My feet won't let me.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but my feet won't let me. I walk home imstead of taking the bus. I unlock the front door and walk straight up to my room, across the rug, and into my closet witout even taking off my backpack. When I close the closet dooor behind me, I bury my face into the clothes ont the left side of the rack, clothes that havn't fit for years. I stuff my mouth with old fabric and scream until there are no sounds left under my skin." page-162.

What just happend was that, she just found out that her EX-bestfriend, and the guy who raped her are going put with each other. She hasn't told anyone about it, so thats why they are going out.

I chose this quote because, I think it is one of the main points of the story. And it shows exactly what her reaction is.

I think, that hopefuly she will get over it, or her friend will find out, and break up with him.

STUPID party.

"I have worked so hard to forget every second of that stupid party, and here I am in the middle of a hostile crowd that hates me for what I had to do. I can't telll them what really happened. I can't even look at that part of myslef." page-28.

What just happened was that, she was just confronted in a whole bunch of people of what she did, and she can't say anything because she is to scared. She won't say anything.

I chose this quote because, I think this is the main part of the story. The title is called SPEAK, and she couldn't SPEAK!

I think, that hopefully she ends up SPEAKing about what heppend so that she wont be embarrased. And so that everybody can get over it and forgive her.

Nearly dead, but not totally.

"For a solid week, ever since the pep rally, I've been painting watercolors of trees that have been hit by lightning. I try to paint them so they are nearly dead, but not totally .. One picture is so dark you can barley see the tree at all." page-30.

She's saying that, basically she is drawing what she feels(in my opinion). She's almost completely depressed, but not completely.

I chose this quote, because I like that she can express herself in drawing. Not many people can do that.

I think, that hopefully she ends up getting happy and forget about everything, and start drawing happier things(:

PSEUDO-friend.

"I need a new friend. I need a friend, period. Not a true friend, nothing close or share clothes or sleepover giggle giggle yak yak. Just a pseudo-friend, disposable friend. Friend as accessory. Just so I don't feel and look so stupid." page-22.

What just happened, is that she realized that she has no one to talk to. All she wants is someone to make her feel like if she has a friend. Not a best friend, but SOMEONE.

I chose this quote because, I think this is what everybody would feel if they didn't have any close friends. They would just want someone to have as an accessory.

What I think would happen after is, HOPEFULLY she'll find a friend just to have, AND also a best friend <3

wrong EVERYTHING.

"I have entered high school with the wrong hair, the wrong clothes, the wrong attitude. And I don't have anyone to sit with." -page: 4.

Melinda, has just started high school. She has no one to talk to because of something she did. She feels as if she has entered high school with the wrong everything, because of what she wore and how she acted.

I chose this quote, because I think this is how everybody feels when they first enter high school. It's just self esteem. But then again, after what she did, I would feel the same either way.

I think what will happen is, that hopefully she finds new friends, and someone to sit with. And that whatever she feels will go away.

THEME.

A theme for Speak would be:
SPEAK UP, ecause if you keep it in, it can really hurt you and destroy you on the inside.

Examples:
"You dont understand, my headvoice answers. Too bad she cant hear it. My throat squeezes shut, as if two hands of black fingernails are clamped on my windpipe. I have worked so hard to forget every second of that stupid party, and here I am in the middle of a hostile crowd that hates me for what I had to do. I can't tell them what really happened. I can't even look at that part  myself."
-This is the part where somebody finally confronts her about what she did at the party and what it caused.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry, she writes. Why didn't you tell me?
I couldn't tell anybody."
-This is the part where she finally tells Rachelle what happened at the party. And still after she told her who it was, she still didnt believe her.

Outcast.

The book Speak probably connects to the show Awkward. Probably because they are both outcasts. They cant really tell people what they feel because they dont have close enough friends. Both Melinda and the charcater in the show have to express what they feel in a diary. Everytime they pass through a hallway, people just stare, because in both situations, nobody talks to them because of what they HEARD from OTHER people.


OUTCAST^^^^^^

ANGER.

"IT's face suddemly pops up in my mind. All the nager whistles out of me like I'm a popped balloon."

I chose this quote because/I think she said this because, I think at that party that everyone doesnt like her for, i think she got raped there. And that she just saw his face in her mind and just got really mad. I chose it because I think it is a very important port in the story.

What just happened was she saw some guys face, and im guessing it was the guy who raped her. She was already frustrated, so the face didnt make it any better.

What I think will happen after is that she will just forget about it, and just move on? I really don't know, because i have not read that far into the book.


frustrated girl ^^^

Speak.

Speak
by Laurie Halse Anderson

In this story, if I could be anybody in the story, I would like to be Heather because she is so nice. I would like to know why she hangs out with Melinda when nobody else does. Heather is so sweet, she doesnt see the bad side in Melinda. She has such a good spirit. I would love to feel that if nobody can jdge me. NOBODY, likes Melinda and Heather doesnt care if nobody likes her, she just wants to be nice and have friends.

Connection.

The only book that I've read that SORT OF connects to "It Happened to Nancy" is probably "A Child Called It" They probably didn't go through the same feelings, but it was probably just as devastating. AIDS is an illness that can kill you PHYSICALLY. But what the little boy in "A Child Called It", went through, would kill him EMOTIONALLY.

I chose this picture because it has to do with AIDS. And AIDS is basically what the book is about.

NEVER ANOTHER ME.

"I hope there's never another ME, except ME."

What just happened was that, she was talking about a "security" dog that they have. And there was another dog that had died. That dog was her best companion, and that there wouldnt be another one of those dogs except for him.

I chose this quote because, she knows that going through what she went through is A LOT of stress and it sucks. She doesnt want anybody to go through what she went through.

After this, two days after,on April 12th, Nancy died. On her tombstone, was, THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER NANCY.

They've come BACK.

"Not my kind of infection they cant it's AIDS-related and . . . all the evils of my past and future have come back to haunt me. Maybe this is an omen that I SHOULDN'T go back home . . . ever."

Right now, she is at her dads house. She is thinking that she might not be able to go home because she thinks thinks she might find Collin again. Collin is the guy that raped her and infected her with AIDS.

I chose this quote because, I think it has a lot of meaning to it. By saying that "all the evils of her past and future have come back to haunt her", she means that everything that has happened to her is coming back to her mind and giving her bad memories.

After this, nothing really happened.

I may dumb; but not stupid.

"His mouth keeps moving, but I can't hear words anymore, I cant't feel; I can't think. I may be dumb and young and naive, but I'm not stupid. Someone's made the most horrible mistakes. How could I have AIDS? The word is like all the bitternes in the world on my tounge, then spreading throughout my body."

What just happened was that, she just found out she has aids. She got aids because she was raped.

I chose this quote because, I think that this is the most important part of the story. She feels that after she was told, she felt like she couldnt do anything. This was the part of the story where she knew that her life would never be the same.

What happened after was she just went home, and she layed down. I wouldnt want to do anything either if i had went through what she went through.

Focus on the GOOD Things !

"Snap out of it, you retarded girl-person. Where is your mind? Where is your heart? Where are your eyes? Where are you ears? You've been blocking out everything good in life and concentrating only on the ugly and the bad. That's sad. Its bogus mogus, and you nogus it. If this little fragile bird creature can get its life together after its smashup, surely you can too."

What just happened was, that they found a bird and it was hurt. And that after it felt better, it was happy and singing. So Nancy, was saying that after she was raped, she became all depressed. She just wants to be "happy and singing" , in other words, she wants to be happy again.

I chose this quote because, I like that she knows she can get back up, and become more positive. She knows that she needs to go back to her old self. She wants to feel happy again.

What happened after was, she named that bird Impericle. That name was a little secret between her mom and herself. Personally, I think she did become more positive. There were stll times when she was sad, but she got over it quick. I think the bird helped.

Getting Rid of HIM . .

" It's 3 A.M., and i cant sleep. i don't think I'll ever be able to sleep again. Ive cleaned up the house, gotten rid of every single thing that reminds me of HIM . . "

Collin has just raped her. She doesn't want ANY kind of reminder of what happened. She doesn't want anything anywhere reminding her of it, near her.

I chose this quote because, it sucks that it happened. and i would want NO reminder of HIM what so ever.

After that, she told her mom what had happened. She had regretted that she hadn't told her mom about him in the first place. She would have known how to handle things.

Except ME.

"I hope there's never another ME. except ME."

I like this quote because , it shows what she feels and how she wants NOBODY to go through the same situation.
Even though there's MANY people that go through this , she doesn't want them to because obviously it is too much stress !

It Happened To Nancy

I like that i never got bored of the book. It was very interesting the whole time I was reading it. I couldn't put it down (x

I probably wouldn't change anything cause overall it was a very good book.

The only question i have is that um, well i don't know.

I recommend that my mom read this book cause i think she likes books like this.