“My son may have been the shooter, but he’s still a victim.”

When does Valerie’s father make his first appearance in the novel? Why can’t he forgive his daughter for her involvement in he shooting? Why is it easier for his girlfriend to be more understanding?

“The best way I can describe the feeling was that it was miraculous,” is how Valerie describes how she felt at her first painting class. [p. 249] What miracle is she experiencing? How does it help her emotional recovery?

Nick loved Shakespeare, especially Romeo and Juliet. As Valerie rereads their e-mails after the shooting, she realizes that he was beginning to blur the line between fact and fiction. How so?

In the book, Nick’s mother is interviewed by the media.  She says, “My son may have been the shooter, but he’s still a victim…Damn those media sharks who think that something like this isn’t already tearing my family apart.  Do they think this won’t rip our hearts out to see our son put a bullet through his brain time and time again?  (Nick’s Mother)

Should there be sensititivity for the perpetrator’s family in regards to what is reported or shown in the media?  Suggested Reading -  http://www.oprah.com/world/Susan-Klebolds-O-Magazine-Essay-I-Will-Never-Know-Why - a letter written by Susan Klebold regarding her son Dylan’s participation in the deadly killings at Columbine High School in 1999. 

When it comes to reading people, I am an F student…

“When it comes to reading people,” Valerie fears, “I’m an F student.” [p. 50] She had been thinking of Nick, but who are the other people in her life she thoroughly misreads?

Discuss the changing nature of Valerie’s relationship with Jessica Campbell. Why was Jessica on the Hate List? After the shooting, why does Jessica reach out to Valerie? Why is Valerie reluctant to befriend Jessica?

After the shooting, Garvin High adopts strict new security measures. Do your students think they were warranted? Would they feel safer in such an environment? Would you in your own high school?

Being an open campus makes our high school unique.  Are the security measures at Northtown sufficient enough to keep students safe?  Why or why not?

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

As we begin Hate List, please note there are some links at the bottom of the blog page if you are interested in reading other books by Jennifer Brown (new book July 2012) or if you are interested in doing a little research on the aftermath of school shootings.

Guiding Questions:

-The Hate List began almost as a joke. How did it become so deadly?

- Is it hard to tell the difference between a hero and a villain? In the first chapter Valerie wonders: “Was I the bad guy who set into motion the plan to mow down half my school, or the hero who sacrificed herself to end the killing?” [p. 7] How does she answer that question? How would you?

-Describe Valerie’s relationship with Nick. 

-Do survivors of a school shooting ever feel “normal” again?  (Do a little research on Columbine, Chardon High School in Ohio or others)

-Discuss the role of the media when events like those at Garvin High School occur.  How long do incidents like this stay in the news?  Is the reporting factual or more emotional?  Thoughts about Angela Dash.