The comments on this post were received at this year's NCTE. Thanks to all the readers, librarians and teachers who took the time to Speak Up About Speak!
This is a book that EVERY teenage girl should read! Laurie Halse Anderson has a gift with the ability to combine humor and the realities of life, even if they are heartbreaking. In this book, readers will connect with a girl who has a secret- one that her "friends" have turned against her for. Every person who reads this will walk away satisfied- she is my all time fav!!!
Speak is a phenomenal look at a girl's experience as a freshman and dealing with a traumatic experience. It's an amazing book that EVERYONE should read!
Thank you for creating such a masterpiece. Speak is a novel that all of my students enjoy and so many finish the novel commenting that it has changed their lives.
Speak is a novel every teenager should read. Girls, of course, but boys, too. It is real, timely and timeless all at the same time. I insist that every girl that I know must read this novel. Anderson is awesome!
Speak is an awesome book! I have a student that is going through something like this right now and Speak is the thing for her! Thanks so much for writing about a topic that needs to be spoken about!
Speak is an awesome book! I have a student that is going through something like this right now and Speak is the thing for her! Thanks so much for writing about a topic that needs to be spoken about!
Excellent book. My students were captivated by Melinda from the very first page. After reading Speak, we created public service announcements where the students spoke up about issues that they see facing youth.
This is the most amazing YA book EVER! We use it in working with teacher groups at our service center. The descriptions of the teachers make us laugh and cry and teach us more about ourselves that perhaps we didn't want to hear from our students. Thanks for the rich experience into the mind of an atypical teenager. Allison Silvertooth & Susan Poteet
Being the mother of three daughters and one son, I will be sure they all read Speak at the right time. Being the teacher of 118 - 7th graders, I hope I am guiding these young people to speak up for one another daily and not allow any type of injustice to be silenced.
I hear people say it’s the best book ever but I don’t think it’s as good as they say it is. I like how it is realistic and it shows teenagers what really can happen if you go to a party. I don’t really think that a girl would really go to the car with the guy thinking that they would really just go for a ride. Usually a girl would understand what the guy was asking when he said go for a ride. If she wasn’t drinking she probably wouldn’t have gone with him because she would have known what he was really asking.
What I think about the book is that it’s different than all the other books that I read before and I like it. People who have experienced what happened to the girl in the story feels the same pain. The guy in the story is such a jerk because he thinks he’s all that and he can get any girl he wants. She was raped and also her friends turned their back on them just because she called the police, like she needs any more crap going on in her life. She’s been through a lot already. I liked the ending because that guy got what he deserved.
The stoyline is pretty good but the ending totally ended out of nowhere... the drama was great... and the way the flashbacks worked were extraordinary...
I love this book! I think it represents teen reality. It could even get someone who is having a problem like this, to speak up and feel a little better.... Keep on writing awsome books Laurie!!! These kind of books are good for teens to read!!!
The book was good, but I don’t think it could have been so much better, what about Anne Frank? She was killed during WWII. Her story was true, and she didn’t whine about anything. Malinda seemed to be too whiney, she also could have been way smarter, if a guy asks you to take a drive with him at a party, he usually has something else on his mind. I think Malinda needs to be stronger emotionally, some girls are going to look to books for hope and a way out of a bad life, how are they supposed to do that when this book shows all the wrong choices to make.
I think this book was very good. It seems like this is something that probably would and has happened at a few high schools. I know some people may say it is inappropriate, but it speaks the truth. I honestly think this should be mandatory reading for middle schools and high schools because I personally know several people who have had things of this nature happen to them. All lot of them felt as if it was their own fault and ashamed so they didn’t want to speak up for themselves. I think if people who had went through something like this read this they would be able to have the courage to speak up about their experience
In my opinion really liked the book. It was good but I didn’t love it. I would recommend the book if you wanted to know about high school drama. As well how teens are affected by rape and the things they get into from making a bad decision. Thanks Laurie!
Speak is a decent, well-written book. It is not, on the other hand, a literary classic or a work that is, was, or ever will be influential on American writers. A girl is raped and afraid to tell anyone; the story is hardly different than 3 out of every 4 films that air on the Lifetime movie network. The majority of men are portrayed as either evil, completely indifferent, or insensitive. The aspects of the book which I think are brilliant are the bits of humor that help it flow. Without them, the book would be depressing and lifeless. Laurie Halse Anderson is an excellent writer, but just needs to be more creative.
The book is a must read for many girls not only for the specific topic of discussion, but the over lying theme to speak up and out against injustice. I see how the media portrays models and women in advertising, the idea that women should be seen and not heard permeates our society. This book not only empowers the meek and poor in spirit, but encourages those who are empowered to stand up for those who are not. For those who only see Melinda's decision to go for a ride with him as the fault of her, please realize she is a young niave girl who grows up in the process of fighting the emotions she feels. Whether or not she should have gotten in the car with him is NOT the issue at hand. Whether or not she should be persecuted and live in shame for what has been done to her is. Naive or not, does not justify HIS actions.
I liked about speak is that when she had protected herself from Andy when he was hitting her.Andy had made her break the mirrior, so then she had got a peice of it and put it up to his neck to show that she is nit fine to let him beat her up again.
I liked speak because its has funny langauge and she had a funny sense of hummor. she standed up for herself when Andy smashed her with a mirror and she fought back.
Speak changed my life. The writing is beautiful and mesmerizing. It really pulled me in and still pulls me in. The way Melinda feels about so many things are the way I feel about some things. There were those pages that had parts on it that sounded like me. You can feel the pain and other feelings she feels when she sees IT. Speak is my favorite book of all time. There is no other book that can even compare to it.
Laurie Halse Anderson writes in a fashion that is not only easy to read, but there is not a wasted word in her book, Speak. She was able to capture the voice of a teenager in a way that I have not read in a long time. Melinda's character represents the emotions so many teenagers are coping with, but do not know how to reach out for help. Melinda's use of sarcasm to reveal her feelings about clicks and situations in high school caused me to laugh out-loud, but it also made me sad because girls (and boys) are often treated so harshly by their peers. I can't wait to share this book with my own daughters. ~Mindi French~
35 comments:
I loved Speak!! Laurie you rock!
Every pre-service teacher should read "The First Ten Lies They Tell You in High School" from Chapter one of this powerful novel.
This is a book that EVERY teenage girl should read! Laurie Halse Anderson has a gift with the ability to combine humor and the realities of life, even if they are heartbreaking. In this book, readers will connect with a girl who has a secret- one that her "friends" have turned against her for. Every person who reads this will walk away satisfied- she is my all time fav!!!
Speak is a phenomenal look at a girl's experience as a freshman and dealing with a traumatic experience. It's an amazing book that EVERYONE should read!
Thank you for creating such a masterpiece. Speak is a novel that all of my students enjoy and so many finish the novel commenting that it has changed their lives.
Speak is a novel every teenager should read. Girls, of course, but boys, too. It is real, timely and timeless all at the same time. I insist that every girl that I know must read this novel. Anderson is awesome!
Speak is an awesome book! I have a student that is going through something like this right now and Speak is the thing for her! Thanks so much for writing about a topic that needs to be spoken about!
Speak is an awesome book! I have a student that is going through something like this right now and Speak is the thing for her! Thanks so much for writing about a topic that needs to be spoken about!
Excellent book. My students were captivated by Melinda from the very first page. After reading Speak, we created public service announcements where the students spoke up about issues that they see facing youth.
My kids love this book. It's one of the few they will read from beginning to end.
This book is one of the most powerful books I've ever read! Thank you Laurie for the intensity and healing felt in this book!
Thank you so much for your writing. You not only help me, but my students as well. Keep writing!
Kristina Guy
Fantastic book. I hope I get to see you here at NCTE!
I read Speak when I turned thirteen and thought, Wow, this is what YA is supposed to be.
This is the most amazing YA book EVER! We use it in working with teacher groups at our service center. The descriptions of the teachers make us laugh and cry and teach us more about ourselves that perhaps we didn't want to hear from our students. Thanks for the rich experience into the mind of an atypical teenager.
Allison Silvertooth & Susan Poteet
Amber
This is a powerful book for approaching difficult topics. Don't be afraid to speak up!
Being the mother of three daughters and one son, I will be sure they all read Speak at the right time. Being the teacher of 118 - 7th graders, I hope I am guiding these young people to speak up for one another daily and not allow any type of injustice to be silenced.
I hear people say it’s the best book ever but I don’t think it’s as good as they say it is. I like how it is realistic and it shows teenagers what really can happen if you go to a party. I don’t really think that a girl would really go to the car with the guy thinking that they would really just go for a ride. Usually a girl would understand what the guy was asking when he said go for a ride. If she wasn’t drinking she probably wouldn’t have gone with him because she would have known what he was really asking.
I read the book about 2 weeks ago. It’s a good book with a good message but I honestly don’t think it’s as good as people make it out to be. It’s a little too cliché for me, very Lifetime movie. I think it’s well written for what it is but it’s not exactly a page turner. It’s like a Ralph Nader book, no one cares. If it had been written with a little more originality, it might have caught my attention better.
I really liked the book but i was confused when i watched the movie. But you can learn something from this book.
What I think about the book is that it’s different than all the other books that I read before and I like it. People who have experienced what happened to the girl in the story feels the same pain. The guy in the story is such a jerk because he thinks he’s all that and he can get any girl he wants. She was raped and also her friends turned their back on them just because she called the police, like she needs any more crap going on in her life. She’s been through a lot already. I liked the ending because that guy got what he deserved.
The stoyline is pretty good but the ending totally ended out of nowhere... the drama was great... and the way the flashbacks worked were extraordinary...
I love this book! I think it represents teen reality. It could even get someone who is having a problem like this, to speak up and feel a little better.... Keep on writing awsome books Laurie!!! These kind of books are good for teens to read!!!
The book was good, but I don’t think it could have been so much better, what about Anne Frank? She was killed during WWII. Her story was true, and she didn’t whine about anything. Malinda seemed to be too whiney, she also could have been way smarter, if a guy asks you to take a drive with him at a party, he usually has something else on his mind. I think Malinda needs to be stronger emotionally, some girls are going to look to books for hope and a way out of a bad life, how are they supposed to do that when this book shows all the wrong choices to make.
The book speak is an amzing story.
i enjoyed most of the part.....(oh man the dude next to me just past out gas)... the ending is amazing
I think this book was very good. It seems like this is something that probably would and has happened at a few high schools. I know some people may say it is inappropriate, but it speaks the truth. I honestly think this should be mandatory reading for middle schools and high schools because I personally know several people who have had things of this nature happen to them. All lot of them felt as if it was their own fault and ashamed so they didn’t want to speak up for themselves. I think if people who had went through something like this read this they would be able to have the courage to speak up about their experience
In my opinion really liked the book. It was good but I didn’t love it. I would recommend the book if you wanted to know about high school drama. As well how teens are affected by rape and the things they get into from making a bad decision. Thanks Laurie!
snootch to the nootch
Speak is a decent, well-written book. It is not, on the other hand, a literary classic or a work that is, was, or ever will be influential on American writers. A girl is raped and afraid to tell anyone; the story is hardly different than 3 out of every 4 films that air on the Lifetime movie network. The majority of men are portrayed as either evil, completely indifferent, or insensitive.
The aspects of the book which I think are brilliant are the bits of humor that help it flow. Without them, the book would be depressing and lifeless. Laurie Halse Anderson is an excellent writer, but just needs to be more creative.
The book is a must read for many girls not only for the specific topic of discussion, but the over lying theme to speak up and out against injustice. I see how the media portrays models and women in advertising, the idea that women should be seen and not heard permeates our society. This book not only empowers the meek and poor in spirit, but encourages those who are empowered to stand up for those who are not. For those who only see Melinda's decision to go for a ride with him as the fault of her, please realize she is a young niave girl who grows up in the process of fighting the emotions she feels. Whether or not she should have gotten in the car with him is NOT the issue at hand. Whether or not she should be persecuted and live in shame for what has been done to her is. Naive or not, does not justify HIS actions.
i liked speak a lot because it shows how you should stay strong when your having a ruff time.
I liked about speak is that when she had protected herself from Andy when he was hitting her.Andy had made her break the mirrior, so then she had got a peice of it and put it up to his neck to show that she is nit fine to let him beat her up again.
I liked speak because its has funny langauge and she had a funny sense of hummor. she standed up for herself when Andy smashed her with a mirror and she fought back.
Speak changed my life. The writing is beautiful and mesmerizing. It really pulled me in and still pulls me in. The way Melinda feels about so many things are the way I feel about some things. There were those pages that had parts on it that sounded like me. You can feel the pain and other feelings she feels when she sees IT. Speak is my favorite book of all time. There is no other book that can even compare to it.
Laurie Halse Anderson writes in a fashion that is not only easy to read, but there is not a wasted word in her book, Speak. She was able to capture the voice of a teenager in a way that I have not read in a long time. Melinda's character represents the emotions so many teenagers are coping with, but do not know how to reach out for help. Melinda's use of sarcasm to reveal her feelings about clicks and situations in high school caused me to laugh out-loud, but it also made me sad because girls (and boys) are often treated so harshly by their peers. I can't wait to share this book with my own daughters. ~Mindi French~
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