Dear Reader,
This book took FOREVER to finish. Yeah it’s almost 500 pages and it’s not always the most action-packed reading, but it’s more than that. It’s a lot different than the books I normally blow through. I mean, if you look at my most recent books, I’ve read about happiness and road trips and memoirs of people living out their dreams.
This book is about a school shooting.
I’m not going to give away more than that, but I’m going to be honest. It was hard for me to get through. If I read it before bed, I’d often dream about guns and violence or sometimes not be able to sleep (this was during my second semester of college, as well). And then I wasn’t particularly eager to make time in my day to read it, but I did want to finish it. Mostly because my sister said she read it and it “messed her up,” but she still highly recommended it.
And I’m glad I finished it. It was a really good story, and the first book of Jodi Picoult’s I read–and I’ll definitely read more. She’s an amazing writer, but all of her books are about such heavy topics. Still, they’re worth it to read. They make you think and figure out more about yourself, as you notice your own reactions and feelings towards these characters and their story.
Most importantly, though, it made me think about how I’m going to be when I’m a teacher. This shooting was done by someone on the inside–a kid who had obviously been struggling. And as someone who’s going into education, I’ve learned about school shootings, and I’ve been taught how to prepare and how to act not “if” it happens, but “when.” That’s how teachers these days must be taught, because school shootings seem to be happening more often these days.
And I know it’ll be my job to teach students about “The Great Gatsby” and prepare them for the ACT, but a bigger, debatably more important, part of my job will be to be there for the students. Every one of them. In the best way that I can.
And I’m determined to learn how to do that to the best of my ability.
So. This book. I say 5 stars, and I say take the time to read it. Make the effort, because it’s worth it.
Sincerely,
Sammy
SINCERELY, SAMMY 
Good review. I have heard of this book before, but never read it. School shootings is a very sensitive topic that upsets many people (including myself), but it’s important to discuss it, in hopes of prevent future ones from happening. The subject is especially relevant with what’s been going on recently in the U.S., so your review was a very apt one.
On another note, I heard that Picoult’s “My Sister’s Keeper” is a hugely popular one. Perhaps you can check that out!