Point of View

Speak is written in the first person, in present tense, from the point of view of Melinda Sordino. Although Melinda is barely able to talk, through her first person narrative the reader is instantly intimate with her. We are drawn right into her head, experiencing her fear, anger and sense of humor.

Setting

Modern Syracuse, New York, is the setting for Speak. Most of the action takes place at Merryweather High School and at Melinda's home, with various scenes at the mall and other places nearby.

Language and Meaning

Author Laurie Halse Anderson has given her heroine a powerful voice, even though the other characters in the book cannot hear it. The words are sharp, vivid, urgent. They catch the reader's gut with Melinda's pain, flood us with tenderness at her wounded soul, make us cheer for her efforts to survive and bring laughter at her...