August Finale: Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson

Hi there!

Welcome to our August 2025 Finale for Laurie Halse Anderson's 1999 novel Speak.

Trigger Warning: Self-Harm, Sexual Assault, Suicidal Ideation, High School Drama, Emotionally Unintelligent Parents, Discussion of Rape

Overall

Overall, we both think we liked this book a ton. We felt that the first half and second half were very similar in that they were written in the same matter-of-fact expression. We think it's important to show different experiences with resolving your trauma and how different individuals may deal with it in several different ways. Melinda was going through a difficult time resolving her feelings after being assaulted. This book puts you in the mind of someone who may be going through something entirely different than what you, or any reader, may have experienced. We liked that she struggled in her way. It made the book more realistic.

Melinda's experience overall feels familiar because it was written for teens and other abuse victims- not to tell us what to do, but as a way of telling us that we will be listened to by the right people, but also that it's okay to not speak until you're ready. This book is meant to validate victims. You deserve to be heard - and we and Lauris Halse Anderson see you. You are seen. Whether you speak or not, you deserve to be listened to.

Melinda

Melinda is such an interesting protagonist because her trauma has been controlling her choices. She was proven correct that "speaking will get you into trouble" multiple times, and that's the whole point of the damn novel. Nobody listened to her, even when she was speaking without words, and Andy continued to commit atrocities against the teenage girls in the school, Melinda got beat up by her abuser, other girls suffered, and Melinda learned she couldn't trust anyboy that she opened up to verbally, over and over again (her parents, Rachel, Heather).

Melinda isolates herself from her friends because they isolated themselves from her first. They wanted to kick her out of their circles, not because she was bad in any way, but because she suddenly had a "reputation" that Andy and some others were spreading the rumor that Melinda was consenting and enthusiastic (which she literally was not consenting or enthusiastic at all).

The tree that Melinda has been working on the entire time has finally come to fruition in the finale of the book. This tree becomes a symbol of personal growth, communication, and freedom from fear. When Melinda kicked Andy's ass in the Janitor's Closet that Melinda had taken over, that tree finally let the birds fly free. The tree was a symbol of herself. Everything she felt - her big fears and feelings - came through every tree that she had created in art class. Her bad feelings made a tree with a diseased branch, and the leaves finally started to grow when she felt validated in her fear. The birds flying away? That's Melinda flying away from her fear. She owns the fear, and doesn't let it keep her grounded (in a bad way). Melinda doesn't want to be rooted in her fear - and eventually grows to own it, and be free of the troubles.

Hearing Melinda speak her truth in the finale was such a release of pressure. We were let into the room where it happened, and we were finally clued in to why Melinda reacted the way she did to him. Melinda deserved so much better, and through her story, so many are given a voice that they have previously not had. By hearing Melinda's experience in her own words, we're given a window into her constant state of stress.

Andy

This guy is scary. Mainly because he's so real, and sadly, common. Likeable, unassuming, and very easily covered for by friends and family. (Andy reminds us of Brock Turner.) Melinda refers to him as "IT" at the beginning of the novel - it might be a reference to Stephen King's concept of "IT" as a monster or a larger representation of fear. Melinda doesn't want to humanize him or give him the luxury of having an opinion, autonomy, or the benefit of the doubt as a flawed human. Calling him "IT" could also be a layer of Melinda protecting herself from remembering. He did something monstrous to her, and she had already said that she was avoiding the thoughts of him for a good reason - because she wasn't ready to.

She then moves on to calling him Andy Beast. This was around the time that Rachel started dating Andy more seriously. She had to humanize him a little bit and name him so that she could acknowledge that her is here and present, but that Rachel could be in danger. Melinda owes it to herself to speak up to Rachel and try to protect her. It's super mature to speak up. As adults, we may see it as an obligation to protect someone else because we know how to have empathy for others. Melinda developed empathy for Rachel and the other girls - it wasn't just because Rachel and Melinda used to be friends, but instead it was because she had experienced how evil Andy had become.

Andy ends the book not having received a punishment or direct addressing of his crimes. We think it's because the book is not about him, so it doesn't matter, but beyond that, it also speaks to the fact that Andy represents all abusers. And how many of them walk around every day free from consequences? How many of them don't suffer punishment or even a talking to about their abuse? On top of that, with the story being focused on Melinda, we want to give her the voice that she's been struggling with the whole book, and have her experience an emotional resolution, rather than turn the attention onto Andy and somehow seek justice for something he did that will never not affect Melinda. He could go to jail, but ultimately, it doesn't matter what happens to him because it doesn't erase Melinda's experience and suffering. No amount of money, jail time, or even some kind of corporeal punishment would undo what Andy did.

Mean Girls

Oh, Brother. Heather, Ivy, Nicole, Rachel. What is friendship for Melinda? Well, this is a difficult subject for her. She definitely will feel more comfortable speaking about her actual feelings with someone who is her friend. Her inner monologue becomes a conversation with this person.

Heather made us both so mad. The fact that she came crawling back at the end was absolutely manipulative. Heather treated Melinda like a disposable friend. Dogshit. Heather was really just out for herself; she's trying to get into a good school. We get why Heather would be like this - a clique having your back can be cool - and getting your resume up is always good - but Melinda definitely had bigger fish fry than Heather ever cared to understand.

Ivy was more friendly with Melinda overall, and was one of the first art-friends that Melinda made. She didn't judge Melinda's art pieces and actually gave her positive feedback on the art. Ivy had told Melinda not to talk to Andy, and Melinda definitely trusted her more overall. And after she wrote on the bathroom wall and saw all the responses, she felt like she wasn't alone.

In the end, Melinda tries to warn Rachel, because she's dating Andy (the guy who harmed Melinda). She writes an anonymous note to Rachel and finally speaks up to Rachel about Andy. Melinda sees Rachel in the study hall and realizes that it was her final chance to talk about the danger of being around Andy before the Prom. She tells Rachel, but Rachel doesn't believe her the minute that Melinda names Andy. Rachel reacts super poorly and goes to Prom with Andy anyway.

Nicole was a smaller character, the super-jock, who was very good at Tennis. After Andy attacks Melinda in the janitor's closet, Nicole and the lacrosse team had Melinda's back in the end.

David Petrakis

Melinda likes David, but not because he's a crush, but because he shows her basic respect. He was super cool in the first half and got a lawyer involved when Mr. Neck was being a jerk. The whole class loved him and let David talk the whole time, and Melinda had some thoughts about him. They get the assignment for the extra credit assignment. Melinda wrote an essay that she worked super hard on, and Mr. Neck singled her out and wanted her to read the whole essay to the class. She reaches out to David for help, and instead of poo-pooing on Melinda or trying to fix her problem, they make a plan on doing what she is comfortable with.

It doesn't go well, but that's not the point. Later on, they're chatting and chillaxing together, and he gives her a stick of gum, which gets Melinda excited about him. We see a full conversation with him (which is rare), and he doesn't make her feel bad at all.

"Do you lecture all your friends like this?"

"Only the ones I like."

omg we love David sm

She has a crush on him by this point, but her fear from her trauma is protecting her from the possibility of him breaking her trust. We would hope that if she opened up to him about what happened for any reason, he would understand and act appropriately.

Speaking and Listening

The concept of speaking in this book is less about the fact that Melinda didn't want to, but about the fact that if and when she did, nobody believed her words. We could talk about the Suffragettes that were mentioned in the book. They spoke a ton, and nobody listened to them. You can listen to someone without their needing to speak. A good example of that would be Mr. Freeman - he listened to Melinda's feelings without her having to talk about really any of her problems directly. He heard what she was saying through her art, and not through her words. Mr. Freeman understood that she needed to communicate without her vocalization of words.

Conclusion

Go read it. You are heard. If you or anyone you know is struggling with abuse or thoughts of self-harm, please reach out to your local resources or visit this link:

https://www.wannatalkaboutit.com/

With love, see you soon!

Ceraya & Brieanna