Violent Ends

we see accutely through stories of possibility denied like "The Girl Who Said No" by Trish Doller

I'll confess: I went into the book with mixed thoughts, because books predicated around school shootings can often be tricky territory. They're sometimes done exceptionally well, but I wasn't sure how the multiple perspectives would factor into Kirby's story. Would it ultimately detract away from helping readers develop a full picture of both the shooter and the event itself? Well, I shouldn't have worried. Because Shaun Hutchinson and seventeen of the most talented writers in YA have teamed up to share the puzzle pieces of Kirby's life with insight provided by friends and classmates, who were both intimately and broadly acquainted with him. Through each story, we get a little closer to just what could have possibly drove Kirby to this end. While each of the stories stand on their own merit, it doesn't seem fair to judge them individually. So I'll just say that in terms of the whole picture, each story adds a piece to the puzzle that is Kirby, showing just why this young man has been driven to these violent ends. Each story ultimately asks, and sometimes outright challenges the reader, to ask the question of just what - if anything - could have been done differently to prevent this tragedy from happening. While the temptation is to just write Kirby off as a homicidal monster, something that Beth Revis's main character struggles with in "Violent Beginnings", we see accutely through stories of possibility denied like "The Girl Who Said No" by Trish Doller, or the gentle and painful truths of "Feet First" by Margie Gelbwasser, that this was a young man with complexities and challenges reinforcing his humanity, but also making the end result all the more troubling. While Violent Ends is a challenging, and often times painful read, it's also a welcome and much needed-look at a reality that has unfortunately become more and more commonplace. Final verdict: Violent Ends is an important book in all respects, but especially for younger readers. Sure to provoke a lot of co...