Mercy Rule by Tom Leveen
This one is told from several viewpoints/perspectives. Each perspective is of a student at a high school, except for the football coach, who is, obviously, an adult. One young man, Danny, is a sophomore, bullied for being different, gets high and tries to get his parents to let him go back to his "real" high school. Cadence is a freshman with a sunny outlook who has befriended Danny, but doesn't want a romantic relationship with Danny, much to his dismay.
Then there is Vivi, a Latina junior who just moved here from a bad part of town. She is super smart and because of this has "earned" the ire of the girl who was planning to be valedictorian. Drea is a freshman and a cutter who is just trying to find her place in the world. Donte and Brady are football players, who, whether they realize it or not, bully other students who aren't athletes. Last there is the football coach who does what he can to help his players, even if he isn't helping his own children.
Theoretically, when you read their parts, any one of these characters could be the one who is responsible for the school shooting. I say theoretically because I knew who the shooter would be. That said, there were still some twists that I didn't expect.
This is a good read for everyone. I say that because it can help teachers and coaches to see what they need to be looking for to potentially prevent a shooting. It is good for students to read because it could help them see that their actions can go too far.
No comments:
Post a Comment