School Gun Violence in YA Literature

Laura A. Brown is associate professor at the State University of New York, and department chair of secondary education.

• IntroductionChapter 1: SchoolsChapter 2: Peers Chapter 3: ParentsChapter 4: Media and TechnologyChapter 5: Sociocutural Norms & Gun AccessChapter 6: Traumatized School ShootersChapter 7: Psychopathic School ShootersChapter 8: Psychotic School ShootersChapter 9: OutliersChapter 10: Community FalloutChapter 11: School Reactions & PoliciesConclusion

The potential for young adult literature to help teenagers process the tragedy of school shootings is undeniable. In her thorough and insightful study, Dr. Laura Brown (SUNY Potsdam) examines the best YA literature has to offer on the subject of school shootings, distilling the whole into a useful essence. What are the most common variables in these stories, and how do these variables play out in predicting the actions of main players? Using data from 37 school shootings collected by the FBI, Secret Service, and US Department of Education as touch points, Brown applies sophisticated sociological theories to dissect 16 books from outstanding authors, analyzing how complex systems work with and against each other to produce tragic outcomes. As a veteran high school teacher, administrator and university education professor, Brown is adept at ferreting out the important details of each story and comparing them to the facts. This book is a great resource for curriculum specialists hoping to find just the right text to help their students make sense of it all.