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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As part of a collection of books I'm reading for a book-talk I'll be doing later this year, I read this book. It was an interesting format, I thought: snippets of interviews from various people (on both "sides") after a school shooting. This particular book is a work of fiction geared for youth, maybe grades 5-8 or higher.... While the author does comment that it's difficult, writing such a book for youth, he also admits that the need for such a book has arisen, after all the incidents that have occurred in recent years. (And this book was written back in the year 2000.) He concedes that it's sad to have to think that our children will need to be reading this sort of subject matter, that they'll need to be prepared for what to do in an active shooter situation.
One thing I often found disturbing about this book, simply because it interrupted the flow of the story a bit, was that at the bottom of nearly every page, there were quotes from newspapers following other school shootings, there were facts regarding the amount of gun sales, there were bits from interviews with gun manufacturers, etc. They were from real-life, where the actual story was clearly fiction. It probably couldn't have been done any other way--I just found it to interfere with my reading at times. However, I also appreciated that those little factoids were available, as I hadn't known many of them prior to reading this. Some of the information that is out there for any of us to access, if we'll only do so, is jaw-dropping!
I have to mention, I really appreciated the clarity of the point of view of the shooters. Obviously, they were never actually interviewed, because they'd both shot themselves. However, they'd both left suicide notes, and they'd both had close enough friends who knew their stance on certain views. What I found especially interesting was that much of what the shooters felt were the same things I had felt when I was in school--I still feel those things today, as a parent. Clearly, I never took a gun to school and shot people because of those feelings. My point is that the way these kids were treated and made to feel... those are NOT even remotely uncommon. People are treated this way every day in every town and city, and they are made to feel *less than* every single day. And it hurts. And it sucks. And I still get angry and heartbroken when I think about it. And I don't see an end in sight....
One thing I often found disturbing about this book, simply because it interrupted the flow of the story a bit, was that at the bottom of nearly every page, there were quotes from newspapers following other school shootings, there were facts regarding the amount of gun sales, there were bits from interviews with gun manufacturers, etc. They were from real-life, where the actual story was clearly fiction. It probably couldn't have been done any other way--I just found it to interfere with my reading at times. However, I also appreciated that those little factoids were available, as I hadn't known many of them prior to reading this. Some of the information that is out there for any of us to access, if we'll only do so, is jaw-dropping!
I have to mention, I really appreciated the clarity of the point of view of the shooters. Obviously, they were never actually interviewed, because they'd both shot themselves. However, they'd both left suicide notes, and they'd both had close enough friends who knew their stance on certain views. What I found especially interesting was that much of what the shooters felt were the same things I had felt when I was in school--I still feel those things today, as a parent. Clearly, I never took a gun to school and shot people because of those feelings. My point is that the way these kids were treated and made to feel... those are NOT even remotely uncommon. People are treated this way every day in every town and city, and they are made to feel *less than* every single day. And it hurts. And it sucks. And I still get angry and heartbroken when I think about it. And I don't see an end in sight....
I'm actually at a loss for words. It took me about 3 hours to read and I was horrified the entire time. I need a nap
informative
inspiring
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A very informative and interesting book about an important topic. I feel like gun violence and shootings are something i wouldn't have thought much about otherwise, so I'm glad this book educated me!
I read this because a student asked me to. It's a young adult novel looking at a fictional school shooting. The usual notes are hit (guns are bad, video games are too violent, bullying makes people sad) but without a lot of depth. It's basically an after-school special version of school shootings. It's tragic, yes, but I'd rather read a more in-depth examination of the issue. Also, the style (a series of "interview" quotations following the supposed event) got on my nerves quickly. I wasn't a fan.
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A classic story about bullying, violence and school shootings. The literary style is interesting and unique with it's collage/interview format.
"Give a Boy a Gun" is the story of Gary and Brendan, two boys who are given so much grief by their classmates, that they feel there is only one way out, and to take those who made them miserable with them. It is told in quotes and facts: facts about gun violence and youth; and quotes from Gary and Brendan’s friends, family, neighbours, teachers, and classmates.
This book had a lot of potential. It is controversial, but this is a topic worth addressing. However, the manner in which the topic was handled is condescending and leaves the reader with little room to form their own opinions on the issue. The quotes coming from the teachers and the popular students leave the reader in little doubt of what opinion they are supposed to hold; rather than being portrayed as sympathetic characters, expressing regret about what drove two boys to think a school shooting was the answer, it is quite the opposite. Popular girl Deirdre Bunson is quoted as thinking during the shooting, “I remember wondering why they didn’t start shooting kids right away. And I thought, Oh, no, killing us isn’t the point. They have some stupid message they want us to hear first.” The portrayl of students and teachers gives the reader the impression that Gary and Brendan were forced to do what anyone would’ve done in their situation. The boys themselves are rendered unbelievable in that even in their deepest depths of angst, they manage to restrain their swear words to a “friggin’.” Incidences like that, and many more like it, force the reader to realise they are reading an adult’s rendition of a teenager. Despite the importance of the issue, this book is hard to recommend to young adult readers. The characters will be relatable to youth who are teased, but the way the characters are written may lead some to believe that even their teachers think they deserve to be bullied.
This book had a lot of potential. It is controversial, but this is a topic worth addressing. However, the manner in which the topic was handled is condescending and leaves the reader with little room to form their own opinions on the issue. The quotes coming from the teachers and the popular students leave the reader in little doubt of what opinion they are supposed to hold; rather than being portrayed as sympathetic characters, expressing regret about what drove two boys to think a school shooting was the answer, it is quite the opposite. Popular girl Deirdre Bunson is quoted as thinking during the shooting, “I remember wondering why they didn’t start shooting kids right away. And I thought, Oh, no, killing us isn’t the point. They have some stupid message they want us to hear first.” The portrayl of students and teachers gives the reader the impression that Gary and Brendan were forced to do what anyone would’ve done in their situation. The boys themselves are rendered unbelievable in that even in their deepest depths of angst, they manage to restrain their swear words to a “friggin’.” Incidences like that, and many more like it, force the reader to realise they are reading an adult’s rendition of a teenager. Despite the importance of the issue, this book is hard to recommend to young adult readers. The characters will be relatable to youth who are teased, but the way the characters are written may lead some to believe that even their teachers think they deserve to be bullied.
I lived in Colorado during the time of Columbine and it changed the day to day dynamics of going to school. The facts in the book shocked me and left me speechless. More information needs to get out, and not small but large changes need to be made in our school systems.
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I didn’t enjoy the style of writing. The plot seemed so evident and boring. I wasn’t looking forward to finding out what came next because I already knew. It also felt very cliche.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, Violence, Mass/school shootings