Speak

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Publisher: New York : Farrar Straus Girous, 1999

CONTENT WARNING: sexual violence, mental health

Annotation:
This novel follows the thought process of Melinda, a seemingly regular high school student. Her life loses all sense of normalcy after going to a house party. Intoxicated and in need of help, Melinda calls the cops, ultimately shutting the event down and spoiling her peers' summer. Melinda is shunned and treated as an outcast, labelled all sorts of names and shattering her reputation. Melinda knows her truth but cannot speak it, essentially ceasing almost all conversation at school. Her perspective is incredibly altered by her secret. Anderson executes this by deliberately writing her novel as a script, allocating the least lines to Melinda. Despite this, her thoughts loudly proclaim the turmoil she goes through.

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