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I sent this query to YALSA as well as the library listserv and
received many thoughtful answers - many faulted the principal for
poor leadership, management, and, perhaps, violation of right to read
- I just think that she got spooked by the title even after I gave
her reviews. It really doesn't speak much about her confidence in me
as a 25 year professional - but, it is really the way the school is
managed, and yes, the climate is very bad at my Middle School. I
would like to confine the hits to comments on the book, not on the
event of the pulling of this book from a list, unread, without
discussion. That is my problem and I will find the right arena to
deal with it. As you can see just from these selected comments, this
book does provoke discussion. I may or may not have it in the
collection soon, but the problem of school violence does not go away.
Stefanie Halliday
I haven't heard of this book being challenged yet, but I did read it.
The author does make it clear through a note at the end and through
shocking statistics and quotations about school violence and teen violence
with guns that he feels SOMETHING has to be done about children's
access to guns. I wonder if your principal is worried about that point of
view? On the other hand, the book is very much Columbine-like. Maybe she
is afraid of this happening at your school and is afraid this book is
an example of how some troubled kids could get revenge? I don't want to
give too much away if you haven't read it, but suffice it to say, the book
doesn't go into much detail about HOW the teens do what they do. It does
talk about WHY they do what they do. A colleague and I recently gave
a presentation at our statewide conference on YA lit and I recommended
this one to everyone. While the author's opinion that something needs to
be done to prevent teen access to guns is clear, he also does a remarkable
job giving different points of view. Maybe I'm not helping much here, but
isn't there any way you can convince him or her to READ the book and
then pass judgement? I think he or she might be surprised at the balance
of points of view.
Vicki Reutter, LMS
I was one of the original reviewers of this title, for SLJ. I received it
back in May and was turned off before I read it because I felt it was an
instant rip-off of the Columbine incident .......something like those made
for TV movies.......... though I was a fan of Todd Strasser and was very
impressed by his previous title, The Wave.
So, I put my prejudices aside and read it.........but still didn't care
for it.......so I gave it to an English teacher and then two students. The
teacher disliked it (same reasons as mine) but both students loved it. We
decided that it was the type of book that appeals to students who like to
relive these tragedies and who also like "diary" type books in the fashion of
Jay's Journal, Go Ask Alice, etc. In that way it is cathartic. It is not well
written....as I stated in my review.....I particularly dislike the newspaper
clipping additions and the author's intrusive opinions. However, I think your
administrator may be reacting to the bold title and cover jacket graphics.
There is certainly no glorification of the boys' actions and there is an
obvious message to troubled kids that there are LOTS of people, teachers,
counselors and friends around you that care if you take a chance on them.
Below is a copy of my review as I sent it (the SLJ editors changed some of
the wording.) I'd be very interested in any follow up on this book. Thanks!
STRASSER, Todd. Give a Boy a Gun. 145p. Simon & Schuster.2000. Tr $16.00.
ISBN 0-689-81112-8. LC number unavailable.
Gr 8 Up- Two boys go on a shooting rampage at Middletown High School and
follow up by committing suicide. Sound familiar? It happens in the
gymnasium, not the library, but you get the idea. It is told to us in a
series of interviews, after-the-fact, by a college student who reveals her
relationship to the case at the end of the book. She tries to piece together
the puzzle of the tragedy by gathering recollections of the two boys
beginning in grade school. Gary was very bright, quiet and had a weight
problem. Brendan was a thin boy, defensive and quick to anger. As the
chapters move from eighth grade up, we hear from classmates and teachers that
these boys were outcasts and potential trouble. They remain flat,
two-dimensional characters, however, and we know exactly what their suicide
notes will say and how the events will play out. Statistics, quotes and
facts from actual school shootings appear in dark print at the bottom of the
pages and are meant to give relevance to the text. An appendix includes a
chronology of school shootings in the United States, the author's own
treatise on gun control and places to get more information. Where this book
lacks the literary merit you hope for in a work of fiction, it will satisfy
the empathetic teenage reader and might succeed as a springboard for a class
discussion of school violence. Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY.
Barry Goldblatt
Sigh, sounds to me like a clear cut case of reacting to a title
without ever reading the book. Why is it that so many educators think
keeping kids in the dark about reality is a good way to get them to
behave?
Strasser has done a remarkable job of painting the landscape of a
violent shooting incident. He looks at it from every side, and
manages to condemn violence without ever getting preachy. I think
some people noted they thought it was nonfiction...that's a real
compliment to Strasser's work. Buy it, read it, hand it to teens and
TALK to them about it!
Patty Campbell
Joan, I think the reason you're getting heat on Give a Boy a Gun is
political. It's a white hot statement on gun control. Strasser intersperses
the voices of the witnesses and participants in a school shooting with actual
news clips and statistics about gun violence. Although he makes a stab at
objectivitiy by putting the position of the NRA in the mouths of two
characters, there is no doubt that he is passionately advocating gun control,
and that's a very hot issue in some areas of the country. I think this is a
book and an issue that you might want to fight for.
I have read Todd Strasser's book and I assume your principal pulled the book
because it concerns two school shooters. Frankly, I thought the book was
dreadful and my agent concurred. The book's plot is lifted straight from
Columbine--two misfits, e mail, gunning down the popular kids that torment
them. He sets it in a high school gym (shades of King's Carrie) during the
prom rather than the library during the day. The book is fragmented with
short views from many of the participants. I could see no effort at all to
make the voices of these character different in any way. To further the
fragmentation there are factoids at the bottom of each page about how bad
guns are. Duh? I found nothing original or noteworthy or even thought
provoking. Just a rehash of something that was reported better in the
newspapers and mags. Never was there a look at why some kids! ! implode and
others explode.
I know I'm really going on here, but I've never seen a book I disliked more.
And I snapped it up because I loved The WAVE and expected so much more from
this subject. THe starred reviews perplex me to no end. It makes me wonder
if I know a good book from a bad one, much less one that's simply mediocre.
Gail Giles
--
Joan S. Chase
2700 Marl Oak Dr.
Highland Park, IL 60035
jchase@interaccess.com
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<html><head><style type="text/css"><!--
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--></style><title>Hit Middle give the boy a Gun</title></head><body>
<div>I sent this query to YALSA as well as the library listserv and
received many thoughtful answers - many faulted the principal for poor
leadership, management, and, perhaps, violation of right to read - I
just think that she got spooked by the title even after I gave her
reviews. It really doesn't speak much about her confidence in me as a
25 year professional - but, it is really the way the school is
managed, and yes, the climate is very bad at my Middle School. I would
like to confine the hits to comments on the book, not on the event of
the pulling of this book from a list, unread, without discussion. That
is my problem and I will find the right arena to deal with it. As you
can see just from these selected comments, this book does provoke
discussion. I may or may not have it in the collection soon, but the
problem of school violence does not go away.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Stefanie Halliday</div>
<div>I haven't heard of this book being challenged yet, but I did read
it.<br>
The author does make it clear through a note at the end and
through<br>
shocking statistics and quotations about school violence and teen
violence<br>
with guns that he feels SOMETHING has to be done about children's<br>
access to guns. I wonder if your principal is worried about that point
of<br>
view? On the other hand, the book is very much Columbine-like. Maybe
she<br>
is afraid of this happening at your school and is afraid this book
is<br>
an example of how some troubled kids could get revenge? I don't
want to<br>
give too much away if you haven't read it, but suffice it to say, the
book<br>
doesn't go into much detail about HOW the teens do what they do. It
does<br>
talk about WHY they do what they do. A colleague and I recently
gave<br>
a presentation at our statewide conference on YA lit and I
recommended<br>
this one to everyone. While the author's opinion that something needs
to<br>
be done to prevent teen access to guns is clear, he also does a
remarkable<br>
job giving different points of view. Maybe I'm not helping much here,
but<br>
isn't there any way you can convince him or her to READ the book
and<br>
then pass judgement? I think he or she might be surprised at the
balance<br>
of points of view.</div>
<div>Vicki Reutter, LMS</div>
<div>I was one of the original reviewers of this title, for SLJ. I
received it<br>
back in May and was turned off before I read it because I felt
it was an<br>
instant rip-off of the Columbine incident .......something like those
made<br>
for TV movies.......... though I was a fan of Todd Strasser and was
very<br>
impressed by his previous title, The Wave.<br>
So, I put my prejudices aside and read
it.........but still didn't care<br>
for it.......so I gave it to an English teacher and then two students.
The<br>
teacher disliked it (same reasons as mine) but both students
loved it. We<br>
decided that it was the type of book that appeals to students who like
to<br>
relive these tragedies and who also like "diary" type books
in the fashion of<br>
Jay's Journal, Go Ask Alice, etc. In that way it is cathartic. It is
not well<br>
written....as I stated in my review.....I particularly dislike the
newspaper<br>
clipping additions and the author's intrusive opinions. However, I
think your<br>
administrator may be reacting to the bold title and cover jacket
graphics.<br>
There is certainly no glorification of the boys' actions and there is
an<br>
obvious message to troubled kids that there are LOTS of people,
teachers,<br>
counselors and friends around you that care if you take a chance on
them.<br>
Below is a copy of my review as I sent it (the SLJ editors
changed some of<br>
the wording.) I'd be very interested in any follow up on this book.
Thanks!<br>
STRASSER, Todd. Give a Boy a Gun. 145p. Simon & Schuster.2000. Tr
$16.00.<br>
ISBN 0-689-81112-8. LC number unavailable.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br>
<br>
Gr 8 Up- Two boys go on a shooting rampage at Middletown High School
and<br>
follow up by committing suicide. Sound familiar? It happens in
the<br>
gymnasium, not the library, but you get the idea. It is told to
us in a<br>
series of interviews, after-the-fact, by a college student who
reveals her<br>
relationship to the case at the end of the book. She tries to piece
together</div>
<div>the puzzle of the tragedy by gathering recollections of the two
boys<br>
beginning in grade school. Gary was very bright, quiet and had a
weight<br>
problem. Brendan was a thin boy, defensive and quick to anger. As
the<br>
chapters move from eighth grade up, we hear from classmates and
teachers that<br>
these boys were outcasts and potential trouble. They remain flat,<br>
two-dimensional characters, however, and we know exactly what their
suicide<br>
notes will say and how the events will play out. Statistics,
quotes and<br>
facts from actual school shootings appear in dark print at the bottom
of the<br>
pages and are meant to give relevance to the text. An appendix
includes a<br>
chronology of school shootings in the United States, the author's
own<br>
treatise on gun control and places to get more information. Where this
book<br>
lacks the literary merit you hope for in a work of fiction, it will
satisfy<br>
the empathetic teenage reader and might succeed as a springboard for a
class</div>
<div>discussion of school violence. Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High
School, NY.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Barry Goldblatt</div>
<div>Sigh, sounds to me like a clear cut case of reacting to a title
without ever reading the book. Why is it that so many educators think
keeping kids in the dark about reality is a good way to get them to
behave?</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Strasser has done a remarkable job of painting the landscape of a
violent shooting incident. He looks at it from every side, and manages
to condemn violence without ever getting preachy. I think some people
noted they thought it was nonfiction...that's a real compliment to
Strasser's work. Buy it, read it, hand it to teens and TALK to them
about it!</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Patty Campbell</div>
<div>Joan, I think the reason you're getting heat on Give a Boy a Gun
is<br>
political. It's a white hot statement on gun control. Strasser
intersperses<br>
the voices of the witnesses and participants in a school shooting with
actual<br>
news clips and statistics about gun violence. Although he makes a stab
at<br>
objectivitiy by putting the position of the NRA in the mouths of
two<br>
characters, there is no doubt that he is passionately advocating gun
control,<br>
and that's a very hot issue in some areas of the country. I think this
is a</div>
<div>book and an issue that you might want to fight for.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<div><font size="-1">I have read Todd Strasser's book and I assume
your principal pulled the book<br>
because it concerns two school shooters. Frankly, I thought the
book was<br>
dreadful and my agent concurred. The book's plot is lifted
straight from<br>
Columbine--two misfits, e mail, gunning down the popular kids that
torment<br>
them. He sets it in a high school gym (shades of King's Carrie)
during the<br>
prom rather than the library during the day. The book is
fragmented with<br>
short views from many of the participants. I could see no effort
at all to<br>
make the voices of these character different in any way. To
further the<br>
fragmentation there are factoids at the bottom of each page about how
bad<br>
guns are. Duh? I found nothing original or noteworthy or
even thought<br>
provoking. Just a rehash of something that was reported better
in the<br>
newspapers and mags. Never was there a look at why some kids! !
implode and<br>
others explode. <br>
<br>
I know I'm really going on here, but I've never seen a book I disliked
more. <br>
And I snapped it up because I loved The WAVE and expected so much more
from<br>
this subject. THe starred reviews perplex me to no end. It
makes me wonder</font></div>
<div><font size="-1">if I know a good book from a bad one, much less
one that's simply mediocre.</font></div>
<div><font size="-1"><br></font></div>
<div><font size="-1">Gail Giles</font></div>
<div>-- <br>
Joan S. Chase<br>
2700 Marl Oak Dr.<br>
Highland Park, IL 60035<br>
jchase@interaccess.com</div>
</body>
</html>
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