Speak 1
Author Laurie Halse Anderson Laurie Halse Anderso
n was born in 1961 in the small city of Potsdam, New York. She began her career working as a freelance journalist and debuted as a children’s and YA author in 1996. She achieved breakthrough success with the novel Speak, published in 1999. Today Anderson lives in Philadelphia. Alongside her writing, she is a powerful voice on issues related to sexual violence, diversity, and the right of children to access books and literature. Anderson often talks about the power of books to lend strength in hard times and prepare us for our encounters with the world. She writes about young people placed in vulnerable situations, and by consistently writing in the first person from the point of view of her protagonists, she forces readers to adjust to the way her characters see the world. She depicts emotions such as vulnerability and despair, but also the desire to change, with sincerity, humour, and warmth. Because of the subjects she writes about, a number of her novels have been banned from schools and libraries in some US states and districts. Laurie Halse Anderson received the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2023. The award jury wrote: “In her tightly written novels for young adults, Laurie Halse Anderson gives voice to the search for meaning, identity, and truth, both in the present and the past. Her darkly radiant realism reveals the vital role of time and memory in young people’s lives. Pain and anxiety, yearning and love, class and sex are investigated with stylistic precision and dispassionate wit. With tender intensity, Laurie Halse Anderson evokes moods and emotions, and never shies from even the hardest things.” Photo: Susanne Kronholm