Speak (20th Anniversary Ed) (Hardcover)
The first ten lies they tell you in high school.
"Speak up for yourself--we want to know what you have to say." From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, 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. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Only her art class offers any solace, and it is through her work on an art project that she is finally able to face what really happened at that terrible party: she was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her. Her healing process has just begun when she has another violent encounter with him. But this time Melinda fights back, refuses to be silent, and thereby achieves a measure of vindication. In Laurie Halse Anderson's powerful novel, an utterly believable heroine with a bitterly ironic voice delivers a blow to the hypocritical world of high school. She speaks for many a disenfranchised teenager while demonstrating the importance of speaking up for oneself.
This edition of Anderson's groundbreaking classic includes a new Introduction by acclaimed writer and cultural commentator Ford, an Afterword by Reynolds, the "New York Times"-bestselling author of "All American Boys, " an updated Q&A, resource list, and an essay and poem from Anderson.
Show Less
Target age group 12-18
"Speak up for yourself--we want to know what you have to say." From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, 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. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Only her art class offers any solace, and it is through her work on an art project that she is finally able to face what really happened at that terrible party: she was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her. Her healing process has just begun when she has another violent encounter with him. But this time Melinda fights back, refuses to be silent, and thereby achieves a measure of vindication. In Laurie Halse Anderson's powerful novel, an utterly believable heroine with a bitterly ironic voice delivers a blow to the hypocritical world of high school. She speaks for many a disenfranchised teenager while demonstrating the importance of speaking up for oneself.
This edition of Anderson's groundbreaking classic includes a new Introduction by acclaimed writer and cultural commentator Ford, an Afterword by Reynolds, the "New York Times"-bestselling author of "All American Boys, " an updated Q&A, resource list, and an essay and poem from Anderson.
Show Less
Target age group 12-18
-
CategoryYoung Adult Fiction
-
Age Group13 to 14 yrs
-
Grade Level6+
-
LanguageEnglish
-
BindingHardcover
-
Theme 1Social, Personal & Family Topics
-
Detailed (BISAC) Subject/ThemeSexual Abuse
-
AwardsNational Book Award - Finalist
-
AuthorAnderson, Laurie Halse
-
Lexile Level690
-
AR Level4.5
-
DeweyFiction
-
PublisherMacMillan (MPS)
-
Publication Date1/15/2019
-
Pages224
-
Dimensions1.0 H x 8.4 L x 5.6 W
-
Case Qty28
