Give a Boy a Gun by Todd Strasser

The author stated that “the statistics show that guns are now the number one killer of young people in this country” (p. 178) so this novel is an attempt to warn every one of the danger of guns.
Being teased frequently by others (teachers and classmates) led to killing oneself and shooting others. The story is about two boys, Brendan and Gary, who decide that they can get even with those who have teased and tormented them for years “by holding the student body hostage and killing their enemies as they see fit.” (Worlds of terrorism, 2006, p. 369)
The story is written in a unique way through multiple voices as collected by a university journalism student from this community. “Poignant facts and non-fiction excerpts from a variety of sources appear at the bottom of appropriate pages as the author’s activist stance for gun control” (Worlds of terrorism, 2006, p. 369)
Through the rich textual presentation, Strasser challenges the reader to discover who is responsible or should be blamed for having all this kind of violence among these teenagers. If we all think that teachers play a big role in “raising” these kids up, in this story it seems that the teachers are the targeted agent’s behind having this violence. They failed to create a loving and warm environment for all their students which made Brendan and Gary hate their teachers and classmates. One of the students said, “Society makes you go to school, and then school tortures you. You realize that there’s no way out. Everyone has a breaking point. Sooner or later everyone will snap. Maybe if Brendan and Gary hadn’t snapped, someone else would have” (p. 137). It was explicitly stated in "Brendan’s suicide note" that he is blaming his teachers for his miserable life, “And you teachers I thought you taught us that America is supposed to be about freedom. Kids are supposed to be able to be different without the status qou police smashing us over the head and ridiculing us. But that’s all you teachers did to me and my friends. Just like else were, you tried to make us conform to your narrow-minded expectations of how we were supposed to dress and act. Well, screw you. I hope this letter is like a knife in your hearts. You ruined my life. All I’ve done is pay you back in kind” (p. 153).
Throughout the novel the author was trying to highlight the persons/agents who might intentionally or unintentiopnally get involved in facilitating violence among young adults:
Teachers and administrators, “if the teachers and administrators at school are intolerant of the differences between students, then some of the students are likely to follow their lead” (p. 186). Ccouncilors: according to Strasser ,"the ratio of students to counselors at Kipland Kinkel’s school was roughly 700 to 1." (p. 38)
“Most of the attackers in the recent cases had shown signs of clinical depression or other psychological problems. But schools, strapped for mental health counselors, are less likely to pick up on such behavior or to have the available help. (New York times, 6/14/98)
Parents: Many parents work for long hours leaving their children to watch violent movies and videogames for hours without any control.
Availability of guns, “More than 50 percent of male youths say it would be easy to obtain a gun” (p. 48) . "The presence of a gun in the home increases that risk of suicide fivefold.” (p. 52)

Finally the author suggested some ways and techniques that might help in solving the problem of the guns misuse. It is in page 204 in the Novel. I will photocopy his suggestions and hand them out in the class.
Happy Spring Break to all of You, Enjoy It!