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rosemaryandrue's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
After surviving a school shooting at their high school, the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas turned their grief and anger into extraordinary activism against gun violence.
Though I followed this story on and off when it was originally reported in the news, it's quite another thing to see it put all together in the arc of the initial eighteen months. This book really made it hit home to me how incredible and unlikely it was that Never Again MSD would gain the momentum that it did - but in another way how inevitable too.
Cullen in the author of [book:Columbine|5632446] as well, and before reading Parkland I had thought this book would be structured similarly. But we do not spend scarcely any time at the moment of the tragedy; while [book:Columbine|5632446] explains to us how it was that the tragedy happened, Parkland focuses instead on what was built in the aftermath.
Though I followed this story on and off when it was originally reported in the news, it's quite another thing to see it put all together in the arc of the initial eighteen months. This book really made it hit home to me how incredible and unlikely it was that Never Again MSD would gain the momentum that it did - but in another way how inevitable too.
Cullen in the author of [book:Columbine|5632446] as well, and before reading Parkland I had thought this book would be structured similarly. But we do not spend scarcely any time at the moment of the tragedy; while [book:Columbine|5632446] explains to us how it was that the tragedy happened, Parkland focuses instead on what was built in the aftermath.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Grief
dale_ale's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Great recap of of the first year of MFOL. Having been out of school when Parkland happened, I hadn’t realized the magnitude of the work the kids did. I do wish more of the Chicago kids’ names had been included for equity
ktxx22's review against another edition
3.0
This book is more like a 3.5 star read. I love Dave Cullen’s reporting and writing style. This book is thorough and incredibly well researched. I had a good time getting a more in depth idea of the March for our lives movement and I’m really grateful for that education. The reason this isn’t a 5 star read for me is it get really bogged down in the weeds at around the 50% piece and felt like a slog to keep reading. I enjoyed seeing it pan out and finish but parts of this book feel unnecessary. I 100000% recommend Cullen’s first book titled Columbine, and I think if you want more of his journalistic style and further discussion on gun violence this would be a good follow up.
madisonboboltz's review against another edition
5.0
“Listen to what’s in the heart of a child,
A song so big in one so small...”
I wasn’t sure if I would like this book. I loved Dave Cullen’s work on Columbine, but as opposed to that one, this was published so soon after the shooting. Then I realized that this book was not about the shooting... it is about a hopeful movement of young people who dedicated themselves to life-saving work in the midst of this mess of a political climate the generations before them have created.
I am blown away by what I have learned. I am a very left-leaning 21-year-old from Texas who often debates gun control with family members and peers, yet I myself initially wrote off the MFOL movement as merely an impassioned and flashy coping mechanism, which I sympathized, but did not really support. I watched some of their speeches, and was loved, but didn’t jump on board. I am so sorry that I doubted the wisdom and resilience of these teenagers. The more I read about them and learned about them, the more I came to love them.
Some of their quotes... about survivors guilt... about the internet trolls and death threats... about politicians belittling them... about groups from Texas (my home state) showing up to their events flashing assault rifles in order to intimidate them... came to be just as shocking, horrific, and difficult to read about as the events of the shooting itself. But there were quotes which were inspirational and beautiful as well... about these band of misfits coming together and creating a family... about how they sacrificed their summer to go on a bus tour to dialogue with leadership and encourage people to vote... about how they learned from their own privilege and tackled not just school shootings, but gun violence in general, and gave a voice to inner city groups trying to promote change... about how they made beautiful art and participated in theater... about how they learned to comfort one another when they were struggling with PTSD, depression, and anxiety... about how they stood up for one another and for kids across the country, despite the stress and fatigue....
What I admire most is how they recognize and learn from their mistakes with great attitudes. They admit when a tweet or a comment went too far. They are mindful of how their statements could be twisted and used against them. So they do their best to own up to those shortcomings and do better next time... which most adults never seem to be willing to do. They also remember they are just kids... doing their best to address these problems they should never had to have addressed in the first place. So they joke around and have fun too, which I find to be a relief.
Thank you so much! I pledge my support, and I can’t wait to join the movement here in Texas!
A song so big in one so small...”
I wasn’t sure if I would like this book. I loved Dave Cullen’s work on Columbine, but as opposed to that one, this was published so soon after the shooting. Then I realized that this book was not about the shooting... it is about a hopeful movement of young people who dedicated themselves to life-saving work in the midst of this mess of a political climate the generations before them have created.
I am blown away by what I have learned. I am a very left-leaning 21-year-old from Texas who often debates gun control with family members and peers, yet I myself initially wrote off the MFOL movement as merely an impassioned and flashy coping mechanism, which I sympathized, but did not really support. I watched some of their speeches, and was loved, but didn’t jump on board. I am so sorry that I doubted the wisdom and resilience of these teenagers. The more I read about them and learned about them, the more I came to love them.
Some of their quotes... about survivors guilt... about the internet trolls and death threats... about politicians belittling them... about groups from Texas (my home state) showing up to their events flashing assault rifles in order to intimidate them... came to be just as shocking, horrific, and difficult to read about as the events of the shooting itself. But there were quotes which were inspirational and beautiful as well... about these band of misfits coming together and creating a family... about how they sacrificed their summer to go on a bus tour to dialogue with leadership and encourage people to vote... about how they learned from their own privilege and tackled not just school shootings, but gun violence in general, and gave a voice to inner city groups trying to promote change... about how they made beautiful art and participated in theater... about how they learned to comfort one another when they were struggling with PTSD, depression, and anxiety... about how they stood up for one another and for kids across the country, despite the stress and fatigue....
What I admire most is how they recognize and learn from their mistakes with great attitudes. They admit when a tweet or a comment went too far. They are mindful of how their statements could be twisted and used against them. So they do their best to own up to those shortcomings and do better next time... which most adults never seem to be willing to do. They also remember they are just kids... doing their best to address these problems they should never had to have addressed in the first place. So they joke around and have fun too, which I find to be a relief.
Thank you so much! I pledge my support, and I can’t wait to join the movement here in Texas!
afutt92's review against another edition
5.0
I read Columbine 10 years ago, when it first came out. I was in kindergarten in 1999 and have vague memories of seeing stories about Columbine on the news, and seeing my babysitter reading “She Said Yes.” We had lockdown drills, but it wasn’t something that I thought would ever happen. It’s been 8 years since I graduated high school, and in the years since, we’ve had so many horrific shootings. Sandy Hook. Orlando. Las Vegas. Parkland. Dave Cullen’s Columbine was focused on the shooting, and the killers. It was incredibly gripping and sobering. But Parkland isn’t about the shooting, and especially not the killer- his name is purposefully not even mentioned in the book. It’s about the movement that rose in the wake of the shooting, about a group of strong, resilient, pissed off kids who have lost friends and their innocence and are tired of those in power not doing anything about it. It was such a powerful testament to their work, and all the work that we have yet to do.
emilybriano's review against another edition
5.0
This was a much different book than I anticipated. I braced myself for a Columbine-style retelling of the horrific events of the Parkland school shooting, but this book instead focuses on the March for Our Lives movement that began the same day. The book also examines the differences in how the media and survivors process school shootings. The difference in Cullen's two books only serves to show both how far we've come in dealing with school shootings and how we haven't made any progress at all since these books are still necessary.
lmallory's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
summyrenea's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting and well-researched exploration of these survivors and how they channeled their grief into an international movement. Dave Cullen provides such vivid descriptions of the people and events that I feel I was there and know them.
kateburbridge's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0