This is a novel that I immediately wanted to read as soon as I saw it on the list of recommended books. It is a story that revolves around several high school students involved in a school shooting, presenting the incidents from each of their perspectives. It seems as though several of these stories will also be interwoven, rather than stand-alone viewpoints.
I am by no means far in this book, but what immediately stands out is that this will not merely be a story about a horrifying event that occurs in a seemingly normal high school. It is clear to me that each of these four characters with whom I am becoming acquainted will have their own stories, both about the events that are going to unfold, as well as vastly different lives and experiences. For instance, one character named Autumn seems to be a senior in high school and she is actively struggling with following her dream. She wants to be a dancer, but her dad (who seems to be abusive) does not approve of this path, in that somehow it connects to the death of her mother. To me, as well as many adolescents, this could be an incredibly relatable problem. Although I cannot relate to losing a loved one at that age, I definitely remember being told that my path would not make me successful. I am certain that my students will also be struggling with this issue, and I hope Autumn presents the reader with her own way of dealing with this adversity, so that they may gain some tools to combat it. I also hope to learn about other problems faced by adolescents that I myself have not experienced, for as Brianna Crowley writes, "Teachers can [grow] empathy outside of the classroom by reading books with characters who mirror our students' unique circumstances, challenges, and experiences", therefore preparing me to better understand what my students are going through.
My partner and I, when choosing this book, discussed what we saw in media regarding school shootings. So often the news articles describing them offer us only a glimpse at the victims, and we find ourselves lost in all this bad news. It is hard to keep track and properly pay respects to those who have died because of the frequency of their occurrence, so it will be beneficial to experience a much more personal take on these horrible events.
I think that this book would be an excellent tool for the classroom, in that my students (while developing their beliefs regarding this very present threat to our society) may be stirred to activism by the stories presented here. Additionally, it will paint these atrocities in a very real manner, allowing us to better understand these events as they divide our nation. They are not just new articles; there are human lives being lost, and this book will remind us of that.
To close, I think I chose this book for the same reasons listed above. I often find myself numb to the appalling events that have occurred in our schools and continue to occur, simply because it seem to unfortunately have become a common occurrence. I want to be shocked by this book, so that I can be informed of the consequences of these events as the division widens regarding how to best prevent them.
