Speak

Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson

Date of Publication: October 22, 1999

Publisher: The Penguin Group

Summary

The book "Speak" started off talking about a person who was an outcast. The other students on the bus would not talk to them and ignored them. Nobody wanted to sit next to them on the bus except for a girl who was new called Heather who was from Ohio and later on became friends with them. This person had a bad first day of high school because of being ignored but also having their lunch splattered all over. The character talked a lot about the ex-friends such as Rachel and how they met each other nine years ago. Later on, this person was then revealed to be a girl called Melinda.

During Thanksgiving, Melinda’s parents failed to cook a turkey and ended up throwing it away. Melinda then went to gather the bones and brought it to school for art class and coincidentally her ex-friend Ivy was there. She only gave Melinda a few comments on her project. Melinda also always mentions seeing someone she calls “IT”. The “IT” she always referred to was a popular boy called Andy Evans. Every time Melinda sees him, she runs away as fast as she can. Afterwards, Heather decided that she shouldn’t be friends with Melinda anymore leaving Melinda in shock. Since Melinda’s parents did not hear Melinda talk much, they tried to talk to her teachers at school.

            Melinda then talks about an incident at a party she went to causing her to call the police which ruined the party.  Melinda and Ivy started talking more and decided that Andy Evans is not someone to be close to. Melinda warned Rachel about it and Andy finds out later. Afterwards, Andy went to find Melinda and he tried to attack her. She then grabbed some shattered glass and held it at his neck. After this incident, other people in the school started seeing Melinda as a hero and spread the story.

Quote

“I have to stay away from the closet, go to all my classes. I will make myself normal. Forget the rest of it” (Anderson 125)

Reaction

This quote made me think that Melinda is getting normal again. It seems as if she is gaining confidence in herself again. In the beginning of the story, Melinda said “My closet is a good thing, a quiet place that helps me hold thoughts inside my head where no one can hear them” (Anderson 51) Melinda used to close herself in and isolate herself from others. The quote above shows that Melinda has changed and is thinking differently. The author Laurie Halse Anderson did a really great job talking about a teen’s life and showing them change as time went by. 

The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother

The Color of Water by James McBride
Date of Publication: February 1996
Publisher: Riverhead Trade (Trademark of the Penguin Group)

Summary:

The Color of Water was a book written by an African American, James McBride. He tells the readers about his life living with a Jewish mother Ruth, seven biological siblings, and four step siblings. McBride’s father Andrew McBride passed away when Ruth had eight children and was remarried to Hunter Jordan who had four children but later on he passed away as well. McBride grew up in a house crowded with children and with a mother who stuck out like a sore thumb everywhere they went. After McBride’s stepfather passed away, his mother tried to keep the twelve children under control, especially the teenagers such as the author James McBride.
When James was in the ninth grade, he was a bright student at school and made some friends in his class. The next year, he decided to drop out because he made new friends who taught him how to shoplift. During this time, he would leave the house early in the morning and come back late at night assuming no one was there to stop him except for his mother. Later on, McBride went back to education and music which helped him get into college. When he finished college, he goes on a journey to the town his mother grew up in and tried to find out about his mother’s past for interest and to write about. As years passed, the twelve children passed college, had their own families and made their own money. Every year, during Christmas, the children gathers at their mother’s house all going wild as if they were still children and having fun together.

Quote:
“In running from her past, Mommy created her own nation, a rainbow coalition that descends on her house every Christmas and Thanksgiving and sleeps everywhere…” (McBride 277)

Reaction:
This quote was near the ending of the book when McBride’s family gathered at their mother’s house for Christmas. There they spent a lot of time together playing, talking and laughing. When McBride was young, he felt embarrassed when he walked out with his mother because she her skin color was different from his. Now, he appreciates the fact that she has different colored skin because she started a unique family with many different skin colors and have really close bonds. It’s amazing how when people are young, things that happen don’t seem special but as they grow older, they seem to appreciate everything that happened.