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Parkland Speaks
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2019
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Publishers Weekly Review
This poignant and hard-hitting collection of poems, essays, and journal entries by students, accompanied by their artwork and photographs, reinforces the piercing and lingering effects of the Feb. 2018 shootings. Edited by Lerner, an English and journalism teacher and yearbook advisor at the school, this anthology has a spontaneous design, with some entries handwritten and reproduced to replicate scraps of paper taped to the pages, driving home the missives' deeply personal and heartfelt nature. Recurring themes include feeling betrayed by the fact that this hateful act that claimed the lives of 17 occurred on Valentine's Day; incredulity stemming from the false security that "nothing bad ever happens in Parkland"; and survivors' consuming guilt, crystallized in a poem by student Alyson Sheehy: "You're gone/ Yet I'm still here/ And that just feels wrong/ There's so much left/ So much to do/ But you don't get the chance/ To even try." Ages 14-up. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-This collection of poems, essays, photographs, and other works of art reflect the anger, sadness, confusion, and hope that poured out of the students and teachers who survived the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2017. The earnestness of the writing and the raw emotion on display paints a vivid picture of their experiences. Page after page is full of loving tributes to friends and teachers who did not survive. Frantic telephone calls and text messages to family and friends and the unimaginable terror of hiding in a closet or classroom are also discussed. Much of the writing was done in the first few months after the shooting, giving students a way to process their grief and anxiety. The photographs often depict scenes from the protests and marches that happened in the wake of the shooting, which were inspired and led by the students who channeled their emotions into becoming outspoken advocates for gun reform. This is an intense, hard, and very direct window into the experience of surviving a mass shooting. VERDICT A solid choice for high schools seeking to inspire activism in their student body.-Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Summary
Featuring art and writing from the students of the Parkland tragedy, this is a raw look at the events of February 14, and a poignant representation of grief, healing, and hope.

The students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School share their emotional journeys that began on February 14, 2018, and continue today. This revealing and unfiltered look at teens living in the wake of tragedy is a poignant representation of grief, anger, determination, healing, and hope.

The intimate collection includes poetry, eyewitness accounts, letters, speeches, journal entries, drawings, and photographs from the events of February 14 and its aftermath. Full of heartbreaking loss, a rally cry for change, and hope for a safe future, these artistic pieces will inspire readers to reflect on their own lives and the importance of valuing and protecting the ones you love.
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