Laurie Halse Anderson had a painful childhood. Her parents went through a rough time during her adolescent years and those times left her confused and ugly. She feels fortunate to have had adults in her life who have helped guide her through the difficult times. She is from a very conservative family and talking about the subject of rape was very difficult. It’s still a difficult subject for people to discuss even now. No one wants to acknowledge the subject of rape.
Laurie started writing the book when her oldest daughter was in middle school and trying to maneuver through it. She wanted to write about the vulnerability of young girls and a subject that is taboo. At the time the novel was written, there was no connection to what was going on in the author’s life. She thought that the inspiration to write the book was due to her daughter entering middle school but it turns out that it was really because of her experience the month before she started High School.
The author was sexually assaulted a month before 9th grade, so she relates the story of what happened to her through Melinda. Melinda is the main character in her book, “Speak”. Melinda was a freshman in High School when a senior raped her a month before school started. Melinda went through a very bad emotional journey after the incident and so did Laurie, the author. Laurie describes Melissa as not being interested in being popular and hides in a janitor’s closet. She was stealing and her grades were terrible. She lost her friends because she kept the secret to herself. She was harming herself by biting her nails and lips. The boy who raped her, Andy Evans, would make fun of her, which would make her feel worse about herself.
Laurie started writing the book when her oldest daughter was in middle school and trying to maneuver through it. She wanted to write about the vulnerability of young girls and a subject that is taboo. At the time the novel was written, there was no connection to what was going on in the author’s life. She thought that the inspiration to write the book was due to her daughter entering middle school but it turns out that it was really because of her experience the month before she started High School.
The author was sexually assaulted a month before 9th grade, so she relates the story of what happened to her through Melinda. Melinda is the main character in her book, “Speak”. Melinda was a freshman in High School when a senior raped her a month before school started. Melinda went through a very bad emotional journey after the incident and so did Laurie, the author. Laurie describes Melissa as not being interested in being popular and hides in a janitor’s closet. She was stealing and her grades were terrible. She lost her friends because she kept the secret to herself. She was harming herself by biting her nails and lips. The boy who raped her, Andy Evans, would make fun of her, which would make her feel worse about herself.