Summary Of Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson

We tend to pay more attention to subjects in the news that usually relate and have an impact on our lives. I for one, am normally like that. When I saw the list of topics to choose from, I felt like I had a good understanding of all of the topics except for one. Although I did have a base of understanding about sexual assault, I knew there was still a lot for me to learn to truly know the topic. Before diving into the issue, I decided that I wanted to focus on a few specific questions. What are the roles of the victim and perpetrator, and what causes them to make the decisions they make? How many people report that they have been sexualy assulted to the police, and how would society change their decision to report it? Why does the perpetrator

I tried to focus my research to find the answers of these questions.

While reading Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, I learned things that both supported my thinking, but also made me realize other issues can lead to the problem. My thoughts before I read the book were focused on the perpetrator. I assumed they were the only ones to blame, and the victims were helpless. In reality, I learned that in some cases, the victim’s background can have much to do with getting themselves into the position they are in. I am not saying it is the victim's fault; however, their past can portray in their future. In Speak, Melinda, the main character, lives with her parents, but she doesn’t spend much time around them. To communicate about what they want, they leave post-its on the fridge. Their parenting is not the best, and it affects Melinda’s actions. When Melinda’s grades dropped, the family talked with

MNCASA, an organization who allies with other programs to prevent sexual assault based in Minnesota, suggests that, “In 2005-10, females, age 34 or younger, who lived in lower income households, and who lived in rural areas experienced some of the highest rates of sexual violence.” This offers that women with less stable lifestyles, are affected more by this problem. This proves that background can have to do with the decisions of the victim that lead to sexual assault. This got me thinking about how the specific roles of the victim and the perpetrator can vary from case to case. For instance, the victim and perpetrator may have known each other for awhile, and the victims bad decisions could have led to sexual assault, but on the other hand, the victim could not have any part in the assault, and it wasn’t always the victims fault at all. This means that while there should be serious consequences, the cases should be treated