Speak

posted Jul 16, 2010 6:11 AM by D. Carlino

I didn’t really intend to do an author study this summer, especially not one as depressing as Laurie Halse Anderson seems to be.  However, sometimes I do things that I don’t intend to!  Browsing the shelves of the library, I came across Speak, a book that I have been intending to read for years, since it is almost always mentioned on lists of “must read” modern adolescent fiction.  I can see why…             Speak is a book about your voice and the importance of using it to assert who you are and what you want.  Too often young voices get silenced or dismissed as irrelevant or hysterical; however, this novel shows the devastating consequences of young adults, especially young women, not being able to speak up when they need to!             A mature book for a mature reader, I would suggest this book for readers grade 8 and above.  While the protagonist is a freshman girl, I would not call this book “chick-lit” and would recommend it to everyone.