Speak

Anderson, L. (2006). Speak. New York: Penguin Group. In this dark modern realistic fiction novel Melinda Sordino, a ninth grade student, is brutally raped at an end of summer party right before she starts high school. At the time of the rape, Melinda couldn’t find a way to speak up or call out for help, so she called 911. When the police arrive the party goers get in trouble for underage drinking. Not knowing about Melinda’s rape, the students label her a snitch and she becomes a social outcast who loses all her friends and consequently goes mute. She spends her entire ninth grade year dealing with her rape until she eventually finds her voice that she lost as a result of her trauma to reveal that the popular upperclassman Andy Evans is her rapist. Anderson’s writing transcends the pages of the novel as readers feel Melinda’s emotional pain as she tries to cope with being raped. Melinda’s quiet suffering is the novel’s strength as readers root for Melinda to find her voice and tell the truth. This novel is recommended for young adult readers in grades 8 and up.