Speak takes place in a small town called Merry Weather, Indiana. The summer before freshman year, Melinda and her friends decide to attend a party. While at the party Melinda decides to get some fresh air, and she bumps into the one senior guy every girl should avoid, Andy Evans. Melinda was not sober and did not know what was going on until after she was raped, so she dials 911 and the police shortly arrived, but she never tells anyone. When the students from Merry Weather High School discovered that Melinda was the one who called the police they hated her, and her friends stopped speaking to her. Eventually her grades are not the best, and she slips into depression. She then finds an abandoned janitor closet and makes it her "hiding place". Initially, a new girl from Ohio arrives, Heather, and they become friends, but later on Heather befriends Melinda. The only people who push her to do her best is Mr. Freeman and her lab partner David Petrakis. Spring arrives and Andy starts dating her ex-best friend, Melinda speaks up and tells Rachel what happened to her. At the end of the book, Andy tries to rape Melinda for the second time but fails.
Laurie Halse Anderson is the author of the book Speak.…show more content… It was written to have a well pace and it was never boring or a book you have to drag out. One of the things was well done was the character development and Melinda’s voice throughout the book. It had a strong message, which was to learn how to use your voice even if you think it doesn’t matter. The message is one can really benefit, since most of us keep many things to ourselves and never speak out. The title matches the book, Speak. Another thing I liked about the book that is actually true is the list Melinda made “The First Ten Lies They Tell You In High School”. In addition to the things I liked about the book, is that it had no chapters to it, it was all divided into four marking periods of the
