that the graphic novel gave David a better purpose and one that made sense. I don’t think he was the same in the novel, but correct me if I’m wrong.
All in all, Speak the graphic novel, was alright. I’m glad the story is told regardless of it’s medium and I think it’s one that should be shared time and time again…but I personally find the novel a much better, deeper read and would rather recommend it, over this. It wasn’t bad but it didn’t add quite enough to impress me rather took away from something that was fine before, if that makes sense.
I’m going into this fully admitting there is some bias involved but hear me out:
I read Speak the novel, in middle school/early high school. It was a book from a long list that we had to choose from (some others included the Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver which I chose later on in the year, Life of Pi, which I have never gotten too, among some other well known literary works). Sometimes things just land on our laps right when we need them. I won’t profess this to be some kind of magic, or sign from the heavens, simply something I needed when I needed it most. You see, when I was 14 I experienced something very similar to Melinda in this story. Luckily for me I had friends who I did feel I could trust, the incident didn’t ostracize me from all of my peers in a weird miscommunication/misunderstanding, I didn’t speak out to any authority figure, but I was able to let it off my chest in small ways. The most relatable part which both graphic novel and the original provided were Melinda’s parents and how they treated her throughout. As much as my relationship with my parents has improved into adulthood they were exactly like this when I was going through the same situation, along with a long stint of self-harm behavior. The scene hardest being when Melinda is sitting at the kitchen table with her fresh cuts out and her mother simply scoffs and says “I don’t have time for this”. What made the novel so important for me, I felt lacked in this graphic novel. It gave Melinda almost too much presence where the novel proper left her enough out where I could put myself into the story. Normally I wouldn’t say that that’s always a good thing, but a story like Speak, for me at least, it was.
On a more nit-picky note, I didn’t enjoy the additions of newer pop culture. It didn’t make the story more relatable just because there was Instagram mentioned, maybe if social media played a role, but it felt like a cheap jab to relate to a younger crowd when the message behind Speak is good enough by itself. I also read a lot of comments saying they enjoyed the art and maybe it’s a preference thing but I felt it a little distracting. I do remember Speak feeling a bit “all over the place” as it switches seasons rather quickly given it isn’t a particularly long novel, and is told over the course of a school year; but I felt the graphic novel took that even further and sometimes it felt disjointed.
I did like David and how they reinvented him in a way, I always felt he was a rather bland character and kind of reminded me of Warren from the video game Life is Strange, just there to pose as a possible knight in shining armor but showing in the end Melinda didn’t need one. I liked that the graphic novel gave David a better purpose and one that made sense. I don’t think he was the same in the novel, but correct me if I’m wrong.
All in all, Speak the graphic novel, was alright. I’m glad the story is told regardless of it’s medium and I think it’s one that should be shared time and time again…but I personally find the novel a much better, deeper read and would rather recommend it, over this. It wasn’t bad but it didn’t add quite enough to impress me rather took away from something that was fine before, if that makes sense.
The book on its own is brilliant. But this graphic novel captures the rawness of the narrative in an impressive way. The graphic novel is a perfect complement to Anderson's original novel.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix