Weekly Reads: Violent Ends

I volunteered to read this book for a young adult book committee that I serve on. And then the subject matter continued to be too real, on too regular of a basis, so I kept putting it off and putting it off. Until finally the deadline to have our books read and reviewed was *here* and I had to dive in. Unlike This is Where it Ends, this book is more about the before and after the school shooting that give little glimpses about the shooter from many different perspectives. It was really interesting, and I was hooked.

My rating: 4 stars

Summary from goodreads:

In a one-of-a-kind collaboration, seventeen of the most recognizable YA writers—including Shaun David Hutchinson, Neal and Brendan Shusterman, and Beth Revis—come together to share the viewpoints of a group of students affected by a school shooting. 

It took only twenty-two minutes for Kirby Matheson to exit his car, march onto the school grounds, enter the gymnasium, and open fire, killing six and injuring five others. 

But this isn’t a story about the shooting itself. This isn’t about recounting that one unforgettable day. 

This is about one boy—who had friends, enjoyed reading, playing saxophone in the band, and had never been in trouble before—became a monster capable of entering his school with a loaded gun and firing bullets at his classmates. 

Each chapter is told from a different victim’s viewpoint, giving insight into who Kirby was and who he’d become. Some are sweet, some are dark; some are seemingly unrelated, about fights or first kisses or late-night parties. This is a book told from multiple perspectives—with one character and one event drawing them all together—by some of YA’s most recognizable names.