Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson

One night, one party, one person, one call, that is all it takes to change somebody’s identity and shape them into the person they truly are. Melinda Sordino is the victim of a horrible night that changed her life. In the novel speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, the main character Melinda is faced with many challenges. Melinda attended a party the summer before ninth grade. She wasn’t thinking about the consequences that come with drinking, she was not thinking about how one little action could ruin her relationship with those around her,one action that could shape her identity into who she truly is, one action that she would be to traumatized to tell anyone about. Is Melinda strong enough to handle the rumors and lies? It often seems that

After that happens to somebody, there are usually two reaction, call the cops or do not tell anybody about it. In Melinda’s situation she did both. Melinda called the cops, “It's ok, we have your location we are on your way.”(pg. 136, Anderson) Since that night Melinda is labeled the snitch who busted the party. Not even Melinda’s “best friends” took the time to listen to the actual story. Melinda’s only response to this horrible incident is silence. This is only the start of Melinda Sordino's story. There is much more pain and hardship that will come throughout the novel

“I will make myself normal” (pg. 125, Anderson) At this point readers really start to see a change in Melinda. She begins to put an effort into her classes and herself. She was so caught up in what everybody else thought, she couldn’t see passed her own pain. Melinda begins to take control of her own life. She accepts that she has no friends, “We were never really, really friends, were we?”(pg. 105, Anderson), but none of them took the time to find out what was actually happening in her life. Melinda is a strong example for others that it is good to have friends, but some people do not need friends to express themselves. Melinda broke through her depressed state all by