Why is the book Speak considered fiction?
Fiction books differ from non-fiction books simply because they are not true. Non-fiction books tell real stories about real people, while fiction books tend to be written solely for entertainment purposes. Although a fiction book can be based around real events, the actual story-line and characters are completely made up by the Authors ...
Who published the book Speak?
The paperback version was published in 2001 by Puffin Books, an imprint of Penguin Publishing. Speak has been translated into 16 languages. In 2018, Anderson revealed that she was raped when she was thirteen years old, and the novel was based on her experience. [11]
What is a summary of the book Speak?
Summaries
- After a blurred trauma over the summer, Melinda enters high school a selective mute. ...
- In the book Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda Sordino is forced into the worst year of her life. ...
- Freshman high-school student Melinda "Kristen Stewart" has refused to speak ever since she called the cops on a popular summer party. ...
Who is it in the book Speak?
Melinda Sordino. Melinda Sordino is the main character of the book "Speak". She is 15 years old and is beginning her freshman year at Merryweather High School. She also does poorly in school, and doesn't socialize very easily with other students. She is considered the mute of the school.
When was Speak published?
1999Speak / Originally published
Who is the author of Speak?
Laurie Halse AndersonSpeak / AuthorLaurie Halse Anderson is the author of numerous books for children and teens. Her highly spoken about novels include Speak, which was a National Book Award finalist, Printz Honor Book, and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults.
What city was Speak published in?
Author: Anderson, Laurie Halse. Published: New York : Farrar Straus Giroux, 1999.
What is the theme of the novel Speak?
Theme of "Speak" Melinda was raped at the party by a boy named Andy Evans. After the rape, Melinda is unable to speak about what happened to her and quits speaking altogether. Rape and the consequences for the victim is the main theme, along with losing one's voice and the tremendous courage it takes to find it again.
Why did the author write Speak?
Anderson said she wrote “Speak” based on her own experience of being raped as a teen. She struggled for years to find the words or the courage to express what she'd gone through. Much has changed since then, she said, and “Speak” has become required reading in some schools across the country.
Is the book Speak a real story?
SPEAK is a work of fiction.
What is the main setting of Speak?
Syracuse, New YorkSpeak is set in Syracuse, New York. This location is most significant because of the weather, which Melinda Sordino is very tuned in to. Her journey back to life after being raped is reflected in the seasons. Melinda grows more and more brittle, fragile, and cold through the long Syracuse winter.
What is the plot of Speak?
After a blurred trauma over the summer, Melinda enters high school a selective mute. Struggling with school, friends, and family, she tells the dark tale of her experiences, and why she has chosen not to speak. In the book Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda Sordino is forced into the worst year of her life.
Where is the book Speak banned?
Locations Banned or Challenged: Challenged – Sarasota, Florida 2013 – Parents at Laurel Nokomis Middle School in Sarasota, Florida became outraged when they equated the book Speak about a 13-year-old girl being raped as pornographic.
What is the main conflict in speak?
Person vs Self This is the main conflict in the novel. Melinda has to decide whether or not to tell anyone about being raped. She has to relearn how to stand up for herself and speak up. Eventually she overcomes her struggles by opening up and telling her story.
What is the climax in speak?
The climax here occurs when Melinda finally confronts Andy as he tries to rape her the second time. The first time she couldn't find a way to speak or call for help, but this time she does and the evil he has perpetrated on her and other girls in the school finally comes to an end.
What are some symbols in the book speak?
Speak SymbolsTrees, Seeds, Plants, and Forests. Near the beginning of the novel, Melinda is assigned a tree as her yearlong assignment in art class. ... Birds. ... Melinda's Closet. ... Melinda's Bedroom. ... Mirrors. ... Lips. ... Blood. ... Water, Ice, and Melting.More items...
Is there a Speak 2?
So far, there's no sequel, but Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Speak, gets requests for a sequel ever day. She wants to write one, but is waiting until "Melinda is ready" ("Here's the thing…" in Speak: 10th Anniversary Edition).
How old is Melinda from Speak?
She's only fourteen-years-old, and she's dealing with one of the worst things that can happen to a person: rape. High school senior Andy Evans rapes Melinda at the end-of-summer party just before Melinda starts 9th grade.
How old was Kristen Stewart in Speak?
thirteenStewart starred in the Lifetime/Showtime television film Speak (2004), based on the novel by the same name by Laurie Halse Anderson. Stewart, aged thirteen at the time of filming, played Melinda Sordino, a high school freshman who nearly stops speaking after being raped.
Is the movie Speak based on book?
Speak is a 2004 American independent coming-of-age teen drama film based on the award-winning 1999 novel of the same name by Laurie Halse Anderson. It stars Kristen Stewart as Melinda Sordino, a high school freshman who practically stops talking after a senior student rapes her.
Who Is The Author Of Speak?
Anderson Tells Her Own Story in ‘Shout’ During the 20 years that followed Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson wrote an op-ed piece. In her poetry memoir Shout, Anderson discusses a brutal rape at the hands of her abusers.
What Is The Book Speak By Laurie Anderson About?
This is Laurie Halse Anderson’s first novel; it is about the struggle of thirteen-year-old Melinda Sordino after she is raped by another student at a party in the summer before she was going to college. events which comprise the school year, from the four marks periods each marking period of the year, at any given time.
What Is The Book Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson About?
In her story, Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson recounts how a year-old Melinda Sordino is raped by another student at a party the summer before her freshman year in high school. Her story is told in first person through her narrative.
Why Was Speak Banned?
Having been deemed to contain a political viewpoint, and because it was claimed to be biased against male students and for its rape, profanity-filled chapters, A Wrinkle in Time made the Forbes Book Lists of the 4th Most Deliberating Book in America.
Was The Author Of Speak Raped?
As Anderson reveals in Shout, a memoir she recently published, she was raped when she was 13, and it took decades for her to learn from the experience what she experienced and explore the possibility of healing. book opens: “This is the story of a girl who lost her voice and became the author of her own unique voice.
Is The Movie Speak Based On A Book?
A 1995 American independent coming-of-age drama film, Speak is based on Laurie Halse Anderson’s 1999 international best-seller. Using Melinda’s eyes, you’ll witness her sardonic humor and blunt honesty as she chronicles her life.
Is The Book Speak Based On A True Story?
Laurie Halse Anderson published her first novel, Speak, in 1999 and has written eight. Based on the experiences of Anderson who was raped as a teenager and the trauma she faced during that time, the novel takes its inspiration from true stories.
What happened to Melinda Sordino?
The summer before her freshman year of high school, Melinda Sordino meets senior Andy Evans at a high school party. During the party, Andy rapes Melinda. In shock, Melinda calls 9-1-1, but does not know what to say and runs home. The police come and break up the party, and some people are arrested. Melinda does not tell anyone what happened to her, and nobody asks. Melinda is befriended by Heather, a girl who is new to the community. However, once Heather realizes that Melinda is depressed and an outcast, she ditches Melinda to sit with the "Marthas," a group of girls who seem charitable and outgoing, but are actually selfish and cruel. As Melinda's depression deepens, she begins to skip school, withdrawing from her already distant parents and other authority figures, who see her silence as means of getting "attention". She slowly befriends her lab partner, David Petrakis, who encourages her to speak up for herself.
What is the voice of Melinda Sordino in Speak?
Speak is a first-person, diary-like narrative. Written in the voice of Melinda Sordino, it features lists, subheadings, spaces between paragraphs and script-like dialogue. The fragmented style mimics Melinda's trauma. The choppy sentences and blank spaces on the pages relate to Melinda's fascination with Cubism. According to Chris McGee and DeTora, Anderson's writing style allows the reader to see how Melinda struggles with "producing the standard, cohesive narrative" expected in a teen novel. Melinda's distracted narrative reiterates the idea that "no one really wants to hear what you have to say". In her article, "Like Falling Up into a Storybook", Barbara Tannert-Smith says,
What is the Dewey decimal for "speak"?
Dewey Decimal. [Fic] 21. LC Class. PZ7.A54385 Sp 1999. Speak, published in 1999, is a young adult novel by Laurie Halse Anderson that tells the story of high school freshman Melinda Sordino. After a sexual assault ends up in her busting the end of a summer party, Melinda is ostracized by her peers because she will not say why she called the police.
What is Anderson's writing style?
According to Chris McGee and DeTora, Anderson's writing style allows the reader to see how Melinda struggles with "producing the standard, cohesive narrative" expected in a teen novel. Melinda's distracted narrative reiterates the idea that "no one really wants to hear what you have to say".
What is the book "Speak" about?
Speak is written for young adults and middle/high school students. Labeled a problem novel, it centers on a character who gains the strength to overcome her trauma. The rape troubles Melinda as she struggles with wanting to repress the memory of the event, while simultaneously desiring to speak about it.
What is Melinda's PTSD?
Post traumatic stress disorder. One interpretation of Melinda's behavior is that it is symptomatic of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of her rape. Like other trauma survivors, Melinda's desire to both deny and proclaim what happened produces symptoms that both attract and deflect attention.
What is Anderson's precursor text?
Anderson incorporates precursor texts that parallel Melinda's experience. In the story, Melinda's English class studies Nathaniel Hawthorne 's The Scarlet Letter, which features similar fairy tale imagery. Hester Prynne, an outcast protagonist like Melinda, lives in a cottage at the edge of the woods.
Why is Melinda a friendless outcast?
She is friendless--an outcast--because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. Through her work on an art project, she is finally able to face what really happened that night: She was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her.
What is Goodreads for?
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Is Speak a graphic novel?
The modern classic Speak is now a graphic novel.
Is Melinda's voice more powerful than the original?
In my opinion, Melinda's voice feels more powerful in the original (probably because her voice, her narration, is all we get), but the graphic novel has stunning art and the visual aspect adds a different layer to the story.
Is the graphic novel a true adaptation?
The graphic novel is a very true adaptation of the original. A few differences here and there--some mode …more. No, you wouldn't really miss out on anything. The graphic novel is a very true adaptation of the original.
What is Melinda Sordino's first day of high school?
Image courtesy of madwomanintheforest.com. Melinda Sordino starts her first day of high school like any other teenager. She has seven new notebooks, a skirt she hates and a stomachache. Throughout the first chapters of Laurie Halse Anderson’s “Speak,” Melinda seems like your average teenage girl. She struggles with her identity, family ...
What does "speak" mean in the book?
Survivors like Melinda are beginning to realize the impact they can make by speaking up. And, finally, people are starting to listen. “Speak” is a book that not only has the power to change lives, but to save them. Banning this book means silencing victims and their stories.
How effective is Melinda?
The novel is incredibly effective in its use of character and voice to explore such a difficult subject. Melinda is authentic, which makes it easy for readers to connect with her. Imagery and symbolism express the intense emotions Melinda must grapple with on the way to her recovery.
What is Melinda's struggle with?
She struggles with her identity, family and a new school. However, her best friends have abandoned her after an incident at a summer party. Without anyone to turn to, Melinda deems herself an outcast. She finds comfort in art class and the poet Maya Angelou. But Melinda is holding onto a secret.
Who was the woman who was assaulted on the Senate floor?
27, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford recounted her experience with alleged sexual assault on the senate floor while the entire country watched. Survivors like Melinda are beginning to realize the impact they can make by speaking up.
Is "Speak" a banned book?
Melinda was raped. According to The American Library Association, “Speak” was one of the Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books between 2000 and 2009.
What makes speak by Laurie Halse Anderson great?
What makes Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson great is the time when it was published. This book was published in 1999, almost 20 years ago. Twenty years ago, the YA genre didn’t exist. When Laurie Halse Anderson tried to get this published, a publisher emailed her back and said “it’s good, but teens don’t like reading”. The YA genre didn’t really become what it is today until after Twilight was published.
What is the book "Speak" about?
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is a character driven novel about a girl named Melinda who has just started high school. She is withdrawn, feels like an outcast, and has troubling talking as a result of being raped at a party over the summer.
Who played Melinda in the movie?
If you enjoyed the book at all I would highly recommend giving movie a watch. Kristen Stewart actually played Melinda. She was fourteen years old when the movie was shot, and she did such a beautiful job of conveying Melinda’s emotions while having minimal dialogue.
Is the first person narrative fluid?
The first person narrative is fluid and natural. The paragraphs are short. To a large extent, this feels like a journal written by the narrator Melinda. To pull the reader closer to the action, the book is written in the present tense, so we’re encountering everything directly alongside Melinda.
Overview
Speak, published in 1999, is a young adult novel by Laurie Halse Anderson that tells the story of high school freshman Melinda Sordino. After Melinda is raped at an end of summer party, she calls the police, who break up the party. Melinda is then ostracized by her peers because she will not say why she called the police. Unable to verbalize what happened, Melinda nearly stops speaking alto…
Synopsis
The summer before her freshman year of high school, Melinda Sordino meets senior Andy Evans at a high school party. During the party, Andy rapes a drunken Melinda. In shock, Melinda calls 9-1-1, but does not know what to say and runs home. The police come and break up the party, and some people are arrested. Due to Melinda calling police to the party, she becomes ostracized by her peers and abandoned by her friends.
Narrative style
Speak is written for young adults and middle/high school students. Labeled a problem novel, it centers on a character who gains the strength to overcome her trauma. The rape troubles Melinda as she struggles with wanting to repress the memory of the event, while simultaneously desiring to speak about it. Knox College English Professor Barbara Tanner-Smith calls Speak a trauma narrative, as the novel allows readers to identify with Melinda's struggles. Hofstra University Writ…
Theme
One theme of Speak is finding one's voice. Another theme in the novel is identity. The story can also be viewed as speaking out against violence and victimization. Melinda feels guilty, even though she was a victim of sexual assault. Yet, by seeing other victims, like Rachel, Melinda is able to speak. Some see Speak as a story of recovery. According to Latham, writing/narrating her story has a therapeutic effect on Melinda, allowing her to "recreate" herself.
Point of view
Speak is a first-person, diary-like narrative. Written in the voice of Melinda Sordino, it features lists, subheadings, spaces between paragraphs and script-like dialogue. The fragmented style mimics Melinda's trauma. The choppy sentences and blank spaces on the pages relate to Melinda's fascination with Cubism. According to Chris McGee and DeTora, Anderson's writing style allows the reader to see how Melinda struggles with "producing the standard, cohesive narrative" expec…
Symbolism and greater meaning
Throughout Speak, Anderson represents Melinda's trauma and recovery symbolically. Barbara Tannert-Smith refers to Speak as a "postmodern revisionary fairy tale" for its use of fairy tale imagery. She sees Merryweather High School as the "ideal fairy tale domain", featuring easily categorized characters—a witchy mother, a shape-shifting best friend, a beastly rapist. Mirrors, traditional fairy tale tools, signify Melinda's struggle with her shattered identity. After being rape…
Honors and accolades
Speak is a New York Times Best-Seller. The novel received several awards and honors, including the American Library Association's 2000 Michael Printz Honor and the 2000 Golden Kite Award. It was also selected as a 2000 ALA Best Book For Young Adults. Speak gained critical acclaim for its portrayal of the trauma caused by rape. Barbara Tannert-Smith, author of "Like Falling Up Into a Storybook: Trauma and Intertextual Repetition in Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak.", claims the sto…
See also
• Rape trauma syndrome