Remember last September, when the book banners crawled out of their pits of nastiness to try to remove YA literature from classrooms and libraries?
It is September again, my friends.
Wesley Scroggins is an associate professor of management at Missouri State University. He was also a speaker at Reclaiming Missouri for Christ, a recent seminar whose purpose was to “To educate our pastors, legislators, educators, students, and all citizens as to the truth about America’s Christian Heritage and the role of fundamental, Biblical Christianity in the establishment and function of our legal, legislative, and educational system, and to work towards the successful reestablishment of these values in our society.”
(Note: I love Jesus. My dad is a United Methodist minister. I point out Scroggins’ affiliation with this group so readers can understand his larger agenda.)
The fact that he sees rape as sexually exciting (pornographic) is disturbing, if not horrifying. It gets worse, if that’s possible, when he goes on to completely mischaracterize the book.
Some people say that I shouldn’t make a big deal about this. That I am giving him more attention than he deserves. But this guy lives about an hour and half from the school district that banned Sherman Alexie’s THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN this month.
My fear is that good-hearted people in Scroggins’ community will read his piece and believe what he says. And then they will complain to the school board. And then the book will be pulled and then all those kids who might have found truth and support in the book will be denied that. In addition, all the kids who have healthy emotional lives but who hate reading, will miss the chance to enjoy a book that might change their opinion.
All because some wingnut grabbed the opinion page of his newspaper, bellowed his lies, and no one challenged him.
I have already received incredible support on Facebook and in my inbox. Paul Hankins, an English teacher from Indiana, has started a Twitterfeed - #SpeakLoudly – where people can tweet their opinions. And my hero, Judy Blume, wrote to say she is bringing this nonsense to the attention of the National Council Against Censorship.
(I must confess – receiving a message from Judy Blume made me shriek a little. I am such a fangrrl of hers.)
I love the support from the blogosphere, but am concerned that the people in Scroggins’ community who might be swayed by his nonsense are not reading those blogs or following Twitter feeds on the topic. So I am writing to the school district superintendent and to the newspaper. But I know (because I’ve been here before) that my comments will likely be greeted with scepticism because I have a vested interest in the process.
I need your help.
Please share your experiences with SPEAK; your own response to the book, or the way you’ve seen it work in a school setting. Tahleen has already posted her thoughts on her blog. You can do the same. Please share links to your blog in Comments.
But then, please speak up to the people who can make a real difference in Republic, MO.
You can submit a letter to the editor of the News-Leader.
You can write to the superintendent of the Republic School District, Dr. Vern Minor, or to the high school principal, Daren Harris.
You can comment directly to Scroggins’ opinion piece.
Here I am reading “Listen” the poem I wrote based on reader response to SPEAK.
Banned Books Week is only a few days away. Consider this your chance to get a head start on speaking up about a good book and defending the intellectual freedoms guaranteed us in our Constitution.
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280 Comments
I couldn’t believe it when I heard about this article. This is an extremely important book to me, one I advocate for and encourage everyone I meet to read. I will make a concerted effort to have all my children, boys and girl, read this book.
I had to write about it on my blog. I’m doing a “Banned Books Week” thing anyway, and so far it seems I’ve convinced at least one person to buy it.
Fair warning though, my language isn’t exactly “clean” on my post. But I don’t believe it should detract, especially for my readers.
Seriously though, on my blog, facebook, anyone who will listen. The irony that a man would want to silence this message and the all-too-many girls who have and will need it in the future, is not beyond me. He wants to silence Miranda and all those who relate with her.
It’s horrifying.
And I’m even more horrified by his misleading representation of the novel. Those who will read his article and tend to his side of thought will not second-guess him, and it’s too bad because it’s not at all what he said it was.
Such a great book.
I agree. I read this book a few years ago when my daughter was assigned it in high school and it sparked several good conversations between us. It is a great book. I live about 30 min away from Republic. MO where this guy is being so ridiculous. I apologize. Not all people in the Ozarks are like him.
I’m afraid that he he believes that rape is not to be talked about.
Or that is is always the girl”s fault.
How very sad.
No worries, my friend. I am a Republic High School student, and I, as well as majority of my school and community, believe Dr. Scroggins is completely wrong about Speak, as well as Slaughterhouse 5. I think it is completely ridiculous to ban these books; the things that make them “controversial”, also make them the most real. We don’t live in a world of unicorns and clouds; a lot of this world is bad, and having literature portraying this side of the world and helping us understand it, educates us even more. We need to know all sides of the debate to truly form an opinion of the world. By initiating the banning of these books, Scroggins is causing students, as well as the whole community, to lose important knowledge and analysis of our environment.
I agree my Republic friend! This is a wonderful book. We as a community will not allow Wes Scroggins to strong arm his way into our youth’s seeking knowledge. I’ve never seen more teenagers reading than the past two days, yay, something great is coming out of his negativity! I am a Christian, but know that this world is full of pain, war and unpleasant situations. We must all learn how to deal and live through difficult situations even when they are not pretty. Republic stand up and speak!
I wrote a post in my blog in Spainish, so that the news is avaliable here too:
http://emilyrobertswrites.blogspot.com/2010/09/era-un-placer-quemar.html
Regards,
Laura.
Thank you, Laura! I’ve been meaning to write something in Spanish (my native language) about this for my friends but couldn’t. I’ll be sharing the link to your blog with every Spanish speaker I know. Rock on!
Thanks!
I will be posting about this and I will have this posted in my sidebar. This makes me very upset. Life is full of tragedy and books like this can help an individual realize they are not alone. Possibly, helping them take one step outside of the darkness. Thank you for your wonderful books.
This is truly, truly appalling, and huge support and thanks to you, Laurie, for standing up for your book and for all those too afraid to Speak for themselves. I’ve blogged about the topic, but I’ll just post my closing words here:
Sexual violence is not pornography. Sexual violence is a crime. To anyone who reads Speak and honestly finds it pornographic, I’d like to offer this quote, from Carlos Ruiz Zafón: Books are mirrors: you only see in them what you already have inside you.
Email: WesScroggins@MissouriState.edu
Mr. Scroggins,
I do not appreciate you attempting to come between me and my child. It is up to me what I deem appropriate, and I do not wish you to become the sole judge of morality in my child’s school system.
I know that parents can opt their children into or out of the viewing of material you find questionable. I suspect we might even agree on some things. However, you are so worried about what “rights” people don’t have that you are attempting to take away what they do have.
I read SlaughterHouse 5 in High School. I checked it out from the Republic High School Library. I do not mind if your children do not. When my child is in high school I do not care if she reads it. Are you so bad at parenting that you need the school board to do your job for you?
You are aware what goes on in the classroom. That is good. You have voiced your concern (freedom of expression). Now, kindly parent your own children and leave the rest of ours alone.
Most Sincerely,
William Bilyeu
Father of a Republic Student
My 13-year-old daughter loved SPEAK. I read it too and it provided the basis for some very important conversations about life, sex, and how to handle dangerous situations. She had previously read Sarah Dessen’s book “Just Listen” so we were able to talk through how two very different young women worked through similar situations in very different ways. Talking about the book gave my daughter a way to express some of her own fears and it gave me the chance to give her some advice and guidance in a non-preachy setting.
Thank you for all that you’ve written and we look forward to what’s yet to come!
(and you’re in SUCH good company on the Frequently Challenged Books lists!
http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade/2000_2009/index.cfm )
I find Dr. Scroggins’ comments to be ignorant and offensive – how dare he invoke the values upon which our nation was founded in an attempt to silence books?
SPEAK is a vital, incredible, life-changing book. It is so important that people have access to this book, and other books that shine a light upon the difficult issues that teenagers face. I have written to the newspaper that published Scroggins’ editorial, and I have commented on the editorial. I have a post going up on my blog about this at http://www.ishtamercurio.blogspot.com
Thank you for your books. Thank you for speaking out about this attempt at censorship.
I read speak when I was in the 8th grade and it moved me so much! I cried so hard when i read it! I feel that all young women and people in general should read it. It not only has a real life situation to it but it also shows the struggle the main character fought coping with what had happened to her. And I believe that its great material to teach our future generations with b/c rape and sexual abuse isn’t something that happens once in a while, it happens everyday to millions of people and this book’s message is so powerful and states that if this happened to you or some one you care about- all you have to do is SPEAK.
In my honest opinion i think man should take his head out of his ass and reread the book and study it instead of reading it once and realize that main theme in this book is to not shut up and deal with something as bad as being raped but to speak up be heard and get justice for what had been done against your will.
This is ridiculous. It doesn’t even matter what this book is about (I haven’t read it, but my understanding is that it’s a poignant, important story). Banning books doesn’t work. You may as well try to ban knowledge.
Literacy and literature are both human rights as far as I’m concerned. I let my daughters read any book that they are interested in. If I’m concerned about the content, I read it myself as well, so that we can discuss it together, as a Family. It’s the culture of fear and abstinence and censorship that makes these kind of topics seem more terrible than they actually are. Rape and sexual abuse are horrible things no matter what, but if you try to sweep them under the carpet and pretend they don’t exist then the evil behind them becomes compounded exponentially.
I have never forbidden a book but I *do* sometimes ask my daughter to wait until she was older. I didn’t want her reading Diary of Anne Frank at 8 ( she read it at 11 or 12 – at 8 I gave her “Number the Stars” as an alternative) and I’d still like her to wait a bit for Running with Scissors (later in high school). I don’t think pre-teens or young teens need to read books containing graphic sexual violence. But that’s a choice I want to make *with* my daughter.
Laurie-
Finally have calmed down enough to blog about this nonsense. I loved your book and I think there are too many jackasses in the world who would like to hide away the facts that happen every day in real life.
Your novel captures a horrifying experience. And it is portrayed emotionally and with great writing skill.
Good luck and best wishes.
Link to my blog about SPEAK – http://arcanachronicles.blogspot.com/2010/09/speak-loudly.html
rbwood
Here’s my post about your incredible book!
Laurie, you are a skilled writer with important things to say.
My two cents: http://aliciavannoycall.blogspot.com/2010/09/speak-loudly.html
People like that made me think twice about how I would describe my own experiences. I toned down any sexual scene in my own book about abuse, but I don’t know if that is the way to go. If we keep lowering the limits of what’s acceptable in books, we will end up with very boring books.
People like Wesley Scroggins make me very angry. They impose THEIR personal values on the rest of the world, thereby reducing each individual’s liberties and freedom to live. What is even more upsetting is the fact that people like him consider descriptions of rape or abuse in literature pornography. One could wonder what goes on in the mind of a man like Mr. Scroggins, but I’m fairly certain it’s not very pleasant or even very pure.
Banning books is a practice of the middle ages, and sometimes I wonder if that’s where we’re headed.
I work with incarcerated and detained youth in New York City. Needless to say, they love Speak, and colleague Julia Weber reviews it on our blog here: http://whatsgoodinthelibrary.blogspot.com/2010/09/speak-by-laurie-halse-anderson.html
The implicit accusation that I would bring pornography into my
classroom offends me to my core. Miranda,
the protagonist of this brilliantly funny and poignant young adult
novel, was raped by Andy, a popular upperclassman athlete, the summer
before her freshman year in high school; the scene is brief and
non-explicit, but visceral. Miranda is then ostracized and becomes
both mute and reclusive, expressing herself through her year-long art
project- creating trees out of various media- until she gains the
strength to confront her rapist, very loudly. I have taught Speak
in my mixed junior high/high school English/Language Arts class and
every student- from the shyest, Miranda-est girl to the most
aggressive, Andy-est boy- loved it. We completed Miranda’s art
assignments with her, each of us – myself included- taking an object
and drawing it from a new perspective and with new purpose each day
before we began our official lessons. As Miranda grew with her tree,
so did our class grow with Miranda. Each student, though hesitant to
do so at first, came to love sharing his or her literary/art journal
with the rest of the class; some even wrote accompanying free-write
entries explaining how Miranda’s ordeal helped them begin to process
injustices they or their loved ones may have experienced.
After we finished the novel and our projects, all of the students
wrote ebullient letters of thanks to our DonorsChoose benefactors for
enabling us to complete this educational unit by providing us with a classsroom set of this title.
I have never been physically raped, but I went through some painful emotional abuse at the hands of my pastor–my pastor . . . a man of the cloth, a God-fearing man. 6 years later, I still could hardly speak of the experience and had no idea that my experience paralleled the emotional low and the shame associated with physical rape. Only after I read Speak as a 22-year-old woman did I understand what had happened to me, and then I was able to work through the experience towards emotional healing. What would have happened to me without Speak? Who would have given me a voice when mine was taken away from me, quite literally? We need this book and more books like it! We need you, Ms. Anderson!
Dear Laurie -
Thank you for SPEAKing up for all of us. I am a school librarian in Beaverton, OR (you’ll meet me soon! You’re coming to my school on November 9th) I just wanted to share a quote with you that I share with all of my students during my annual Banned Books spiel:
A teacher from our school asks – “There is no age limit on violence, swearing, poverty and abuse when it happens TO a kid. Why should there be an age limit for when they can READ about it?”
The day kids give permission to have horrible life experiences happen TO them is the day that I will make them ask for permission to read any of the books in my library. Including yours.
Thank you for changing lives every day,
Jen Blair
Librarian
Mt. View Middle School
That is absolutely ridiculous what he’s done, but what you’re doing is not- it’s ravishing and fulfilling to many people and their hearts, brains, thoughts and emotions. It’s fulfilling to my stomach.
You know when you feel that awful tug in your stomach? Well, yeah, that’s what I was referring to- my stomach is fulfilled because of this ^_^ You have spoke out and will make a difference.
I personally haven’t read the book, but many of my friends have, and they’ve all enjoyed it much. It will be on my to read list, but it may take some time till it gets read, for I am a slow reader and have a shelf full of books O O. BUT JUDY BLUME?! That is way cool!!!!
KYA!
I hope that I am not too late to publish a defense of Speak. I’m waned to take my time, not sure it was worth it as the post seems a little rantish.
Anyway, here it is.
I’m not sure you remember but we met a few years ago at the River’s End Bookstore in Oswego. You were very kind to me and signed a book, which my students covet. Thanks for your great work.
I hate to be sappy, but Speak really spoke to me. As a teenager, as a girl, as a person, as a writer. It made me laugh and cry and think, and that is what all the best books do. I’ve always wanted to thank you for writing it, and I’ll try to do my best by blogging all my evil feelings towards El Ignoramus.
Someone I know was recently gangraped, and it’s so important to me that we stop this culture of blaming the victim, of making the shame theirs. Because it never, never, never is. I will post a link to my blog entry as soon as I stop seeing red.
I am one of those Bible-believing evangelical pastors, received Christ when I was 19 (am 56 now) and am always sad and dismayed when these stories crop up. I defer to the late Dutch art historian, also a Christian, who was on the Board of Censors of Films in Holland. He was also associated with the late Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer (one of my heroes/mentors) considered one of the greatest Christian thinkers at the close of the 20th century.
Speaking to authentic Christians, Rookmaaker wrote in Chapter 9 (Faith and Art) in his book, Modern Art & the Death of a Culture:
“..in general, if we have the chance of doing something, or of saying something because we are in a position to do so, because we are on a committee or have some other responsible position, what should we be doing or saying? What in fact is our calling?
FIRST, WE MUST STAND FOR FREEDOM. (emphasis, mine) Of course the world around us is full of the cry for freedom. But as Peter (the apostle) writes, ‘they promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption.’ The revolutionaries speak of freedom, yet we find that if you are not of their kind of freedom, you have no right to say so. The revolution is totalitarian. It leads to dictatorship in the name of freedom. Here we are called never to compromise, but to fight for true freedom. We must defend freedom even of those we do not like, even in movements we feel to be wrong. We may never be totalitarian in that sense. We shall stand for freedom for many reasons: because humanity is lost if freedom is gone; because love has no place in the world without freedom, and certainly too because in a world without freedom we shall not have the liberty to be Christians, to tell the good news, to invite others to our meetings. The Bible teaches us to pray for good government, so that we may live in peace, and so that others may have the opportunity of hearing the Gospel.”
I do not know Laurie personally. Have only tweeted a few times, mostly when Georgetown and Syracuse are going at it on the basketball court. I have a copy of Speak – it sits on one of my giant “To Read” piles. While I have not yet read it – (it has now moved toward the top of said pile) – I don’t have to read it to know that while my guess is we would probably disagree on a variety of social issues – there is something we do agree on. Freedom.
gary vanriper
Camden, NY
This coming from a quite-liberal-atheist-stripper whom you would unlikely find yourself agreeing with in nearly any situation…
I have to say, Gary, I am very impressed and inspired with your attitude regarding this book! Thank you, thank you, thank you for promoting, as a Christian with the ability to influence others’ faith, the fact that one can be both well-read and a very faithful believer.
It’s important to me that Christians (and others of faith, but it is most often I run into Christians that believe it is inappropriate to read material that may be disagreeable) see that books are a means of educating people, sharing opinions, and expressing freedom.
I love to read. I don’t have empirical or convincing proof that God exists, for myself, but the freedom to believe so (and WRITE about it) is one that I HOPE people continue to write about, in addition to those things that frequently get a book banned: sexual content (including sexual assault and education/contraception), drugs, the occult/witchcraft, homosexuality, violence, pro-choice education, etc.
Please continue to express to others your views on this book, especially once you’ve read it. It’s an excellent, inspirational story about one girl’s way of dealing with sexual assault. Ultimately, the message I see in this book for young adults is that rape and sexual assault are very painful, very difficult things to deal with.
Thanks for supporting freedom,
Natalie McLain
As a librarian and former classroom teacher, Speak belongs on the shelf. Frankly, it is immoral *not* to provide a voice for all whose mouths have been silenced by some catastrophic event in their lives, be it rape, abuse, or anything else that brings fear and shame into their lives. I taught Speak in the classroom, would teach Speak again if I went back to the classroom, and would never let it be removed from our library shelves. Shame on Wesley Scroggins for making judgments on a book he has obviously never read, and for not understanding events that have obviously never affected him.
I have nothing against religion, honestly, but when these hardcore Christians pop up and start spewing a whole wad of crap about “the right, Christian thing to do,” and for stupid reasons, it really annoys me.
When I read this article, I couldn’t believe it. At all. And, the fact that he doesn’t realize that kids nowadays aren’t such innocent little angels anymore really bothers me as well.
This old man needs to open his eyes and hear what kids say, what “horrible” words come flying out of their mouths, the movies they watch, the video games they play, what they do on the Internet. Really, does he think that by banning a book about rape (that’s educational, btw) is going to stop kids from playing Call of Duty, Gears of War, Grand Theft Auto, watching slasher films that have sex, gore, and swearing in it every few minutes? Why not read it, if they’re basically going to SEE it on TV or on the internet.
This old dude needs to realize that rape isn’t pornography–it’s RAPE. And rape is something people need to know about, and open their eyes to. So, does this old man expect all the people in the world who have been raped to stay hush hush about and don’t tell a soul, because if you say anything, it would be like describing porn to someone? Obviously, you wouldn’t have the intentions of telling someone that you’ve been assaulted and forced into something you didn’t want to do and you’re scarred for life and you’ll possibly never be the same again. Pfft! No way, you’d just want to describe porn to someone–you don’t want justice! (This was sarcasm and I believe that you tell ANYONE who will do something to help you, for any crime–especially rape). Don’t listen to this old bag. SPEAK was a novel that teaches people to SAY something to the world, ANYTHING to make someone listen and to help you in life and to help you find justice. IMO, SPEAK should NOT be ever banned from libraries. EVER.
Thank you.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought a reference to Speak as porn cast a creepy and sadistic light on the obviously ignorant individual pointing the finger. Has he READ the book? I’m thinking if he did, his comprehension level is somewhere below middle school.
I read your novel for my Developmental Reading course as an undergrad and found it powerful and very validating. As a survivor of an attempted rape and a classroom teacher, I applaud your honesty.
If I may be so preachy, there are hungry and abused children this person could crusade for instead of training his dingaling radar on quality YA.
I want to add my name to the list of outraged teachers, bloggers, readers. My students will continue to read, revel, and rejoice in this most poignant novel. I LOVE Speak and so did my student readers last year. My blogpost discusses their reactions to Mr. Scroggins’ attempt to defame one of their favourites.
http://mardiesmuse.blogspot.com/2010/09/speak-loudly.html
Ms. Anderson, you’re in VERY good company, because one of the books these whackanuts frequently target for banning is “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe”, because it has the word “witch” in the title, and therefore must, by definition, be “promoting satanism/witchcraft”. When you ask these self-righteous, screeching harpies if they have, in fact, read the book… Or indeed, if they even know who C.S. Lewis was, the answer is, inevitably, something along the lines of, “Oh, I don’t read that pagan trash, and I have no interest in evil, satan-worshipping, witch-promoting pagan heathens”. (I’m pretty sure the pre-eminent Christian scholar of his time would be rather surprised to be characterized in this fashion, and to have his modern-day Christian parble characterized in that fashion…).
Now that we are living in the 21st century with so many different sources of information that provide variable levels of content, banning a book seems archaic in this day and age. I would think that this professor’s time would be better spent helping students wrap their minds around independent critical thinking skills instead of leading by narrowminded opinions and enforcing them by taking away individual intellectual freedom- banning books. This is not acting as “in loca parentis.” To me this is an attempt at creating a dictatorship in which students are not able to excercise their ability to pursue their own personal and aesthetic growth as part of democratic society to broaden their understanding and meaning of their own life.
I was raped when I was 16. I give my high school soccer coach so much credit for trying to reach out when he noticed how much I had changed after the event. Unfortunately at the time, I was too afraid to talk as I was bottled up with fear and shame. Speak is a powerful novel with poignant insight. A million times, Thank you!
As a former high school English teacher, I can not speak enough about the importance of this book and how it absolutely needs to be available to kids to read. To deny that kids are not experiencing these very same circumstances in their own lives is like burying ones head in the sand. And I often wonder about people who make proposals like this – what is their solution to rape amongst teenagers? what is their solution to a girl feeling she can’t say anything for fear of the repercussions? Until this professor comes up with a legitimate and plausible solution to this problem of rape and kids feeling they can’t say anything, please don’t take away an incredibly well-written book that gives kids hope and answers and someone, even if fictional, that they can relate to. For shame!
I finished it five minutes ago. I had to blow my nose and my cheeks are still salty.
I ignored Speak in middle school because I thought it was just another one of those books. I was wrong. There’s a good chance I wasn’t ready to read it then. That’s the only reason I should have ever had for not reading it.
This is not porn. There is no more tactful or honest way to write this story. It needed to be written. It needs to be read.
I’m going to buy a copy and lend it.
I want to be Mr. Freeman.
I live in Republic and have a son starting kindergarten. My sister and I are both products of going through the K-12 Republic system as well. This is ridiculous. I enraged my opinions here http://theweswillard.com/?p=436 but come away still with how his views have no right on my childs education.
Banning books? Let’s see, now, didn’t Hitler do that very same thing? So, does this so-called “minister” ( God would NEVER ban books) want to characterize himself in the same mode as Adolf Hitler? He’s doing a good job of it. I’ve read SPEAK, and as a YA writer, I can only hope that someday, I will publish a book of that magnitude. I won’t go into details, but a young family member was gang-raped and threatened with her life if she told anyone, so this book really hits home. It is a wonderful book, sensitively written, and one all girls from age 12 and up should have as required reading. Another book that should be required reading for them is WINTERGIRLS…also a hard-hitting book but with the same insight and sensitivity that SPEAK has.
Ban the books? No, we should ban the “prophet” who claims they should be banned.
This whole situation makes me very angry. Here’s my feelings about it.
Dear Laurie,
If that guy thinks that eye-opening, yet beautifully written novel called SPEAK is soft porn, then he is either cuckoo or jealous he didn’t write it himself.
Tomorrow, there will be a group post on my group blog about Mr I-wanna-ban-this. I would love it if you read it.
I heard about this religious guy trying to ban SPEAK. While I did try to avoid name calling in the blog I wrote, I still think this guy is an incredibly huge moron.
I had to do a blog about this:
It didn’t show up, but here’s the link:
http://mybookgoggles.blogspot.com/2010/09/banned-book-week-laurie-halse-andersons.html
I think I’ll even offer a free copy of this on my blog. I’ll buy it with my own money & offer it- bonus points if someone from this guy’s area wins it!
What a moving post.
Speak cannot be allowed to be swept under the carpet by one selfish fool. My first thought was…Porn? Is he guilty of something and it shames him, so therefore wants it off the shelves?
I just wanted to let you guys know that I’m giving away a free copy of SPEAK on my blog, along with Sarah Mlynowski’s Gimme a Call. Because some guy wants to ban it, I’m going to ensure that at least one more person in the world has a copy of this book in their hands.
All you have to do is post a reply to the blog below:
http://mybookgoggles.blogspot.com/2010/09/win-copy-of-laurie-halse-andersons.html
My students, my sisters, my friends, a boyfriend, my husband, the odd girl in parochial school, the student council president, the valedictorian, that funny English teacher, my lab partner in biology who was told he was gay “because” of it (which I DON’T think is why I am straight). The politician, the athlete, the addict, the internet executive, the priest who now hurts others, the priest who listened to her tears with respect, and, of course, I can tell you with my head held high, me, too. And why shouldn’t I hold my head high. It is not MY shame. It is the shame of those my father kept in his will while I was disowned for finally speaking out. They deposit that kind of money, bought silence, into a blood bank, their blood and mine, a similar source, but It is their shame. Not mine. I’m happy. I live free from the conspiracy of silence.
I spent twenty years of my life teaching writing and literature at the university level. I can’t tell you the number of students I encountered in my career who talked about having read “Speak” as teenagers and having it become the book that motivated them to want to write. Moreover, many students spoke passionately about how “Speak” touched their lives and encouraged them to share their voice, to speak out against injustice, and in one case, gave a student who had suffered a similar fate the courage to face her past and speak out against violence.
I have read only a handful of YA books. I read “Speak” because of these students I mention. I found it eloquent, smart, respectful of its subject, its characters, and its readers. I remember reading the book in one sitting and feeling I had known some of the people who populate its pages. As the father of three daughters, it is one of the books that I suggested each of them read when they reached their own teenage years.
It is exactly the sort of book that should make all of us speak loudly against ignorance and simple-mindedness, two qualities shared by those who suggest we ban books. To ban books is to ban ideas. it is an affront to freedom and we should speak out against those who try and disperse injustice.
Dear Laurie,
the post is written. You have all our support.
best wishes,
http://ikissbooks.blogspot.com/2010/09/speak-out-loud-speak-loudly.html
This article is outrageous! “Soft porn”? It describes a juvenile girl being raped, I see nothing pornographic about it. The book sends out such a positive message to people of all ages that there is indeed hope after such a horrific experience. It encourages the reader the speak up and speak out. The sex (if it can even be classified as so) paints a picture for the reader NOT with the intention of pleasure but of a struggle. This man completely did not get the true intention of why the book was written. I believe it takes a perverse mind to make such an accusation. Tip: Watch the movie, perhaps you’ll understand it better!!
– Valerie M.
We’re SPEAKing Loudly today and giving away a copy of SPEAK over on our blog Sisters in Scribe in support of Laurie. http://www.sistersinscribe.blogspot.com
your book spoke to me I was molested from the grades 6 grade thru freshman year. I never spoke it to anyone not one person. not even my husband. I read the book and told my bestie about the book. she read and then together we both started to open about both of our experinces she also was a rape victim. thank you for writing this book thsnk you for heping me find my voice to SPEAK.
Hi. I’m certain you don’t remember me, but I met you at a book signing in Utah this summer. (If it helps: My daughter DID decide to join the cross country team AND to compete and she is doing great!) I know it’s not a very polished or well-written thought, but I have to say that Mr. Croggins is an idiot. Fwew. I feel better. I blogged about this! HERE: http://amysorensen.typepad.com/the_english_geek/2010/09/utter-say-state-mouth-whisper-bellow-say-it-outloud.html
Thanks for being an inspiration to many!
You know what would be fun? If everyone, ok, I guess not everyone, but if a lot of people took pictures of themselves, or their kids, or friends, etc…reading this book..and sent it to this guy? I mean..I’m sure we could figure out his work address. Wouldn’t that be funny? Even funnier..include a note thanking him for bringing the book to your attention and causing you to buy it. haha! I bet he would hate that.
I’m the Teen Librarian in Joplin, MO (southwest of Republic/Springfield). The other day, one of our former board members came to my desk holding a copy of Speak. I was both surprised and delighted when she sat down to tell me that “this book should be required reading for everyone, but especially teenagers.”
Ms. Anderson: Though I’m late to catching up on this issue, but I wanted to say thank you for 1) writing this book, 2) defending it so eloquently in your editorial response, and 3) for encouraging all of us to act.
Though I have a used copy of SPEAK, I just called my local indie bookstore and ordered a new copy to support you and the honest writing you create and share with us. I look forward to trying to include SPEAK in my curriculum when I get into high school English classrooms in a few years as a teacher.
Best wishes.
This year was the first time I have read your book. As I was reading it, I said to myself, “I wish this book had found it’s way to me when I was 13.” I will never know how different those years would have been if there was a book like this around for me. Perhaps I would have spoken sooner. It enrages me that someone would dare attempt to take the opportunity for empowerment away from another young girl. I will be writing a letter to the editor and encouraging others to do the same both on my blog and in my community. Thank you so much for writing this book and I wish you the best.
http://lovyboheme.blogspot.com/2010/10/banned-book-project-alices-adventures.html
There is the url to my blogpost which contains the letter I wrote to the editor of the News-Leader.
My son is 13 next year he will be a Freshman. My older son who is sixteen was assigned this book when he was a Freshman I was so impressed with the book and it’s story line I assigned it to my 13 year old to READ. This book kept his attention and gave a great discussion for my family. I suggested it to his 8th grade teacher. GREAT READING and a lesson learned
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