Writing About Writing

There are several interviews with Laurie Halse Anderson, both online and in the back of the book Speak. They both really give a lot of insight into her writing, and it makes me appreciate the book a little bit more.

She never admits to having a tremendous experience like Melinda's, and in fact says that Melinda was a "voice from a dream". She does talk about her freshman year in high school, which kind of resembled Melinda's. She moved the summer before high school and started ninth grade without knowing anyone. Melinda's struggle to find herself and her identity was basically mirrored off of Laurie's experiences. They gave her a "useful perspective on the absurdities of high school culture".

She also had a few experiences from her childhood that she incorporated into her book like being the obnoxious kid in English, making toxic stews with her father, and having a school with a Hornet mascot. It's clear that she's drawing from past experience, and is able to connect directly with teenagers. She says that she spent a lot of her teen years searching for books with characters that struggled with the same problems that haunted her, but she just couldn't find them, so she decided to write them. She even takes time out to visit places like the mall and Taco Bell to simply hear how and what teenagers talk about. She tries to get inside their minds to "figure out what causes them joy and what causes them pain, then looking inside for the stories I can write that might speak to them."

Her interview really shows the real person, and I think it relates to her character. Obviously her character jumps out of the book and relates to the reader. It was successful enough to even make a movie from. It's funny, because she started writing in a closet, and you can even see that echoed into the book. I like her style of writing, and I like that she tries to be relatable, and that she wants young kids to pick up the book and realize that they aren't alone. I feel that that's the important aspect of this book. That life shouldn't be walked through alone. It should be full of support, and love, and outlets to both.

How do they expect me to find myself among all this chaos? Pressure from my parents, from teachers, from everyone! If they only knew. And yet they can't even make up their mind about our stupid school mascot. From the Trojans, to the Blue Devils, to the Wombats, to the Hornets. This whole town is just one big mess, and I'm right in the middle of it without even being acknowledged. I am just a nobody. A face. A face with chapped bitten lips.

I am my tree. Mr. Freeman has to have some idea. I am reaching so hard though. Looking to the sky. If only that one sick limb would just fall off. It's gotta fall off. I won't let it kill me. I can fight it, I can save myself. It's just something that happened, that I have to deal with. Every inch of me wants to fly and get out. I will get out.

I am myself already. I have an identity. IT didn't take it away from me. That should just make me stronger. No Heather, I don't want to join every group that your joining! No, I don't want to be a Martha. I want to be a Melinda. And I want to be okay with that. Just because I'm scarred, shouldn't make me less of a person. It shouldn't make me a nobody.

What is the main theme of this story? There are reviews that state that it is about rape, or simply about a teenager in high school, but what is the real underlying theme? I disagree with both these reviews. Yes, this girl is going through a lot of pain and suffering because of her rape, and is struggling to stay above drowning. She even says as she looks at the turkey floating in a pot, "I feel like the Titanic". There's no doubt that this book is about her struggle, but it's more central than that. It's about communication, or lack there of.

There are so many things in this story that allude to lack of communication. She can't talk to her friends first of all, because they don't want to talk to her because of what she did. They shut her out and ignore her, and eventually they all go their seperate ways. Heather simply is the talker, and she doesnt' even listen to Melinda or ask her oppinion. She is more concerned about her status and popularity instead of anyone else.

We see a lack of connection with people, because she labels them instead of using their real names. She can't/doesn't connect with her teachers, obviously, because she makes up names for the ones she doesn't like, such as Mr. Neck, Hairwoman, and Principal Principal. They have no significance in her life, and she feels like there's no way to connect so she just blocks them out. A huge image she uses is calling the boy who raped her "IT", instead of Andy. Nicknames in this easily allude to a disconnection.

There are little crosshairs throughout the book that illustrate miscommunication as well, such as the fight between Mr. Neck and David Petrakis. Mr. Neck made the mistake of bringing up a personal, racist issue in his classroom, and it blew up in his face. And instead of admitting that he was wrong, he just cut off the conversation when it started to take a turn for the worst. He didn't want to hear what the students had to say.

The only exception to the rule is Mr. Freeman. Ironically, we can look at his name: Free man. He paints pictures of what he thinks about the school counsel, and he voices his opinion constantly about his lack of supplies and support, (not unlike most art and music teachers). He does what he wants, and interestingly enough, he is the one teacher that gets through to Melinda, and helps her open up.

To me, communication is the real issue in this book. We need to let students know that there are outlets, and that they can go somewhere if they need to. The whole situation was based off of no communication, simply because she called the cops and didn't let them know what happened. I found an interesting outlet hotline that I think students would never even imagine calling unless they knew about it.