Book Report

Author: Anderson, Laurie
Title: Speak
Place of Publication: New York
Company: Farrar Straus Giroux
Date: October 1999
Reason, Type and Setting: I selected this book because a lot of my friends have read it and they recommended it to me. This book would be categorized in the genre of realistic fiction. The novel takes place in modern day, in Syracuse New York.
Plot: The major conflict in this book is how Melinda Sordino feels isolated and alone after a traumatic event that happens to her at a party, Melinda and her best friends got o an end of the summer party a few weeks before they start high school. During the party Melinda get drunk, and then is raped by a popular senior named Andy Evans. After this happens Melinda calls the police and then runs home instead of reporting the rape. Everyone at the party believes she called the police to break up the party. When Melinda enters high school she is friendless and holding a terrible secret. Her grades begin to slip and all of her best friends refuse to speak to her so she is an outcast at school. Melinda doesn’t tell anyone about her secret and she turns into a different person who is very negative and depressed. Though out the book Melinda struggles through many issues but finds an escape in her art.
Character: Melinda Sordino is a fourteen year old girl who is very quick witted and good at art. She is the main character in this book and plays the role of the victim. I selected her because I know and understand her the most out of all the other characters in the book. The plot changes Melinda drastically. In the beginning of the book she is very naive and innocent, but by the end she stops playing the role of the victim and becomes very strong and smart.
Evaluation: I really liked this novel. I think the author did a very good job of depicting some of the struggles teenagers go through in high school. I was always very interested and entertained through out the whole book. I thought it was very suspenseful and I liked how the storyline had many twists and mysteries in it. This book also taught me many things. I learned that it is very important to always be honest. When it comes to keeping secrets and concealing things it is usually better to tell the truth because if you don’t it will only end up hurting you. The main values this book taught were friendship and honesty. I learned a lot about how important it is to have people who will always be there for you, and that you can trust. I would recommend this book to others because I thought it was a very good book, and it can also teach you a lot about life.
This book can be closely connected to real life because many people are raped each year and that it is a danger of everyday life. It also describes the effects a victim of rape can have such as guilt and depression. This important for people to know and understand because it is something that happens everyday in America.
I think if I were in Melinda’s shoes I would have acted very differently. I would have told the police from the start and would not have kept it a secret. But I also do not blame Melinda she was very young and naive in the beginning of the book. I really loved the ending of the book and wouldn’t want to change the ending. I liked the ending because it was very exciting and it also had a happy ending.
Author, Context and Trivia: Laurie Anderson has written many other novels such as Fever 1793 and Twisted. Laurie Anderson is an American writer who lives in New York. She writes her books for children and teenagers. I have never read I book like this before but I plan to read more of this type and other books from Laurie Anderson. Over all I really enjoyed the book Speak and It has become one of my favorite books I have ever read.