Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

From the beginning of this story the reader can tell Melinda has issues, but we do not get the whole picture laid out until more than halfway through the book. It is written in the first person, and Melinda gives us hints that something traumatic had happened to her. As I read her story I had pretty much figured out what was going on, but I wanted to keep reading to know for sure and to see things work out.
Before the story started, Melinda had gone to a party with some friends during the summer, and she was raped. She called 911, and everyone was upset that she ruined the party, but she never told anyone why. This story goes through her entire school year and she talked about how she used to be a good student with good friends, but this year was different, and she was not able to move on until she told someone what had happened. Throughout the book the question comes up asking whether it is right or worth it to speak up.
This book is about a very serious topic that teenage girls have to be concerned about, but it was balanced by fun and interesting characters and situations so it was not too dark or depressing. Some elements that I liked were how the school librarian came across as very nice and helpful compared to some of the other teachers, and I liked the fact that her Lab Partner, whom everyone admired because he was not afraid to speak his mind, was named David! :) There were a few Bible references that readers who are familiar with the Bible would notice, but they were not really part of the story.

Review by David Dunkerton