Which 1999 novel by Laurie Halse Anderson was banned for its portrayal of rape? The answer is Speak.
Published in 1999, Speak is a young-adult novel about Melinda Sordino, a high-school freshman who is ostracized after calling the police at a summer party. She has been raped by an older student, but trauma leaves her unable to explain what happened. The novel follows her gradual recovery and her effort to reclaim her voice through art and self-expression.
Anderson uses a fragmented, diary-like narrative with lists, headings, and abrupt shifts in thought. This style mirrors Melinda’s isolation and the disordered experience of trauma. The story also explores victim-blaming, silence, friendship, school life, and the difficulty of being believed.
Speak received major recognition, including a 2000 Michael L. Printz Honor and a Golden Kite Award. It was nevertheless frequently challenged because of its treatment of rape, profanity, drinking, and other mature subjects. Readers sometimes confuse it with Anderson’s later novels Wintergirls or The Impossible Knife of Memory, but Speak is the work centered on Melinda’s sexual assault and recovery.