Speak: the graphic novel by Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carroll
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is a personal inspiration of mine, let alone a widely acknowledged canonical novel of modern times. And now, with the artistry of Emily Carroll, it has become a graphic novel. Carroll’s black-and-white drawings bring a rough and edgy atmosphere to the text, emphasizing the interiority during the scenes in which Melinda vividly recalls what happened to her the night of party. Carroll takes these moments and gracefully yet devastatingly depicts the horror in a way that is frightening but may not be as triggering for some readers as they would think, though anxiety still rattles the bones.
As a whole, Speak: the graphic novel reads much like how a movie adaption would be seen. The main character is much more melodramatic, but somehow we still lose much of Melinda’s interiority about the incident that shakes her to her core. The graphic novel seems to revolve so much around other subplots and Melinda’s external relationships that the main plot of the assault is buried. If I hadn’t read the original Speak, I may have forgotten the main point of the novel. First, there’s the new girl Heather, losing Melinda’s old friends, art class and drawing trees, Melinda’s poor grades, family dysfunction, in-school suspension, rules of the school and bullying, etc. There’s so much that distracts the reader from Melinda and her journey of recovery that is more focused in the original novel that is missed in the graphic novel.
My guess, as a reader and a part of the industry, is that the goal of Speak: the graphic novel is to grasp onto the gaining popularity of graphic novels at the current moment, capture the new generation of readers, and gear them toward reading the original Speak. I’m not against this method. I think this is a great way of repackaging a modern classic, but lovers of the original novel shouldn’t expect grand changes but enjoy the wonderful artwork by Emily Carroll.
This novel is still relevant today. Teachings of consent is still needed today. If you haven’t already gotten your hands on one of them, I highly recommend one or both of these books.
Find Speak: the graphic novel here.
Emergency Contact by Mary H. K. Choi
Mary H. K. Choi’s YA debut novel Emergency Contact starts with Penny Lee going away to college, making this book perfect for older readers of the genre. We are no longer in high school but get a taste of freshman year in a completely different context. Penny’s roommate, Judy, is the pinnacle of a spoiled rich girl. Judy’s best friend, Mallory, is by association, a roommate, as the two friends are basically attached at the hip.
Much of the emotional and romantic inclinations are similar to those of younger people. I mean, college freshmen were just high schoolers four months ago. Penny is a sci-fi/fantasy writer and still feels like the “goth kid.” Penny is regimented, waking up early to write while Judy is asleep, attending all her classes, and of course avoiding her really vicarious mother Chloe.
However, when Judy invites Penny to the coffee shop, she meets Judy’s uncle, Sam, a young twenty-something taking film classes to become a director. Sam has tattoos. Sam is older. Sam wears the same shoes as Penny. Penny is in awe. But none of Judy’s friends can date her uncle (though he is no longer, as that divorce happened a while back)! That’d be weird.
When Penny finds Sam in deep distress one night, she takes care of him and brings him to the coffee shop, which, unbeknownst to Penny, is his home. From then on, they become each other’s emergency contact. They talk about what they’re working on and their lives, especially when one needs an ear to listen (or read—most of their communication is via text, which does sometimes get a tad confusing).
It’s sweet how they rely on one another and we see their relationship blossom into one of dependency, though it fosters reliance as the foundation of their romance, which made me wonder how healthy this whole thing is. But I fell for it anyway! They’re each other’s rocks, and once they meet again in person, their relationship becomes more real rather a strange Internet-type of romance. This novel is definitely character-driven, though there are plaguing obstacles the two deal with together and separately. If you’re into a book with a witty voice that makes you laugh at the seriousness of life’s woes and love artistic quirk, you’d be totally hooked by Emergency Contact. Escape from your own worries, and dive into theirs. At least for 400 pages.
Find Emergency Contact here.