SPEAK Pg 1-70

Summary:

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson portrays the first year of high school of a 13 years old girl named Melinda.  The story is told by Melinda herself and is divided into sections that describe a specific part of her day. Melinda just started high school. The summer before school started her and her best friends went to a party where most people were older than them. Something happened at the party that made Melinda call the cops. Because of that when school started, the girls she grew up with and considered her best friends stopped talking to her. The first day of school was horrible for Melinda. She was all alone because no one would talk to her since they remembered her as the girl who crushed the party by calling the cops. The only girl who talks to her is a new girl Heather, who has no idea what happened during the summer. Heather talks a lot which sometimes bothers Melinda but in the same time she feels kind of happy that she is not alone.

Quote:

            “Rachel Bruin, my ex-best friend. She stares at something above my left ear. Words climb up my throat. This was the girl who suffered through Brownies with me, who taught me how to swim, who understood about my parents, who didn’t make fun of my bedroom. If there is anyone in the entire galaxy I am dying to tell what really happened, it’s Rachel. My throat burns. Her eyes meet mine for a second. “I hate you,” she mouths silently.” (Anderson 5)

Reflection:

            This quote shows how what happened during the summer time changed Melinda’s relationship with her best friend. The girl that she has known for all her life and that have been together for a long time. Melinda wishes that Rachel would listen to her so Melinda can explain why she had to call the cops at the party. But Rachel has changed a lot. According to Melinda, she tries so hard to fit in and she wouldn’t listen to what Melinda has to say. Melinda reflects back to the times prior to the party, when she and Rachel used to make plans about high school but everything has changed. She has lost her best friend who apparently hates her now.