Speak
From Disruptive Technologies
Speak By: Laurie Halse Anderson published: 1999 by Penguin Putnam Books.
Contents |
[edit] Film
Speak Sundance Film Festival Production 2004 93 minutes Directed Dy: Jessica Sharzer Starring: Kristen Stewart, Eric Lively, Elizabeth Perkins, D.B. and Steve Zahn.
[edit] Plot
Speak is the narrative of a young outcast, Melinda Sordino, who spends most of her freshman year of high school in silence. This novel takes place inside her head as she goes about her public and private life. Melinda is ostracized by her fellow classmates and old friends because she called the cops while at an end-of-summer party.
She is half-rescued by a transfer student from Ohio named Heather, who wants to get Melinda's friendship for selfish reasons of her own, although she too, finds it difficult to enter the social pipeline without ditching our main character. As Melinda is blamed for getting a couple kids arrested due to her calling the cops, she finds her popularity waning.
Her silence is provoked by her desire to share her “secret” but her inability to confront the happenings of the party. The more she allows the silence to take hold of her, the harder it becomes to speak. When she does try to tell her old friend Rachel what happened at the party, Rachel accuses her of lying because she is jealous of Rachel’s popularity.
[edit] Characters
Melinda Sordino: School outcast and Selective Mutest. Main Character who is suspected of calling the cops on a party during the summer before she enters High School.
Basketball Pole: Tall guy on the basketball team who can't shoot a free throw. Melinda is asked to teach him how to throw a foul shot, but shenever does. Basketball Pole is the one responsible for accidentally hitting Melinda with mashed potatoes and embarrassing her the first day of class during lunch.
The Marthas: Named after "somebody in the Bible" but now followers of "St. Martha of the Glue Gun" (Martha Stuwart). A elitest group of female high school, prepy fassion police who recruit Heather, though she never passes "freshman member probation". The Marthas enjoy coordinating outfits, helping out in the community, and doing good deeds for teachers.
Mr. Stetman: The Math teacher specializing in Algebra who feels the need to continually justify the importance of his subject in the world. A "nice guy" according to Melinda.
Mr. Freeman: Melinda's crazy art teacher who tells her to draw trees. He inspiries her and in the end, it is Mr. Freeman who Melinda chooses to confide in. (It should be noted that usually Melinda reserves the real names for those teachers whose classes she either does well in or enjoys more than others; she tends to make up names, such as Mr. Neck, for those teachers, faculty and students who tend to pigeonhole her and make her uneasy.)
"Hairwoman": English teaher who continually has her head down and face hidden behind her hair.
Rachel/Rachelle: Ex-best friend who took Melinda to the end of summer party. Hangs out with the foreign ex-change students and is continually changing her "look." Starts dating Andy Evans and goes to prom with him.
Heather: New girl from Ohio that befriends Melinda without knowing her past. Later trades Mels friendship for the popularity of the Marthas.
David Petrakis: Melinda's lab partner. A bright young man, Melinda admires his bravery and intelligence; she develops a crush on him, but refuses to go to his house for a pizza party when invited because the trauma from being raped has left her with the fear of being touched by a male.
Ms. Keen: Biology Science teacher
Mr. Neck: Social Studies teacher, Men's Basketball Coach and In-School Detention Offical who does not like Melinda.
Principal Princial: The Principal
Guidance Counselor: Not very bright.
'Andy Evans "The Beast" "IT" "Greek God"': The reason Melinda calls the cops, the reason she feels like she has no voice, the reason she hides in baggy clothes. Andy is the rapist of Merryweather high School and Melinda is only one of those he has hurt.
Ms. Connors: PE teahcer who admires Melinda's skill and tries to get her to particapate more. She never really succeeds.
Ivy: An arty ex-friend who is in Melinda's art class. They slowly rekindle a relationship after Ivy's anger begins to melt and they connect through their art work (as well as their fears) over the year.
Nicole: Ex-friend that is a major jock and in Melinda's PE class. Nicole is in the right place at the right time and comes to Melinda's rescue at the end of the book.
Jessica: One of Melinda's friends who moves to Nevada at the end of the summer. "Mostly Ivy's friend anyway."
Menal was here :)
[edit] Young Readers
Link: Female, 17, Liberty High School, Ca.
Did you like the way the book was written? Link: Yes, I thought it was written well. It was easy to understand,not confusing like most books.
Can you relate to anything that Melinda is going through? Link: In someways I guess. Being an outcast... I'm sure eveyone can relate to that once in awhile.
Favorite part: Link: I dont know
Are there students like this in your school? Link: Not that I know of...
Does this resemble high school life or is it completely fictional? Link: In some ways it resembles highschool life. When someone does something that many others dont like they normaly become an outcast. Or made fun of, teased.
Do you have a teacher that has inspiried you? Link: No
Would you like to see books like this in a regular classroom? Link: yeah, I would.
[edit] Weblinks
A book review from Teenreads.com [1]
CNN Book Review [2]
Teen Health Article Addressing Date Rape [3]
A Rape Story [4]
- http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/facts/general/fs_what_is_ptsd.html
- This is a link to the National Post Traumatic Stress Disorder site. PTSD is often experienced after rape or other life changing/threatening events and can often result in voluntary discontinuation of vocal communication.
Take this Quiz! How much do you know about date rape? [5]
