“He was part of our family, and we weren’t wrong for loving him.”
In a one-of-a-kind collaboration, seventeen of the most recognizable YA writers—including Shaun David Hutchinson, Neal and Brendan Shusterman, and Beth Revis—come together to share the viewpoints of a group of students affected by a school shooting.
It took only twenty-two minutes for Kirby Matheson to exit his car, march onto the school grounds, enter the gymnasium, and open fire, killing six and injuring five others.
But this isn’t a story about the shooting itself. This isn’t about recounting that one unforgettable day.
This is about one boy—who had friends, enjoyed reading, playing saxophone in the band, and had never been in trouble before—became a monster capable of entering his school with a loaded gun and firing bullets at his classmates.
Each chapter is told from a different victim’s viewpoint, giving insight into who Kirby was and who he’d become. Some are sweet, some are dark; some are seemingly unrelated, about fights or first kisses or late-night parties. This is a book told from multiple perspectives—with one character and one event drawing them all together—by some of YA’s most recognizable names.
What I really liked the most about this book was the chance I got to read some writings by author’s I’ve never read before. I really liked the storyline, and I thought it was a fantastic idea to have a different author write from each of the different perspectives. I found that I really enjoyed some of the different stories and that I was ok with some of them. None of the stories throughout this book are horrible. Some I would actually like to read more of. It makes you really think about the effect just one person may have on a number of different people in their life. Each author really makes you connect with the character they are sharing. I would have loved to have seen a story from Kirby’s POV, that would have added a little bit more for me. But I do get the reasoning behind not including his POV and letting us know him through those that knew him, but I do feel as though we don’t get the whole picture without his input and thoughts. I would say this book was not as impactful as some I’ve read on the same topic, but it was a great read and had some impactful moments.
Love Read Love 