Annotation:
"We fall into clans: Jocks, Country Clubbers, Idiot Savants, Cheerleaders, Human Waste, Eurotrash, Future Fascists of America, Big Hair Chix, The Marthas, Suffering Artists, Thespians, Goths, Shredders. I am clanless... I am outcast." Melinda Sordino enters high school and essentially becomes voiceless because of a summer incident she was blamed for.
Justification for Nomination:
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is about a young fourteen year old girl named Melinda Sordino. Friends and peers come to celebrate an-end-of-the-summer party and Melinda is put into a situation that leaves her no choice, but to call the cops. Everyone finds out that Melinda was the person who "ruined" their party and is shunned from her friends and social group. As high school starts, Melinda becomes traumatized by this fearful event and eventually fades away. She stops talking and finds comfort in art. Readers will get an opportunity to get inside Melinda's head and feel her emotions. This is a story that speaks about depression, abuse, identity, trauma and overcoming it all.
Anderson is such a genius! What a great debut for this author. She has a way of creating a story through Melinda's mind that is beautifully done. Anderson integrates symbolism in the narrative and incorporates imagery that would leave her readers breathless. Speak is such a powerful book that would relate to many young adults involving trust, relationship, and confession, especially trauma and recovery. This is a must read for everyone to realize the power of words and moving on after a turning point in life.
Genre: Printz; Realistic; Edgy
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