Arc Symbol: The trees Melinda draws and sculpts in art class serve to reflect her emotional growth throughout the story.And I Must Scream: As Melinda is being raped by Andy, she is internally screaming but is too drunk to say anything.Also, there's cheerleaders Jennie, Jen, and Jenna.Three of the school's cheerleaders are named Ashley, Aubrey, and Amber.The teachers and staff as well, though they do try to be helpful.Adults Are Useless: Melinda's parents notice her grades are plummeting and that she's becoming withdrawn and unhappy, but they think it's because she's 'jerking them around to get attention'.Neck is an unpleasant, xenophobic teacher in both the book and film adaptation, but the latter gives him a Pet the Dog moment near the end, where he asks Melinda if she's okay after Andy unsuccessfully attempts to rape her again. Academic Alpha Bitch: The Marthas, a clique of popular girls that spend their time doing volunteer projects and gossiping about Andy Evans.The Film of the Book was released in 2004, starring a pre- Twilight Kristen Stewart in the lead role.Ī graphic novel adaptation was released in 2018, with art by Emily Carroll. The plot mostly centers around Melinda's gradual decline, up until The Reveal of what happened at the party, and then focuses on her gradual climb out of the hole.Ī sort-of sequel that takes place in the same high school, Catalyst, was released in 2002. Her grades decline, her parents are alarmed, and Melinda can't find the words to tell anyone what happened eventually, she stops speaking almost entirely. She's not exactly the most popular kid in school, due almost entirely to her calling the police at a party last summer.Īfter the events of said party, Melinda's bright, outgoing demeanor spirals into bitterness, anger, and depression. The book centers around a teenager named Melinda Sordino who's just entered the ninth grade. The book has both won awards and been the target of vocal Moral Guardians over the years due to its subject matter.

Speak is a contemporary young adult novel by Laurie Halse Anderson published in 1999. I have seven new notebooks, a skirt I hate, and a stomachache.'

Speak anderson novel