This is Where it Ends
By Marieke Nijkamp
“Ty made good on his promise. I didn't need to die for him to kill me. He simply lowered his gun and pulled the trigger. And his bullet tore my knee to shreds.” -This is Where it Ends, by Marieke Nijkamp
I wanted to start off this blog by saying this was a hard and difficult read. This is Where it Ends, by Marieke Nijkamp is about a school shooting conducted by a distraught teen. With that being said I wanted to reflect on how important this book is to read in the current climate our young adults have to live in. In the past recent years, school shooting have been on a rise, along with public shootings. This book is a tough read, but it is an honest read. My heart is with all those who have suffered or endured any type of situation as result to gun violence.
Let’s talk about this novel. This novel takes place at in small town in Alabama, where nothing much ever happens. The novel’s main setting is at Opportunity High School (OHS) in the auditorium where the principle is giving her regular speech before the new semester starts. She finished her speech around 10:00 am. The students start to get up and leave to go to classes at 10:02. At 10:03 the doors are locked and know one can get out of the auditorium. At 10:05, a mask boy walks into the auditorium, shoots the principle and begins shooting students. The reason why I am saying the times is because the novel is presented minute by minute, and overall shooting occurring with an hour. The novel is told from the perspectives of our four main characters, Claire, Thomas, Autumn and Sylvia. The shooters name is Tyler who had a rough time in school that year. Tylers mother died in a car crash picking up, Autumn, Tyler's sister from her ballet practice. The same year, Autumn tells Tyler she is a lesbian and starts seeing another girl. Tyler tries to kiss Autumn's new girlfriend and at his prom his girlfriend, who he loved, break up with him. Tyler is bullied by the boys in school and got into many fights. Autumn and her family blame the mothers death on her because it was her practice and she is now forbidden to dance by her father. Thomas, the other main character, is in detention and is one of four students who is not in the auditorium during the shooting. He is the one who calls the police and breaks the door open to let the students escape, but Tyler, who was selecting particular students to shoot, shoots at random when the students try to run through the door. Thomas, in attempts to save Sylvia, his litter sister, tricks Tyler into chasing him upstairs to the second floor. When he does,Tyler shoots him dead, leaving Sylvia without a brother. Autumn final tries confronts Tyler at the end after shootings and Tyler than shoots Autumn in the legs and then shoots himself in the head. Autumn will never dance again..
Why is this a good novel for young adults? Nijkamp’s novel, in my opinion is something young adults should read. This book as central themes that surround bullying, fear, desperation, loneliness, and self control. The themes in the book are centered around a lot of issues young adults are facing. This is a eye opener for many. It shows the impact a shooting can have and how it does not need to result in this drastic way. We need to let our students know their is help! There is resources! There is hope! This is so important for us as educators to understand. This book is also written for young adults. In that sense, I mean, that is uses text messages and social media conversations to tell parts of the story. I think in that sense, it is relatable for them to read.
Recently Netflix came out with a serious called 13 Reasons Why. Please take a look at the trailer. It relates to Nijkamp’s novel and the struggles of young adults. This can really educate us to understand we need to help these young adults before it gets to this point. I highly encourage you to watch. Here is the link.
Here is more information on bullying for teens and resources to help:
Want to know more about Nijkamp? Take a look:
http://www.mariekenijkamp.com/musings/
No comments:
Post a Comment