Teaching with Speak {by Laurie Halse Anderson}

 

With the chaos of summer classes, a rambunctious toddler, and an always-working husband, I rarely find the time to do much more than homework, cooking, and cleaning. Somehow, I found the time to read an entire book over the weekend. Trust me, I am as amazed as you are.  

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson was a National Book Award Finalists and was popular enough to warrant the creation of a Lifetime movie. Despite its obviously high merits, I dove in not expecting much more than a typical young adult novel about love and romance. (I hadn't seen the movie or read much about it.) I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised at how captivating, raw, and completely honest the book is from cover to cover.  

Speak tells the story of Melinda, an incoming freshman, who has a horrible drunken experience the summer before beginning high school. In the panic following the trauma, Melinda calls the police resulting in teen arrests and most importantly- utter hatred towards Melinda by the majority of the school. As Melinda deals intrinsically and silently with this trauma, her voice falls silent, too. That is, until, another encounter with the teen rapists leads Melinda to speak out and, moreover, finally be heard. 

Despite its fourth grade reading level according to Accelerated Reader Book Finder, Speak is more appropriate for students from eighth to twelfth grades. Not only does it tell a story that every young person needs to hear, but it also shows victims that happiness, resolution, and relief does not come until you speak. 

 If you ever find yourself in a high school classroom, share this book with your students and encourage them to find their voice when dealing with whatever trauma or situation they may be dealing with. 
You never know what difference one book can make in the lives of many. 

Stay tuned for more, Teaching in the A.M.