The book Speak is a non-fiction story. It is based on a true story and is based on what people like me (teens) go through. I feel that the story emphasizes on both the plot and the character because it's about what the character goes through and her struggling with this plot. .
The story takes place in the big city of New York City, New York. Melinda lives in the rich side of town because her dad is a lawyer and her mom is a sales person and they have a lot of money to live on this side of town. The story takes place somewhere around the year 2000.
"It is my first day of high school, I have seven new notebooks, a skirt I hate, and a stomach ache." Told in first person, are the first lines that Melinda says in the beginning of Speak. Melinda in this story is the protagonist. You may not see her as a hero, but in my opinion she was because she showed great perseverance. Melinda has a deep secret that she keeps confided with in her because she's embarrassed and feels that it is her fault that everything happened, even though it wasn't. Although she lost all her friends and she was an "outcast" she still kept her strength. Andy Evans was the antagonist. He is the reason that all of these bad things happened to Melinda. He raped her at a party and took advantage of her. He would scare her and make her not want to tell anybody and would threaten her if she were to ever tell. .
Melinda was once an outgoing happy girl who got good grades and was very popular. She had everything going for her. Her best friend Rachel was just like her, she had looks and she had a personality that everyone loved. They both were girls that everyone thought were just spunky and nice. Andy Evans was the most popular senior. All the girls swooned over him and every boy wanted to be him. Heather was also a friend to Melinda. She is a new girl in school and is just looking to fit in with anybody. Nobody would accept her at first so she went to Melinda who had no friends.