Parkland Speaks

November 1, 2018
A compilation of firsthand witness and survivor accounts of the Feb. 14, 2018 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that took 17 lives and ignited the March for Our Lives.Remembering the victims, processing the trauma, sharing their anger, and advocating for lasting change, 43 survivors of the shooting submitted creative work to editor Lerner, an English and journalism teacher and yearbook adviser at MSD. The result is another kind of yearbook, capturing in words and full-color images the terror of the day and the aftermath of grief, loss, hope, and political action. Lerner selected the pieces, which include poems, essays, a letter, a journal entry, speeches, photographs, and original art. While some of the works are not especially polished and overall the contributions vary in artfulness, all are heartfelt. As a whole, the collection makes clear what it was like to hear the gunshots and the victims' screams, to hide in closets and classrooms, to text frantically to reach friends and family, and later to cope with the return to school, nightmares, and survivor guilt--becoming galvanized into political action. A valuable primary source document that will be of interest to students and activists today and historians tomorrow. (resources, contributor biographies) (Nonfiction. 12-adult)

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December 1, 2018

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 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2018
Grades 9-12 This collection of experiences, memories, and flashbacks from survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, edited by a teacher from the school, offers teens a place to process the national tragedy, and the world a window into how the school itself is coping and healing. Few words express the terror and stress of the situation itself, but this book provides a safe space. Poems, essays, and photographs combine in an emotional, empathetic scrapbook-style format. An important theme here is remembrance: students repeatedly remember the lives of those that were lost and remember that everyone affected will never be the same again. In the piecing together of eyewitness accounts, there is distinct pain, but there is also a certainty that love overcomes hate. The Parkland survivors fight every day to make the world different, and ending resources offer tools for advocates and hotlines for those struggling. Closing biographies provide more information about the students themselves. A worthy emotional companion to the more advocacy-driven Glimmer of Hope (2018).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)