SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson

Recently, I read Laurie Halse Anderson's SPEAK, a depressing story about a girl named Melinda Sordino. The first day at Merryweather High and she was being ostracized altogether by all the social cliques for calling the cops during a senior party that summer. Melinda refuses to speak to anyone and unknowingly expresses her feelings in art. The rest of the story circles on the reason she called the cops and her struggle of trying to overcome her trauma. The book is very funny at a few points and ridicules the absurdities of high school, social cliques and drama.

Quick Quotes Quill:
“It's easier not to say anything. Shut your trap, button your lip, can it. All that crap you hear on TV about communication and expressing feelings is a lie. Nobody really wants to hear what you have to say.”

“When people don't express themselves, they die one piece at a time. You'd be shocked at how many adults are really dead inside—walking through their days with no idea who they are, just waiting for a heart attack or cancer or a Mack truck to come along and finish the job. It's the saddest thing I know.” 

Pedestal Points:
- Many sentences in this book are no more than 5 words and are kept very very short. This beautifully emphasizes the fact that Melinda refuses to speak.