Speak
- Downloads：6205
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-08-18 05:55:18
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Laurie Halse Anderson
- ISBN：0312674392
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
I am Outcast。
The kids behind me laugh so loud I know they’re laughing about me。 I can’t help myself。 I turn around。 It’s Rachel， surrounded by a bunch of kids wearing clothes that most definitely did not come from the EastSide Mall。 Rachel Bruin， my ex-best friend。 She stares at something above my left ear。 Words climb up my throat。 This was the girl who suffered through Brownies with me， who taught me how to swim， who understood about my parents， who didn’t make fun of my bedroom。 If there is anyone in the entire galaxy I am dying to tell what really happened， it’s Rachel。 My throat burns。
Her eyes meet mine for a second。 “I hate you，” she mouths silently。
Melinda Sordino’s freshman year is off to a horrible start。 She busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops， and now her friends—and even strangers—all hate her。 Months pass and things aren’t getting better。 She’s a pariah。 The lowest of the low。 Avoided by everyone。 But eventually， she’ll reveal what happened at the party。 And when she finally speaks the truth， everything will change。
Speak was a 1999 National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature。
The kids behind me laugh so loud I know they’re laughing about me。 I can’t help myself。 I turn around。 It’s Rachel， surrounded by a bunch of kids wearing clothes that most definitely did not come from the EastSide Mall。 Rachel Bruin， my ex-best friend。 She stares at something above my left ear。 Words climb up my throat。 This was the girl who suffered through Brownies with me， who taught me how to swim， who understood about my parents， who didn’t make fun of my bedroom。 If there is anyone in the entire galaxy I am dying to tell what really happened， it’s Rachel。 My throat burns。
Her eyes meet mine for a second。 “I hate you，” she mouths silently。
Melinda Sordino’s freshman year is off to a horrible start。 She busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops， and now her friends—and even strangers—all hate her。 Months pass and things aren’t getting better。 She’s a pariah。 The lowest of the low。 Avoided by everyone。 But eventually， she’ll reveal what happened at the party。 And when she finally speaks the truth， everything will change。
Speak was a 1999 National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature。
Reviews
Laura
，
I stumbled upon this book by accident and gave it a listen。 I was really impressed with Anderson's ability to create a character who is clearly trying to deal with a traumatic event （not revealed until fairly late in the book） and do so in a realistic way。 The main character Melinda is hurting and grieving but unwilling/unable to share her experience。 Yet， despite her pain being real enough to make you want to jump through the pages and hug her， and occasionally fuss at her， it never appears ove I stumbled upon this book by accident and gave it a listen。 I was really impressed with Anderson's ability to create a character who is clearly trying to deal with a traumatic event （not revealed until fairly late in the book） and do so in a realistic way。 The main character Melinda is hurting and grieving but unwilling/unable to share her experience。 Yet， despite her pain being real enough to make you want to jump through the pages and hug her， and occasionally fuss at her， it never appears over-the-top or false。 Watching Melinda grow and shift and eventually fight back against her depression is a marvelous thing。 Also， because I listened to the 20th Anniversary Edition， there was a terrific afterword written and read by Jason Reynolds， and a question and answer session with Laurie Halse Anderson。 。。。more
Jessica Tarbet
，
Powerful story。 I can’t believe I had never heard of this book before。 Apparently everyone but me read it in high school 😅 Stories about r*pe are difficult to tell， but this author does a fantastic job of capturing the emotion of it rather than the needless details。
Jim Books
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Through art we may speak
lillie myers:）
，
3。8 ⭐️
Mrscheekymonkey
，
Very well written and important read for middle school/high school age。 It reminded me of Degrassi Junior High shows （Canadian）。 We watched them at school though out middle school。
madison
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 i saw a review with the same amount of stars that perfectly summed up how i felt about this book， so i’m just going to reiterate that and add some of my own thoughts。i can respect the message that this books has， and i don’t want to negate the fact that this book has an important message that i think everyone should read for the sake of understanding the point of view from someone who experiences something like Melinda has。 however， most of this book was incredibly mundane and quite boring to re i saw a review with the same amount of stars that perfectly summed up how i felt about this book， so i’m just going to reiterate that and add some of my own thoughts。i can respect the message that this books has， and i don’t want to negate the fact that this book has an important message that i think everyone should read for the sake of understanding the point of view from someone who experiences something like Melinda has。 however， most of this book was incredibly mundane and quite boring to read for my personally。 i loved the points about the art and Mr。 Freeman， but it’s not enough to make up for the lack of interest i had while reading。i think it was well written， and it has a lot of aspects that subtly show the affects of when something terrible happens to a person and they change drastically， and how mostly everyone around them don’t notice anything other than the fact that something has changed。 i think that was brilliant。 the report cards at the end of each term getting worse， the feeling of wanting to speak up and not being able to are all great aspects of this book。 but i just could。 not。 get myself to want to read this for enjoyment。 most of the time spent reading this book was to remember what happened and how everything unfolded because i had to read it in my freshman year high school english class。 i never once picked up this book because i was dying to know what happened next， or was overly interested in the characters。 so as much as it sucks to give this book a two star rating， that’s just what i have to give it。 i think everyone should read this book once though， and i think it gives a great representation of a young girl struggling to accept and work through a terrible thing that happened to her though。 。。。more
Melissa
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It was a little slow for me but I loved the character development and the ending！ This book sums up high school pretty well。
Aj
，
this was a very good bookand movie。 this touched on SA and bulling。 but if you get triggerd by SA i do not recommend this book
Archie
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I read Speak during my freshman year of high school， and I will forever be grateful to my teacher for having us read this book。 Melinda is social outcast who anyone in high school can relate to， and this makes her story all the more tragic and shocking to readers when what happens， happens。 What she went through should never have to be gone through by anyone。 Speaking up or speaking out is extremely hard and takes immense courage。 Speak is a book that I think everyone should read。
Montana
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This book was super hard to get through but when I was able too it helped me heal tremendously from my own violent rape。 When I didn't feel heard by people and authorities around me I felt heard and seen by the characters in Laurie Andersons book。 I will always have a spot in my heart for this story and the courage it gave me to keep going forward ❤️ This book was super hard to get through but when I was able too it helped me heal tremendously from my own violent rape。 When I didn't feel heard by people and authorities around me I felt heard and seen by the characters in Laurie Andersons book。 I will always have a spot in my heart for this story and the courage it gave me to keep going forward ❤️ 。。。more
Hannah
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I can see how this was revolutionary at the time。 She did a good job at explaining how high school can really feel。 Definitely influenced future books。
Sara
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Well， it was not the book I expected。 I would have preferred the criminal and exciting part to be more， but I finally finished it。 :））End date: 16/08/2022
Hailey
，
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson was a great read。 As I started reading the first pages I was attracted and wanted to read more。 I enjoyed how the author wrote about a topic that others can relate to。 In the book， I liked how Melinda referred to the antagonist as ''It，'' and later in the book she revealed ''It。'' I was able to imagine it well because the imagery and details were clean。 It was well written and the feelings of the main character was described in depth。 I was also able to finish the Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson was a great read。 As I started reading the first pages I was attracted and wanted to read more。 I enjoyed how the author wrote about a topic that others can relate to。 In the book， I liked how Melinda referred to the antagonist as ''It，'' and later in the book she revealed ''It。'' I was able to imagine it well because the imagery and details were clean。 It was well written and the feelings of the main character was described in depth。 I was also able to finish the book quickly because I was really invested in it。 Last thing I enjoyed， was at the end of the book， when Melinda starting opening up。 I recommended this book to other teenagers。 If I could read this book again， I would。 。。。more
Natalie Gillette
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Gut wrenching at times but also an important read， really well written and I couldn’t put it down
ray
，
this book was amazing。 a must read in my opinion。 it was also so easy to read due to the page format and the length of the book which i loved。
Kelli
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This book will stay with me for a while。 A must-read for parents and all teens。 I especially appreciated the Afterword with the letter to boys。
Michelle Foster
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This was a really good YA novel。 I liked the way it followed the main character throughout her school year。 I think a lot of the feelings the girl went through are very relatable。 This was a very difficult subject that was handled in a more delicate way than some other books。 It is a good book for young people to read to open the door to discuss sexual violence and consent。
Maddie Frampton
，
wow。 just wow。 😕
Ki W。
，
I think the book is good and deals with very serious issues and the constant mind battles the main character faced through out the book。 I like how she reacts with other people and how people react to her lack of reaction。 I like how she makes a friend， finds her live of art， and is still compassionate to the very people who turned their back on her。 I found myself relating with how she just exist in her room until she has to go to school。 When I read this book， it was during a time where the wo I think the book is good and deals with very serious issues and the constant mind battles the main character faced through out the book。 I like how she reacts with other people and how people react to her lack of reaction。 I like how she makes a friend， finds her live of art， and is still compassionate to the very people who turned their back on her。 I found myself relating with how she just exist in her room until she has to go to school。 When I read this book， it was during a time where the world had lost its color again and the sun was shining grey through my blinds， and finally read this book after I scrolled through social media thinking nothing for a few hours。 So in that manor I can definitely relate。I believe that the book is wrote well and does a great job at giving certain subjects there place and time and not rushing through very heavy subjects。 I like how she was able to find her voice to protect girls who did her wrong and said bad things about her。 And I believe people who have experience SA， and haven’t been able to talk about it might be to find their voice after reading this and I hope they do。 :）Now I didn’t give it a 5 because it’s kind of dull in the beginning and I really had to push through it but then again I was feeling depressed so maybe that’s on me。 Or maybe all this screen time is making my attention span shorter。 And there are times I found the main character kind of annoying but then maybe it’s because I find myself annoying and I see myself in her 。。 idk it’s a decent read。 If you like crying and reading this this one might be for you。 。。。more
Eric Vonrhein
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The best part was the post-book commentary。 It had good narrative drive in the last fourth。 It was funny in many parts。 Wish there was more reveals/plot narrative drive in the rest of the book。 Good topic and believably written。 An obvious impact on all of John Green’s books。 Three stars because I will never read again。
Inopia
，
//tw
Marisa Sarrasin
，
I would have never chosen this book if my friend hadn’t recommended it to me and I honestly have no regrets of reading it。 I loved this book so much and couldn’t put it down。 Well， honestly… In the beginning I did get a little bit bored at times。 But the ending proved that this book was an absolute masterpiece。 I love this how the book slowly got better and better towards the end， and the message that it spread。 I think that so many people should read this book to understand the perspective of t I would have never chosen this book if my friend hadn’t recommended it to me and I honestly have no regrets of reading it。 I loved this book so much and couldn’t put it down。 Well， honestly… In the beginning I did get a little bit bored at times。 But the ending proved that this book was an absolute masterpiece。 I love this how the book slowly got better and better towards the end， and the message that it spread。 I think that so many people should read this book to understand the perspective of the main character in a situation like this one。 5 stars！！ 。。。more
Natan
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3，5⭐️
Avery
，
i hate andy evans。 frat boy material
Grace
，
I am completely and absolutely obsessed with “speak”。 I’ve never related to a character as much as I do Melinda。 I have never went though the exact same truma she had gone though but，I have missed out on the social life of school。 I had friends who where just plain horrible as she had and I end up talking to them every now and then。 The book is amazing in every way，I love the way everything is thought out and I love how important the cover really is to the book （both editions）。 I couldn’t recomm I am completely and absolutely obsessed with “speak”。 I’ve never related to a character as much as I do Melinda。 I have never went though the exact same truma she had gone though but，I have missed out on the social life of school。 I had friends who where just plain horrible as she had and I end up talking to them every now and then。 The book is amazing in every way，I love the way everything is thought out and I love how important the cover really is to the book （both editions）。 I couldn’t recommend this book anymore then what I feel I already will be。 It is also a shorter read with it only being under 200 pages （including the authors note）。 。。。more
Irdina
，
im not writing this as a book review。 im just going to reveal that i am a survivor of sexual assault。 i was sexually assaulted by my teacher at my religion school when i was 12。 because i was young， and he was an adult， i didnt think of it as something wrong。 maybe it was a joke。 maybe he is treating me like his daughter like he always said。 but i was confused。。because i keep getting anxious over it， i had nightmares of it， i cant talk to men without getting anxious after that。 even my dad。"why im not writing this as a book review。 im just going to reveal that i am a survivor of sexual assault。 i was sexually assaulted by my teacher at my religion school when i was 12。 because i was young， and he was an adult， i didnt think of it as something wrong。 maybe it was a joke。 maybe he is treating me like his daughter like he always said。 but i was confused。。because i keep getting anxious over it， i had nightmares of it， i cant talk to men without getting anxious after that。 even my dad。"why didnt u report it" i did。 i did。 they didnt believe me。 they thought i just want him to get fired。 i spoke。 but they didnt believe。 so what can i do？ when i think of it times and times again， i feel sorry for 12 years old me。 she didnt know anything。 but the things she said。 oh god。 "is Allah going to accept my prayers？？ because im not pure anymore" its to the point where i feel guilty and shameful to perform a prayer。 because i thought its my fault。 maybe i behaved indecently。 maybe i got it coming。 maybe im overreacting。 maybe it didnt happen and it was all in my mind。 but i was wearing a full clothed school uniform and it covered every inch of me。 so why。 why did it happen to me。last word， to ustaz syafie， fuck you。 times and times over。 。。。more
Lia
，
i felt really bad for the main character throughout the whole book and once i finished it i thought all the other characters in the book were so inconsiderate or what she was going through even though the audience only finds out the reason of why she acted like that at the very end of the book
Amy
，
4。5。 Whoops， accidentally read two books about CSA in one day。 Would be five stars， but I felt the narrative style at the beginning somewhat immature; but the beauty of the writing develops as Melinda goes through introspection， and healing。 This is a story about healing， but it's a hugely emotional process for both character and reader。For this edition in particular， I appreciated the content at the end， particularly the discussion questions and resources for victims of sexual assault。 4。5。 Whoops， accidentally read two books about CSA in one day。 Would be five stars， but I felt the narrative style at the beginning somewhat immature; but the beauty of the writing develops as Melinda goes through introspection， and healing。 This is a story about healing， but it's a hugely emotional process for both character and reader。For this edition in particular， I appreciated the content at the end， particularly the discussion questions and resources for victims of sexual assault。 。。。more
katie📚
，
i loved the ending of this book and loved how Melinda told someone about what happened eventually
chi
，
im sorry but the ending just didn't make sense to me im sorry but the ending just didn't make sense to me 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Speak
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Speak&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Speak&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0