Is Speak banned in Missouri?

2010 – Missouri – Parents of Republic School District were cautioned by assistant professor of management at Missouri State University that the book was “soft-pornography” and “glorifies drinking, cursing, and premarital sex,” as well as teaching principles contrary to the Bible.

Why was Speak book banned?

In 2020, the book was named the fourth most banned and challenged book in the United States “because it was thought to contain a political viewpoint and it was claimed to be biased against male students, and for the novel’s inclusion of rape and profanity.”

Where has the book Speak been banned?

Richard Sweir, an “activist” who tried to get her novel, Speak banned in Florida, decided to participate in the comments section. Dr. Sweir called Speak “child pornography” because the book deals with rape and he feels that having 8th grade students read the book is akin to child abuse.

Was Speak based on a true story?

Here was my reply: “Nobody in the book is based on anyone in real life. (I keep saying this over and over and over again, but nobody seems to listen to it.) SPEAK is NOT a memoir. SPEAK is a work of fiction.

Did Laurie Halse Anderson get raped?

In her new memoir, Shout, Anderson reveals that she was raped when she was 13, and it took more than two decades before she could find the words to talk or write about it. The book begins: “This is the story of a girl who lost her voice and wrote herself a new one.”

Why was Of Mice and Men banned?

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is regularly on the banned books list put out by the American Library Association. It has been banned because of vulgarity, racism, and its treatment of women. The challenges don’t seem to go away as time goes on; even in the twenty-first century, the book is still being challenged.

What did Andy Evans do to Melinda?

Andy Evans was a senior in high school as well as the rapist of Melinda Sordino. He met Melinda at a party, and he took her into the woods to rape her. Melinda tried to call 911 to help her, but she didn’t know what to tell them.

Why should the book Speak not be banned?

Speak teaches us that our beliefs are important and our feelings are honest and worthy of attention. It teaches us that what we have to say matters, that speaking up and speaking out can create positive change, that remaining silent means suffering for something we didn’t deserve in the first place .

Is Speak a good book?

Speak gives a great look at depression and related mental illnesses. It allows a teen reader to gain a new perspective on what is going around them, and perhaps within them. The novel does this by being very relatable through the language used through the eyes of Melinda.

What page does Melinda cut herself in Speak?

Chapter 43 – Rent Round 3 She hides in her bedroom and sleeps in her closet while also scratching herself with the sharp edge of a paper clip. She wonders if a suicide attempt is a call for help, what is the cutting?

Why did Laurie write Speak?

She sat down to write about what she’d dreamt. Those midnight notes turned into Anderson’s first novel, Speak, a landmark work of young-adult fiction about a 14-year-old girl’s battle with depression after she is raped by an older peer.

What is Lennie’s disability?

Of Mice and Men is a story about an intellectually disabled man. Lennie’s disability is central to the plot; if he were not intellectually disabled, the story would simply not work. It has also been suggested (Loftis, 2015, 2016) that Lennie exhibits characteristics of autism.

What book has been banned the most?

The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger The Catcher in the Rye has the fascinating double distinction of being both the most banned and the second most taught book in American schools.

Did Melinda Blind Andy?

After being blinded from the turpentine by Melinda, Melinda threatened to kill him.

Where was Melinda raped in Speak?

Speak. One summer, prior to starting her first day at Merry Weather High School, 13-year-old Melinda “Mel” Sordino goes to a house party with three other friends and is raped by a senior, Andy Evans.

Is the book Speak inappropriate?

This book is pretty negative. There are very few redeeming characters. The main character has been raped and that frames her narrative. The words ‘spaz’ and ‘retarded’ are used more than once and it feels like lazy writing.

How old is Melinda in Speak?

thirteen-year-old
Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, chronicles the struggles of thirteen-year-old Melinda Sordino after she is a raped by at a party the summer before her freshman year of high school by another student. Melinda tells her story in first person narrative.

What is Chapter 43 in Speak?

By Laurie Halse Anderson The counselor gives Mom a call at work to let her know that Melinda’s report card is terrible. At dinner, Mom and Dad explode like volcanoes. Mom and Dad ask Melinda lots of questions, like, “What’s wrong with you?” (43.4). Melinda says nothing.

Why is Heather kicked out of the Marthas?

Heather is in trouble with the Marthas because they do not like the posters she had Melinda draw and are upset that she, Heather, brought in beets for the canned food drive. One of the Marthas spots Andy Evans and you learn that Andy is, in fact, IT.

What is Lennie’s mental age?

How would you estimate Lennie’s “mental” age? Lennie is like a child in that he constantly talks with slightly bad grammar, and exaggerates. He is either super happy or pouting. He behaves like a five or six-year-old.