[I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher, Penguin Random House/Crown Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
On February 14, 2018, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School became a tragic addition to the gun violence statistics in America. At the end of the school day on that Valentine’s Day, a teen gunman pulled a fire alarm to expose students and staff to his shooting rampage, and 17 people died.
In response, some of the students have chosen to speak out, march and prod politicians to action. There are two other books from the survivors, We Say #Never Again: Reporting by the Parkland Student Journalists and #Never Again: A New Generation Draws the Line. Now there is a third, Parkland Speaks: Survivors from Marjory Stoneman Douglas Share Their Stories.
Parkland Speaks is a collection of poems, essays, pictures and drawings from the survivors at MSD High School about their experiences on Valentine’s Day last year and the days that followed.
Proceeds from the sales of this book will go to Shine MSD Inc. to support victims’ families and encourage community recovery through the arts.
Review
This is a moving, powerful and sad record of the Parkland Massacre and the aftermath. It’s hard to read what students and staff went through that day. But it’s also vitally important that we read and know and remember. It’s the only way things have a chance to change.
Like with any collection, each reader will connect with different entries. I really engaged with the entries from students and teachers who were in the building where the shooting happened. I was heart broken at the stories of high school relationships cut short when a person who was joking around at the start of the day didn’t make it out of the building. These are names to those of us on the outside, but they were people – friends, family, mentors, colleagues – to the survivors.
Gun violence and gun rights are issues fraught with strong emotions and strong opinions. But our children are dying – and it’s time to engage in the conversation so things can change for the future. This book is a great starting point for those conversations.