What do you think?
Rate this book
Speak Up!: Speeches by young people to empower and inspire
Speak Up! is a joyful celebration of 45 speeches by children and teenagers who have stood up for causes they passionately believe in and challenged adults in power to take note. This collection is testament to the hopefulness and spirit of the next generation, and the positive belief that we can, and should, act to protect the things we love.
From ground-breaking scientific inventions to pleas for the environment, anti-war speeches to incredible testimony of lived experiences, the speeches collected here demonstrate the profound wisdom of youth and why it is important to speak up and out on what concerns us.
‘A society that cuts itself off from its youth severs its own lifeline; it is condemned to bleed to death.’
- Kofi Annan
From ground-breaking scientific inventions to pleas for the environment, anti-war speeches to incredible testimony of lived experiences, the speeches collected here demonstrate the profound wisdom of youth and why it is important to speak up and out on what concerns us.
‘A society that cuts itself off from its youth severs its own lifeline; it is condemned to bleed to death.’
- Kofi Annan
- GenresNonfiction
179 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 25, 2020
7 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Adora Svitak
6 books37 followersAdora Svitak is a Bay Area-based writer and public speaker who advocates for youth empowerment around the world. In 2010, she delivered the speech ‘What Adults Can Learn from Kids’ at TED. It has received over 5 million views on TED.com alone, and has been translated into more than 40 different languages.
Adora was named one of the ‘30 Top Thinkers Under 30’ by Pacific Standard Magazine and contributes to numerous publications including Huffington Post, Mashable, Women's Media Center, Bust, The Bold Italic, and the TED blog. She has spoken in front of audiences at Google, Mashable and the United Nations.
Adora was named one of the ‘30 Top Thinkers Under 30’ by Pacific Standard Magazine and contributes to numerous publications including Huffington Post, Mashable, Women's Media Center, Bust, The Bold Italic, and the TED blog. She has spoken in front of audiences at Google, Mashable and the United Nations.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 25, 2019
I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
This book has some amazing and inspirational speakers and speeches within its pages, all of which are inspiring for children and adults alike to read and take note of. Some of the speeches/speakers I hadn't heard of before which I found interesting and intriguing. Many of the speeches and speakers are very recent (over the last 10 years) which is also refreshing as this will appeal to children of a modern era and generation.
This book has some amazing and inspirational speakers and speeches within its pages, all of which are inspiring for children and adults alike to read and take note of. Some of the speeches/speakers I hadn't heard of before which I found interesting and intriguing. Many of the speeches and speakers are very recent (over the last 10 years) which is also refreshing as this will appeal to children of a modern era and generation.
March 31, 2020
In the midst of this coronavirus crisis, it's difficult to be optimistic or inspired for the future. However, Svitak's latest collection of speeches by young people hits exactly the right chord to resonate for all people, young and old. Along with the beautiful illustrations by Camila Pinhoiro, this book is a breath of fresh air.
Although this is a collection of speeches, it's not exactly The Greatest American Speeches, for instance. Instead, it is a collection of view points from around the world, mostly within the last twenty years, primarily featuring young inventors, advocates, and activists who have made real change. Beyond the impressive things that these young people have accomplished - whether it is in their advocacy for long-deprived rights or their ability to imagine and research a more efficient crop production method - these young voices shine through their ability to concisely present their perspectives. The only qualm I have is that we do not have an opportunity to read or listen to the full transcripts of these speeches.
An excellent book to have, whether to inspire the young person around you to pursue great things, or as a reminder for everyone else to remain young, hopeful, optimistic, diligent, and pure at heart.
Although this is a collection of speeches, it's not exactly The Greatest American Speeches, for instance. Instead, it is a collection of view points from around the world, mostly within the last twenty years, primarily featuring young inventors, advocates, and activists who have made real change. Beyond the impressive things that these young people have accomplished - whether it is in their advocacy for long-deprived rights or their ability to imagine and research a more efficient crop production method - these young voices shine through their ability to concisely present their perspectives. The only qualm I have is that we do not have an opportunity to read or listen to the full transcripts of these speeches.
An excellent book to have, whether to inspire the young person around you to pursue great things, or as a reminder for everyone else to remain young, hopeful, optimistic, diligent, and pure at heart.
March 6, 2020
Speak Up! is a wonderful collection of speeches of inspiring young people (children, teenagers and young adults) who are making a difference in the world.
This is not a novel to read from front to back, but you can flick through the pages and read a story whenever here and there and get back to it later.
The almost 50 speeches are in no particular order, but you will find the well-known names of Greta Thunberg, Nobel Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai, 7-year-old Syrian war survivor Bana Alabed, who tweeted the 2016 bombing and her refuge in Turkey as well as Stranger Thing actress Millie Bobby Brown, who wanted to use her global platform for good and became the youngest Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF at the age of 14.
But many names are unknown, they are 15-year-olds developing early-onset Alzheimer's tests and 22-year-old NASA rocket engineers and teenage LGBTQ+ activists, environmentalists, CEOs, entrepeneurs and designers we have - sadly - never heard of.
The most amazing part of the book is reading sentences you didn't think were possible such as starting out with "ninth grades biology and some Google papers" (Jack Andraka) as well as reading the hope in their words.
"The world needs a change. It cannot change itself. It's me, it's you, it's all of us who have to bring that change" (Malala Yousafzai).
What they all have in common is that they have understood "you are never too small to make a difference" (Greta Thunberg).
This is not a novel to read from front to back, but you can flick through the pages and read a story whenever here and there and get back to it later.
The almost 50 speeches are in no particular order, but you will find the well-known names of Greta Thunberg, Nobel Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai, 7-year-old Syrian war survivor Bana Alabed, who tweeted the 2016 bombing and her refuge in Turkey as well as Stranger Thing actress Millie Bobby Brown, who wanted to use her global platform for good and became the youngest Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF at the age of 14.
But many names are unknown, they are 15-year-olds developing early-onset Alzheimer's tests and 22-year-old NASA rocket engineers and teenage LGBTQ+ activists, environmentalists, CEOs, entrepeneurs and designers we have - sadly - never heard of.
The most amazing part of the book is reading sentences you didn't think were possible such as starting out with "ninth grades biology and some Google papers" (Jack Andraka) as well as reading the hope in their words.
"The world needs a change. It cannot change itself. It's me, it's you, it's all of us who have to bring that change" (Malala Yousafzai).
What they all have in common is that they have understood "you are never too small to make a difference" (Greta Thunberg).
April 1, 2020
Adora Svitak captures the passion and power of young people to advocate for social justice and change in Speak Now!. She profiles environmental activists, LGBTQ+ rights advocates, inventors, and influencers who are under the age of 25, including direct quotes from speeches or articles that they produced. There are a large variety of young people represented. While I’ve previously heard about some of these individuals (like Greta Thunberg and Jazz Jennings), I’ve learned about many more empowering young people (Jack Andraka, Ishita Katyal, Amanda Southworth, among many others). The stories are heart-warming, inspiring, and thought-provoking, while the colorful illustrations add a playful touch to the stories.
Personally, as a K-12 educator, these are the stories of young people that I want to share with my students to empower them to pursue their passions, while also advocating for themselves and others. This book would be an excellent read for young adults or adults who want to become inspired from others’ stories of speaking up for what they believe in.
Personally, as a K-12 educator, these are the stories of young people that I want to share with my students to empower them to pursue their passions, while also advocating for themselves and others. This book would be an excellent read for young adults or adults who want to become inspired from others’ stories of speaking up for what they believe in.
February 5, 2020
Speak Up! Is one of those books that's very pleasing to the eye. The graphics look fresh and inviting and the text is laid out nicely which is vital for a collection like this.
The book contains various speeches from inspirational young figures throughout history to the modern day; from Joan of Arc to Greta Thunberg, it's a wonderful celebration of what speaking up for what you believe in can do - no matter how old you are, or what you believe in.
I really enjoyed many of the speeches in this book, and was surprised by how many of the bold and brave young people within its pages were new to me. I did however think some of the speeches needed more context, and/or could have done with some editing.
It wasn't the most exciting book to read cover-to-cover, but it's a great resource to have for educational purposes, or simply to provide you with a bit of hope.
The book contains various speeches from inspirational young figures throughout history to the modern day; from Joan of Arc to Greta Thunberg, it's a wonderful celebration of what speaking up for what you believe in can do - no matter how old you are, or what you believe in.
I really enjoyed many of the speeches in this book, and was surprised by how many of the bold and brave young people within its pages were new to me. I did however think some of the speeches needed more context, and/or could have done with some editing.
It wasn't the most exciting book to read cover-to-cover, but it's a great resource to have for educational purposes, or simply to provide you with a bit of hope.
April 14, 2020
I wanted to read this and to use it in my English language arts middle school classroom. I already teach Malala’s speech and use TED Talks by kids. My seventh and eighth graders are more open minded to hear speech is made by kids and teenagers. This book has a wide variety of topics multiple speaking on the same topic even child marriage, transgender, environment, climate change technology, inventions etc. My one complaint is that some of the speakers are missing their age because the age is only put on the “page. Not every speaker has a quote page so I don’t know their age at time of the speech. He they also do not tell you the birth year of the person but they tell the speech year, so I cannot figure it out unless I research further online
January 8, 2020
A fresh and hopeful book about some of the youth who are standing up and speaking up against the injustices and wrongs in the world. The children are the future. We are told to dream big and aim for change, as long as we do this within society’s image. These young people are breaking through that boundary and dreaming about a brighter future. I feel hopeful for my kids with strong leaders like them leading the way.
Beautiful illustrations, motivational and funny read this is a great book fo preteens, teens and adults about the differences you can make by just speaking up.
Beautiful illustrations, motivational and funny read this is a great book fo preteens, teens and adults about the differences you can make by just speaking up.
January 20, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley & Quarto Publishing Group - White Lion Publishing for the advanced copy of this book.
Stand Up! is filled with many young people, which may be relative to the youth of today. The speeches are highly impactful, even to me, a mid-30 year old.
I hope that the youth, or even adults, that read the book, realize how important our youth are and how they can enact change in the world.
4.5 out of 5
Stand Up! is filled with many young people, which may be relative to the youth of today. The speeches are highly impactful, even to me, a mid-30 year old.
I hope that the youth, or even adults, that read the book, realize how important our youth are and how they can enact change in the world.
4.5 out of 5
July 14, 2020
This timely illustrated collection of speeches by young people around the world provides an inspiring glimpse into the hearts of the next generation. Readers are called to stand up and speak out for causes they are passionate about.
This one provides a good mix of well and lesser-known activists in an appealing format. It would make an awesome gift for the aspiring activist in your life--of any age.
This one provides a good mix of well and lesser-known activists in an appealing format. It would make an awesome gift for the aspiring activist in your life--of any age.
July 14, 2020
My issue was that the excerpt from the speeches were far too short.
September 26, 2023
Cute, simple and inspiring
July 21, 2024
Actually 4.5.
Read
July 1, 2020This timely illustrated collection of speeches by young people around the world provides an inspiring glimpse into the hearts of the next generation. Readers are called to stand up and speak out for causes they are passionate about.
Reviewer #20
Reviewer #20
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews