Monday, July 30, 2007

Give a Boy a Gun by Todd Strasser


I read Give a Boy a Gun in about an hour this morning. It was one of those books that you really have to keep reading all the way through. I had heard about this book and have been told by many librarian friends to read it.
This is by no means a lighthearted read - it is serious and stays with you long after you finish reading. That being said, I would highly recommend it. The author takes a very serious subject and treats it in a respectful manner and gives the reader much to think about.

from Amazon: "High school sophomores Gary Searle and Brendan Lawlor have had enough. Day in and day out, for more than two years, they have been harassed, beaten up, and cursed out by most of the jocks at Middleton High--especially by football player Sam Flach. Armed with guns they've stolen from a neighbor's collection, Gary and Brendan storm a school dance and booby trap all the doors with homemade bombs When it's all over, Sam Flach is alive (but without any hope of a future football career), Gary has killed himself, and Brendan is in a coma, after being beaten almost to death by other students who managed to disarm him. Could this tragedy have been prevented? Who, if anyone, is to blame? Consisting of short, related statements from students, parents, school administrators, and even the troubled shooters themselves, Give a Boy a Gun attempts to give a voice to the countless sides of the school violence issue."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

OMG this book is sooo intense. I read it last year and I loved it. I think you have to be a very serious reader, and can deal with hard situations. It's a very good book =]!