Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, is a story written in the first person about a young girl named Melinda Sordino. The book's title, Speak, is ironically based on the fact that Melinda chooses not to speak. The book is written in the form of a monologue in the mind of Melinda, an introverted teenager. This story describes the story of a very miserable first year of high school. Although there are several people in her high school, Melinda isolates herself from them all. There are many people in his school who were his friends in middle school, but not anymore. Not after what he did over the summer. What he did was call the police during an end-of-summer party one of his friends was throwing. Even though all her classmates think there was no reason to call, only Melinda knows the real reason. Even if they wanted to know the real reason, there's no way she could tell them. A story of personal rape is not something that flows freely from the mouth. Throughout the story Melinda describes the pain she feels every day due to her rape. Rape of a teenage girl often leads to depression. Melinda is convinced that no one understands her, nor would they even if they knew what happened that summer. Once a happy girl, Melinda is now depressed and withdrawn from the world. He almost never speaks and does not do well in school. He bites his lips and nails until they bleed. Her parents seem to think she is simply going through a period of confusion, but little do they know that their daughter has suffered a life-changing trauma that will affect her life forever. Many high school adolescents experience some degree of alienation and... .. middle of paper ......elpguide.org/depressionScheff, S. On adolescent depression. Retrieved May 27, 2008, from http://www.suescheff.org/depressionMedline Plus Medical Encyclopedia. Retrieved May 28, 2008, from Google Scholar database: http://www.nml.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/1518.htmDepression in Teenagers. Psychological information online. Retrieved May 28, 2008, from http://www.psychologyinfo.com/depression/teens.htm John, C., & Todd, R. (2007, April 17). [Review of TeenageDepression Antidepressants]. ABC. Retrieved May 26, 2008, from http://abcnews.go.com/health.depression/story?id=304881&page=1Teen Depression. Guide to depression. Retrieved May 28, 2008, from http://depressionguide.org/teen-depression.htm