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shonaningyo 's review for:
Give a Boy a Gun
by Todd Strasser
This book, though dated in its information (1990s to be exact), this book still sends a very painful and clear message of the effects of what constant reminders and instillment of worthlessness, inferiority, unattractiveness, etc. can do to a kid's psyche and their mental health.
MY LIFE STORY WITH BULLYING In spoilers :|
I'm a teenager. I was bullied in 7th and 8th grade by a girl who was not super-popular. The fact was, she alienated people because of her super cold and harsh dream-breaking insights on life, and she made you feel like an idiot for doing that thing where you ponder out loud and work ideas through your head; she shot them all down as stupid or completely "What the hell? Duh!" .. If I can give you the flavor of this girl, she was an Aquarius. That kind of intelligent with a touch of holier-than-thou that the very smart Aquarii seem to carry with them in their teenager years, you know, before they leave on their spiritual quests and away from us Earthlings..
Moving away from astrological put-downs, she was mean to me. Me, a kid with limited social skills who was just trying to figure out life, as I am continuing to do so this very minute. She stabbed me in the heart with a rusty 9-inch-knife, only it was slow, like something dull sinking into dark blue ink... spreading slowly throughout me until I was walking home and to school with her words playing through my head:
"You're not funny."
"Nobody likes you."
"You're annoying."
"You act like such a kid. Why don't you grow up?"
"You can't draw very well. It sucks, to be honest."
Here she goes butting into my life, acknowledging every single fear I've ever had about myself! I became depressed. And the worst part was, my stylish friend -intellectually and the kind of friend where if it wasn't for this connection you'd be completely out of each other's social circle -- didn't even try to curb the girl's sharp tongue. She just shrugged her shoulders and said, "That's just how she is." It tore me apart.
I vented my anger and depressive feelings on www.Deviantart.com's journals. The girl's father found out, as well as my friend's father, and they called my house, and my mom made me log off of that account forever, but of course I'm back on there. Being on a site that had way loads more awesome art than I could even dream of manufacturing at that time didn't help with my self-esteem, but I digress... I'm back on there and I think it's helped me grow up a bit...
Again, I digress! Point is, that girl made my life Hell.. A mental hell.. I was suicidal, at least, I thought of suicide frequently. I tear up thinking about it right now, but I asked my lab group what they would think if I killed myself, and they became shocked and assured me that I would be deeply missed; they were popular kids, too, so that really made my heart and head ache with confusion. Teachers got wind of it and I went to the counselor... Those depressed feelings still carried with me into Freshman year in high school, and I had what I can only describe is a mixture of a near-psychotic breakdown, complete with homicidal and suicidal urges. I'm better now going into my Junior year, knock on wood..
Onto the book!
This book was written so differently. I thought at first it was real, it was so believable (but in my defense I'm easily duped into thinking things are real.. I'm still wondering if James Patterson's [b:Swimsuit|5551522|Swimsuit|James Patterson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1344268075s/5551522.jpg|5722589] is based on a true story or not, especially with that very last chapter ... >_> )..
The book first sets up the tragedy; you immediately know it's a school shooting. Then it sets the scene: The perpetrators in this tragedy, that is, the background of Brendan and Gary's lives.. Words and quips from friends (very few of them), classmates, former teachers, and family. Between each reveal is a section of one of their suicide notes, since they each wrote one. Beneath nearly every page is a statistic relating to gun violence, deaths, or quotes from gun company CEOs, or quotes taken right from the New York Times when it first wrote about the Columbine shooting in '99.
Then we see what life was like for them; obviously there was a line drawn in the sand for Gary and Brendan at school: They were non-jocks (and obviously couldn't be hot cheerleaders), and they had no interest in sports, so they were basically uncool and inferior. The jocks pushed them around, especially Brendan, because as it said in the book he had an air about him that seemed to make people just want to punch him; it was his unwillingness to bow down and accept what he thought was unfair, and I commend him for that. No matter what, never give an inch when it comes to things you don't find fair.
More on their lives at school, exchanges with texts between a few friends, and slowly the story is revealed that Gary and Brendan slowly descended into ... whatever it was you can call it. Gary was more depressed and suicidal; Brendan was more angry, a bomb ready to go off. Put those two together along with a desire to exact revenge on those they felt had wronged them, and you have something black and lethal ready to explode in all directions.
Their fascination with guns and explosives is a given. Then the eyewitness accounts of what happened in the gym..during the party.. I won't spoil it for you... And a few testimonies on the aftermath of the tragedy.
My thoughts on guns and the like
"Guns don't kill people, people kill people" What a load of BULLSHIT. You think that the Europeans took gunpowder from China in order to make their own wickedly cool fireworks? No, they immediately started making guns. For what purpose? To kill people. Guns are meant for KILLING, whether it be people or animals. "Hunting" they call it.
And people think that I wouldn't understand because I'm not an avid gun user, and therefore I don't know what I'm talking about? It seems to me that the ones who DO know how to use guns fairly well are the ones causing the problems. "Protect my family".. Well you keep thinking that when Johnny takes that rifle that you keep in a thin glass cabinet and blows your brains out for nearly beating him to death with your belt after you caught him with his boyfriend.
There was a good quote by this one girl in the book, something along the lines of "Teenagers are still children. They're not fully developed, so it's not really safe to give them a gun to own. They don't think things through; they're still impulsive, and one stupid decision can wind someone up in the hospital, in the ground, blown to bits, and him in jail or probably killed himself". Duh, people. If someone is an avid gun nut, I'd be inclined to make sure he DOESN'T get any weapons; it's the fanatics you need to keep on a leash.
And isn't there any psychiatric testing for people anymore? And what the hell is up with gun shows? You do realize that the money goes to gangs and dictators and messed up 3rd World Countries, right?
"Right to bear arms" .. Yeah, so the government doesn't enslave us! But looks like they already have! You worry about your guns so much you don't realize that the people in Washington have you by the balls, no have everyone in the country including them by the balls, with all the money they've wasted on shit. I don't mean to be a sarcastic and jabbering political stand-in or whatever, but seriously people.
And people were saying that others were trying to "politicize" gun control in the aftermath of the Aurora, Colorado shooting at that movie theatre. Gueeeeesssssss whaaaaaaaat? Maybe if there were tighter gun laws, he wouldn't have shot all those fucking people! Seriously!! Why is this country so reactive?!
You know UK has completely BANNED handguns?! It took one massacre of children in Scotland and BAM! No more handguns.. And lookie here, there's barely a hundred cases of firearm deaths each year over there.. Funny, huh? Same thing in Japan, Australia.. See the pattern? We think we're soooo great with our 2nd Amendment rights, but really that is just a crutch so a bunch of rednecks and assholes who think Reagan was the best president ever can hold onto their gun powder - flavored candy. "Waaaah! I don't wanna let go of my Uzi!! It's a collector's item!!" Yeah and it's going to be stolen and used in a bank robbery in about 45 minutes while you're commuting to work, so hand it over!
Bottom line: Girls, quit being such bitch-ass hoes. No one loves you when you're like that, and Jesus adds another invisible cancer cell in your breast every time you make a girl cry with your catty remarks. Boys, stop acting like just because you have brawn and you're on the football team that everything should fall in your favor. School spirit? Who gives a SHIT? It's a school. A fucking SCHOOL. It's not your country, it's not even the house you were raised in. Who caaaares? And the next time I hear a jock call show choir "show queer", I'm freaking stabbing a pencil in his carotid artery.
Oh, and guns are bad. Gun people are bad people :D LOL, just kidding. No I'm not. The fact that you love guns means you're killing people :|
MY LIFE STORY WITH BULLYING In spoilers :|
Spoiler
I'm a teenager. I was bullied in 7th and 8th grade by a girl who was not super-popular. The fact was, she alienated people because of her super cold and harsh dream-breaking insights on life, and she made you feel like an idiot for doing that thing where you ponder out loud and work ideas through your head; she shot them all down as stupid or completely "What the hell? Duh!" .. If I can give you the flavor of this girl, she was an Aquarius. That kind of intelligent with a touch of holier-than-thou that the very smart Aquarii seem to carry with them in their teenager years, you know, before they leave on their spiritual quests and away from us Earthlings..
Moving away from astrological put-downs, she was mean to me. Me, a kid with limited social skills who was just trying to figure out life, as I am continuing to do so this very minute. She stabbed me in the heart with a rusty 9-inch-knife, only it was slow, like something dull sinking into dark blue ink... spreading slowly throughout me until I was walking home and to school with her words playing through my head:
"You're not funny."
"Nobody likes you."
"You're annoying."
"You act like such a kid. Why don't you grow up?"
"You can't draw very well. It sucks, to be honest."
Here she goes butting into my life, acknowledging every single fear I've ever had about myself! I became depressed. And the worst part was, my stylish friend -intellectually and the kind of friend where if it wasn't for this connection you'd be completely out of each other's social circle -- didn't even try to curb the girl's sharp tongue. She just shrugged her shoulders and said, "That's just how she is." It tore me apart.
I vented my anger and depressive feelings on www.Deviantart.com's journals. The girl's father found out, as well as my friend's father, and they called my house, and my mom made me log off of that account forever, but of course I'm back on there. Being on a site that had way loads more awesome art than I could even dream of manufacturing at that time didn't help with my self-esteem, but I digress... I'm back on there and I think it's helped me grow up a bit...
Again, I digress! Point is, that girl made my life Hell.. A mental hell.. I was suicidal, at least, I thought of suicide frequently. I tear up thinking about it right now, but I asked my lab group what they would think if I killed myself, and they became shocked and assured me that I would be deeply missed; they were popular kids, too, so that really made my heart and head ache with confusion. Teachers got wind of it and I went to the counselor... Those depressed feelings still carried with me into Freshman year in high school, and I had what I can only describe is a mixture of a near-psychotic breakdown, complete with homicidal and suicidal urges. I'm better now going into my Junior year, knock on wood..
Onto the book!
This book was written so differently. I thought at first it was real, it was so believable (but in my defense I'm easily duped into thinking things are real.. I'm still wondering if James Patterson's [b:Swimsuit|5551522|Swimsuit|James Patterson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1344268075s/5551522.jpg|5722589] is based on a true story or not, especially with that very last chapter ... >_> )..
The book first sets up the tragedy; you immediately know it's a school shooting. Then it sets the scene: The perpetrators in this tragedy, that is, the background of Brendan and Gary's lives.. Words and quips from friends (very few of them), classmates, former teachers, and family. Between each reveal is a section of one of their suicide notes, since they each wrote one. Beneath nearly every page is a statistic relating to gun violence, deaths, or quotes from gun company CEOs, or quotes taken right from the New York Times when it first wrote about the Columbine shooting in '99.
Then we see what life was like for them; obviously there was a line drawn in the sand for Gary and Brendan at school: They were non-jocks (and obviously couldn't be hot cheerleaders), and they had no interest in sports, so they were basically uncool and inferior. The jocks pushed them around, especially Brendan, because as it said in the book he had an air about him that seemed to make people just want to punch him; it was his unwillingness to bow down and accept what he thought was unfair, and I commend him for that. No matter what, never give an inch when it comes to things you don't find fair.
More on their lives at school, exchanges with texts between a few friends, and slowly the story is revealed that Gary and Brendan slowly descended into ... whatever it was you can call it. Gary was more depressed and suicidal; Brendan was more angry, a bomb ready to go off. Put those two together along with a desire to exact revenge on those they felt had wronged them, and you have something black and lethal ready to explode in all directions.
Their fascination with guns and explosives is a given. Then the eyewitness accounts of what happened in the gym..during the party.. I won't spoil it for you... And a few testimonies on the aftermath of the tragedy.
My thoughts on guns and the like
"Guns don't kill people, people kill people" What a load of BULLSHIT. You think that the Europeans took gunpowder from China in order to make their own wickedly cool fireworks? No, they immediately started making guns. For what purpose? To kill people. Guns are meant for KILLING, whether it be people or animals. "Hunting" they call it.
And people think that I wouldn't understand because I'm not an avid gun user, and therefore I don't know what I'm talking about? It seems to me that the ones who DO know how to use guns fairly well are the ones causing the problems. "Protect my family".. Well you keep thinking that when Johnny takes that rifle that you keep in a thin glass cabinet and blows your brains out for nearly beating him to death with your belt after you caught him with his boyfriend.
There was a good quote by this one girl in the book, something along the lines of "Teenagers are still children. They're not fully developed, so it's not really safe to give them a gun to own. They don't think things through; they're still impulsive, and one stupid decision can wind someone up in the hospital, in the ground, blown to bits, and him in jail or probably killed himself". Duh, people. If someone is an avid gun nut, I'd be inclined to make sure he DOESN'T get any weapons; it's the fanatics you need to keep on a leash.
And isn't there any psychiatric testing for people anymore? And what the hell is up with gun shows? You do realize that the money goes to gangs and dictators and messed up 3rd World Countries, right?
"Right to bear arms" .. Yeah, so the government doesn't enslave us! But looks like they already have! You worry about your guns so much you don't realize that the people in Washington have you by the balls, no have everyone in the country including them by the balls, with all the money they've wasted on shit. I don't mean to be a sarcastic and jabbering political stand-in or whatever, but seriously people.
And people were saying that others were trying to "politicize" gun control in the aftermath of the Aurora, Colorado shooting at that movie theatre. Gueeeeesssssss whaaaaaaaat? Maybe if there were tighter gun laws, he wouldn't have shot all those fucking people! Seriously!! Why is this country so reactive?!
You know UK has completely BANNED handguns?! It took one massacre of children in Scotland and BAM! No more handguns.. And lookie here, there's barely a hundred cases of firearm deaths each year over there.. Funny, huh? Same thing in Japan, Australia.. See the pattern? We think we're soooo great with our 2nd Amendment rights, but really that is just a crutch so a bunch of rednecks and assholes who think Reagan was the best president ever can hold onto their gun powder - flavored candy. "Waaaah! I don't wanna let go of my Uzi!! It's a collector's item!!" Yeah and it's going to be stolen and used in a bank robbery in about 45 minutes while you're commuting to work, so hand it over!
Bottom line: Girls, quit being such bitch-ass hoes. No one loves you when you're like that, and Jesus adds another invisible cancer cell in your breast every time you make a girl cry with your catty remarks. Boys, stop acting like just because you have brawn and you're on the football team that everything should fall in your favor. School spirit? Who gives a SHIT? It's a school. A fucking SCHOOL. It's not your country, it's not even the house you were raised in. Who caaaares? And the next time I hear a jock call show choir "show queer", I'm freaking stabbing a pencil in his carotid artery.
Oh, and guns are bad. Gun people are bad people :D LOL, just kidding. No I'm not. The fact that you love guns means you're killing people :|