Laurie Halse Anderson Speak

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The novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is a great book for students in middle school or high school to read. The novel teaches many important lessons that are often found in teenagers' lives. Speak should not be banned or challenged from the United States English Language Arts curriculum.

One reason the novel should not be challenged or banned because it covers serious issues, such as rape and depression, that can affect teens today. Laurie Halse Anderson said, "We have to be honest with them about what we've been through...we have to help prepare them." (Text 2)In the novel, readers learn that Melinda has been raped, which may seem inappropriate to teach, but is actually very important. School libraries are used to educate the students, …show more content…
According to Free Access to Libraries for Minors, “...only parents--have the right and responsibility to restrict...only their children--to library resources.” (Text 1) It is the parents decision of what books their children should read. Books with topics like the ones in Speak may be hard to read for children under the age of twelve, due to discussion of underage drinking and sexual content, but for students entering teenage years, it is important that they are taught about these things and how people like Andy Evans are really out there. Also, the government cannot decide what books students read. In the court case of Tevas v. Johnson, William Brennan stated, “...the government may not prohibit...an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.” (Text 3) This means that it is not up to the government to stop students from reading books, especially if those books could be beneficial to them. Although the topic may be hard to grasp, it is something that unfortunately occurs too often in today’s society. Rape is a serious crime and victims of it are blamed everyday and fear to tell their story, like Melinda. Speak can teach students that under no circumstance is it ever the victim’s fault. Speak should not be challenged or banned because it can help kids to understand real world
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