Wednesday, Aug 12, 2009

Book Review: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Author:  Laurie Halse Anderson

Publisher:  Penguin Books

ISBN #:  978-0-14-241473-6

Type:  Fiction:Young Adult

Pages:   197 Trade Paperback

Published:  1999-Originally

Website:  www.writerlady.com

Purchase:  $9.40 @ Amazon (HERE) 

The Story

Speak is an absorbing story of a 9th Grade girl, Melinda.  She has entered high school and very rarely speaks to anyone… not her peers, teachers, and least of all her parents.  Something deep inside Melinda is haunting her and keeping her voice trapped within.  Transforming from a normal, happy middle-school girl to a lone, outsider with very little friends and failing grades, her teachers and family do not know what to do to help her.  This is because she won’t tell them what has caused her to climb within her walls and hide there.

The Review

Some of my book club gals were discussing this book in June.  I keep hearing that this is a book that I should read because I of my middle-school aged daughters.  I also understood that, although this was written 10 years ago, there has been a recent resurgence of the book and renewed popularity.  As I only heard great things, I purchased it.

Written in the first-person viewpoint, the reader sees and hears the story through the eyes and ears of a deeply troubled young lady.  Although the reader is in her mind, she won’t even speak the truth of what happened to her in there.  Therefore, not only does it take the other characters of the story considerable time to understand what’s happened to Melinda, but the reader as well.  As to avoid spoiling the book for new readers, I will share that the subject matter is heavy.  However, it is a topic of discussion that parents should undertake with their teenage daughters, especially upon entering high school.

I felt particularly sad for Melinda because she felt that she could not turn to her parents to deal with her issues.  She falls into such a great depression and isolation that I feared the worst for her while reading this story.  Laurie Halse Anderson does a commendable job in writing in the voices of the youth.  The story that she creates is realistic and relatable right from the beginning of the book.

Unfortunately, to keep the spoiler apart from this review, the only other points that I can expand upon are my observations of the cruelty of children/teens to one another.  How they have the power to so deeply injure a fragile and developing psyche is a marvel to me.  I mean, I do recall feeling angst and strong emotions when I was in high school… but, it’s a much different story reading it as a mother.

The Rating

I’m on the fence about sharing this book with the twins for maybe another year or so.  I think they are just still a tad-to-young for it.  However, I will be sharing this book with them in the future.  This book is also one that I will most likely mention to other moms of tweens that I know.

One thing that I wasn’t aware of is that there is a movie version of this book.  I’m interested in renting it.  I think it’s the same actress as the one in Twilight.  I wonder if the movie is anywhere near as good as the book?

My rating, genre:Fiction-Young Adult, is a 9 out of 10!

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