Speak: TheGraphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carroll

Anderson, L. H., & Carroll, E. (2018). Speak: The graphic novel. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.

Melinda Sordino has changed over night. She went from having close friends to being a freshman pariah. Her ex-best friend Rachel/Rachelle won't speak to her, and Melinda fears she will always be known as the girl who called the cops during the final summer party. Speak tells the story of a girl trying to silently cope with her experience with rape. Throughout the story she battles her inner demons (or in this case bunny rabbits) that seem to always lead her down the rabbit hole of depression.

The graphic novel published in 2018 is a fresh new look at how Laurie Halse Anderson's raw gripping novel, Speak, can relate to every generation. A big part of Melinda's recovery and self-discovery is through her art class assignments, so it seems perfect to see this story also told through a new art form. The specific style of art (all black and white) used in conjunction with Anderson's writing makes the story even more harrowing and heart wrenching.  I read Speak for the first time when I was in high school, and I revisited this world when I became a first year teacher. I was so happy to get to visit Melinda's mind again, but in a new way. The artwork done by Emily Carroll adds a tangibility to Melinda's pain and allows the reader to sit in that pain with her in a way that might not have been as accessible using only the reader's limited experience and imagination. There is the literary theory coined by Emily Style that every book can be either a mirror or a window. When I first read Speak in high school, I would have said it was a window because while I related to Melinda I still never had her experience. The graphic novel version of this book allows it to be both a mirror and a window because every girl reading this book can remember a time when they were curled up in bed feeling as if they couldn't do anything right- even if that stemmed from sexual assault, another type of abuse, or overall insecurity issues.

Laurie Halse Anderson's numerous works, including Speak, show her unfailing capability to help readers understand the human mind and our actions. Through each novel she writes, Anderson is able to tackle complex topics like sexual assault, and make them relatable to people who have not had those experiences while also giving survivors of those topics the respect and dignity they deserve.


Another book that can give you the same guttural reaction as Melinda's pain in Speak is Matt de la Pena's I Will Save You. Both novels give the reader acute insight into the experience of living with a secret and existing in an ocean of immense pain.  Both main characters suffer in different ways, but they both find their way back to themselves which is an uplifting message for those who are dealing with some of the same experiences as Melinda and Kidd.

Other books I would suggest if you like Speak:

• Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson (which is the same setting as Speak)
• Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson (deals with eating disorders)
• The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson (deals with family issues and PTSD)
• I Will Save You by Matt de la Pena (deals with depression and other mental illnesses).