Review: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Speaking up is still important.

From the first moment of at Merryweather High, Melinda Sordino knows she’s an outcast. She busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops. Now her old friends won’t talk to her, and people she doesn’t know glare at her. No one knows why she called the police, and she can’t get out the words…

After finally reading this book with years of expectation. It's fine. For its time it was big deal to have a main character in YA be a survivor of rape, but now more is need. It is aimed at lower age group, with the main character being 13/14 than most modern books, it opens a door, more than a full discussion about rape and the culture that lets it be.

My main reason for reviewing this book, was the silent Protagonist aspect. She speaks more than I was led to believe, but does stopped talking to her parents and teachers, which is briefly addressed in the book.

This book famously deals with rape and this it was released in 1999. Next to modern books, it not as good. The character also self-harms, biting her lips to the point their covered in scabs and picks her fingers till their bleed, which is something I've not seen discussed by anyone else. Being a survivor of rape can led to mental health issues so it's nice to see this, and it going unseen is also common sadly.

I do like how this book shows bad friendships, especially aimed at age group vulnerable to them. Melinda becomes friends with someone looking for something better than her and is estranged from her middle-school friends due her calling the cops and is never given the chance to explain why. 

Overall, I give this book 3/5 stars for Drawn Flowers. This was an important book, and is still as relevant now as was then. I think the ending feels like a fantasy next to the realism of rest of the book. It is a book to give younger teenage and I know it becoming a problem that there's a lack of Young Adult. I think these book are hard to criticise, since they deal with serious issue that under talked about with respect. This isn't a bad portrayal but things could have been better for me. I rate stars by my gut, and three felt right.