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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book was like stepping back to my high school culture and experiences. Written in 1999 and I graduated in 1998, the whole thing was eerily familiar. Trauma, at the hands of another and knowing no accountability is happening just compounds the trauma. The body holds onto that in ways we can't control. Well done!
I couldn't finish this book.
I understand where they were trying to go with it but it was just to boring for me, hopefully in the end she got the help she needed.
I understand where they were trying to go with it but it was just to boring for me, hopefully in the end she got the help she needed.
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Like Stephenie Meyer's Bella Swan, Laurie Halse Anderson's Melinda appeared to her in a startling dream. The startling dream compelled her to write this book which has been captured on film and rereleased in a glossy platinum addition. I am wracking my brain for what fodder exists in my dreamlife, but NOTHING. I will never be a YA starlet.
SPEAK is what my librarian pal calls "an issue novel." It chronicles a year in the life of Melinda, a depressed tween who recedes into the background of freshman year. She fails classes; she can't relate; she's limp with suburban ennui. She is all but mute. We know early on she is burying something, and that something is pretty obvious (especially if you peek at the catalog info for the Library of Congress). It feels strange to treat this as a mystery, but I suppose it is true to trauma and how a person pulls away.
This is decent YA fare. It echos this old fave: [b:Life Without Friends|228002|Life Without Friends|Ellen Emerson White|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1183599146s/228002.jpg|2470598].
And remember, despite what this genre purports, we can't all blossom! Sometimes the ugly duckling becomes an ugly duck!
SPEAK is what my librarian pal calls "an issue novel." It chronicles a year in the life of Melinda, a depressed tween who recedes into the background of freshman year. She fails classes; she can't relate; she's limp with suburban ennui. She is all but mute. We know early on she is burying something, and that something is pretty obvious (especially if you peek at the catalog info for the Library of Congress). It feels strange to treat this as a mystery, but I suppose it is true to trauma and how a person pulls away.
This is decent YA fare. It echos this old fave: [b:Life Without Friends|228002|Life Without Friends|Ellen Emerson White|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1183599146s/228002.jpg|2470598].
And remember, despite what this genre purports, we can't all blossom! Sometimes the ugly duckling becomes an ugly duck!
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this book as a freshman in high school and I still regularly think about it. I think it really helped shape the way I think about the books subject matter and honestly led me to be very weary of others who can be so uncaring towards victims.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Rape
It was a bit weird reading it as a highschooler especially as a guy but it makes me wonder how often this type of thing actually happens. It's made me a little more aware and a little more eager to try to be nice to people. There are some uncomfortable moments but that's not to say that it's bad since the author wants to evoke that feeling from the reader. I think it's pretty good and if you're looking for something not too long to read with an interesting character then this is your book
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced