Valerie is confused, hurt, angry, and scared. Five months ago, her boyfriend Nick opened fire in the Commons at school and killed 6 people before Valerie stopped him. Then he killed himself. The investigation into the shooting revealed the Hate List--a list she and Nick put together of all the people they hated. Almost everyone who got shot was on that list.
Now Valerie is back at school, with no friends and lots of enemies. Her old friends abandoned her, the survivors want her gone, and the teachers and principal watch her for signs of aggression. Even her parents think she had something to do with the shooting. How can she prove them wrong?
This is a powerful story about surviving a school shooting and moving on--not only for Valerie, but the community as well. Valerie's reactions and emotions are realistic as well as many of the other characters. I found the book to be riveting and couldn't put it down. But it was hard to read as well.
Showing posts with label school shooting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school shooting. Show all posts
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Columbine by Dave Cullen
I'm not a big non-fiction reader, but I decided to pick up Columbine after reading an interview of the author by Patrick Jones in VOYA (Voices of Youth Advocates) this past December.
I couldn't have had better guide. I was a senior in high school when the school shooting at Columbine happened--and much like everyone else--I bought into the myths and rumors about the whole situation. I remember not wanting to turn on the news because of what they might be saying, and I definitely was not impressed when we had a bomb threat called in to our school just a couple weeks later. We were not allowed to carry backpacks or our coats around.
Reading Columbine opened my eyes to the events that took place that fateful day and a few reasons why--there were none. I can't even express how I felt about this book adequately--maybe it's easier to say it's worth the read. I read it in two days--it would have been one day had I not had to sleep or work.
It's a work delving into the psyche of two boys without drowning in their reasons, and we skim the surface of tragedy. This is not a light-hearted work by any means, but Cullen creates a story that relays facts and emotions without bombarding you with them. A fantastic book. I highly recommend anyone pick it up.
I couldn't have had better guide. I was a senior in high school when the school shooting at Columbine happened--and much like everyone else--I bought into the myths and rumors about the whole situation. I remember not wanting to turn on the news because of what they might be saying, and I definitely was not impressed when we had a bomb threat called in to our school just a couple weeks later. We were not allowed to carry backpacks or our coats around.
Reading Columbine opened my eyes to the events that took place that fateful day and a few reasons why--there were none. I can't even express how I felt about this book adequately--maybe it's easier to say it's worth the read. I read it in two days--it would have been one day had I not had to sleep or work.
It's a work delving into the psyche of two boys without drowning in their reasons, and we skim the surface of tragedy. This is not a light-hearted work by any means, but Cullen creates a story that relays facts and emotions without bombarding you with them. A fantastic book. I highly recommend anyone pick it up.
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