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Review and Study Guide for Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak
A high school girl struggles to find her voice and recover after being raped.
by Ari Armstrong, Copyright © 2026
I read this book as part of my review of the books suppressed by Colorado's Elizabeth School District. See the main document.
Note: The fictional book at hand discusses the rape of a minor. Obviously it might be very upsetting for some readers. Anderson recommends, among other resources, the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network.
Speak
Laurie Halse Anderson
Farrar Strauss Giroux, 2019 (originally published 1999), Twentieth Anniversary Edition
Reading Notes
Speak is the story of a girl, Melinda, who was raped before she started high school, and, more centrally, about her slow recovery from that trauma.
It took me a while to figure out what the story is doing. Anderson uses Melinda's observation of and commentary on the external world to reveal her inner emotional state, which, as you can imagine, is chaotic and painful and therefore difficult for her to assess directly. It is a brilliantly written book.
It is also a profoundly important book culturally in terms of its anti-rape message. I wish I'd had the opportunity to read it in my youth. I consider this book a mandatory part of my son's education. Read it, promote it, discuss it.
Questions for Discussion and Review
1. What role do the "clans" play at the school (p. 4)? How much does Melinda exaggerate these divisions because of her emotional state? To what extent do comparable social divisions exist in real-life schools and in adult life?
2. The book begins with Melinda thinking, "I am dying to tell what really happened" (p. 5). Why does it take her so long to tell her story? For context, consider what Ashley C. Ford says in the foreword about her experiences and about what Anderson says in the interview at the end of the book.
3. Mr. Freeman, the art teacher, writes, "This is where you can find your soul, if you dare" (p. 10). What does he mean? How does Melinda's work with her tree art progress, and what does it teach her that ordinary conversation could not?
4. Heather is so obsessed with finding her group that she abandons her only real friend, Melinda. Why is Heather so desperate to belong? Why does Anderson leave Heather mocked and abandoned rather than writing a reconciliation with Melinda?
5. At one point, when Heather introduces her to some other students, Melinda narrates, "She introduces me to a bunch of pale, zitty faces" (p. 27). I wrote in my notes that this is a "relentlessly negative book." But the book's tone changes dramatically by the end. How does Anderson use Melinda's perspective on the outside world to reveal aspects of her internal emotional state?
6. Although the subject matter of the novel is traumatic, Melinda's narration often is darkly humorous, despite her depression. What does this style of narration say about Melinda's underlying personality and Anderson's creation of it?
7. Melinda is hyper-observant of the world around her and able to analyze the actions and motivations of others. But she seems unable to fully recognize her own level of trauma, anxiety, and depression, despite observing many warning signs in herself. Why?
8. Melinda feels like her own bedroom doesn't really reflect her (p. 33). She turns an unused school closet into her personal space (pp. 25–26). What does Melinda's evolving relationship with these spaces tell us about her internal world?
9. Although Melinda's parents yell at her about her low grades, they never seriously ask her what's wrong. Melinda's mom even replies callously to Melinda cutting herself with a paperclip (p. 88). Why do Melinda's parents fail to communicate with their daughter? Why throughout the novel can Melinda never bring herself to tell them what happened?
10. Later, a school councilor seems to think "family dynamics" are behind Melinda's troubles (p. 114). Why doesn't the councilor imagine other possibilities or just ask Melinda what's wrong in an appropriate way? What does the novel suggest about the potential for adults to miss warning signs and fail to recognize the suffering of children? More generally, why is everyone around Melinda so blind to the depths of her despair?
11. Melinda largely passes up various opportunities, including a deeper friendship with David and participation in basketball and tennis, for which she has obvious talents. What is Anderson saying about how trauma can blind a person to opportunities, relationships, and sources of meaning?
12. How does Melinda's work in the yard interact with her artistic work with trees to help her understand her trauma?
13. How do watching David take a stand in class (p. 57), thinking about what her heroes would want her to do (p. 151), writing a note (p. 152), imagining a discussion with television personalities (p. 164), and writing graffiti (p. 175) help Melinda work up to speaking about her trauma?
14. Students and a teacher argue about symbolism in literature (p. 100–102). Why does Anderson include that? What can we infer from the novel about Anderson's position on symbolism? What symbols does she use in the novel?
15. When dumping Melinda, Heather tells her, "You have a reputation" (p. 106). But her reputation is built on misunderstanding and rumor. By the end, Andy deserves his reputation. What is the social function of reputations, how can reputations be accurate or not, and what responsibility does a person have in judging someone else's reputation?
16. Why does Melinda for a time find comfort in hiding out at the hospital? What does the hospital represent to her? (p. 111)
17. How does Melinda's understanding of Andy, and of what he did to her, change over the course of the novel?
18. Mr. Freeman says, "When people don't express themselves, they die one piece at a time" (p. 122). What does he mean? Is he right?
19. In defiance of her teacher, Melinda chooses not to orally present her project in class but instead to write a statement and hand out copies of her paper (p. 156). But David tells her, "The suffragettes were all about speaking up, screaming for their rights" (p. 159). When is it appropriate to stay silent and when is it better to speak out?
20. Why does Rachel initially respond as she does to Melinda telling her that Andy raped her? (p. 184) Why is she later able to change her response? (p. 191)
21. What change does speaking out make in Melinda's life, and why is that act so powerful for her?
22. Why does the novel end with Melinda telling her story to Mr. Freeman? Where do you think the story goes from there?