Shooter

I am waiting for Walter Dean Myers to wring a play or screenplay. I am an actor and a playwright and when I read "Shooter" just like "Monster" he crafts dialogue so effectively that it carries the story even without the narrative. Each character has a specific and active voice. Even the psychologists and reporters who merely record or probe information. But it's the diary of the Shooter at the end where you will be blown away by how Myers is able to get inside the mind of a disturbed, misunderstood and lonely teenager. This book is so incredible that whenever I lend it to one of my students, I don't get it back.

this was one of the best books i have ever read . the story that Walter Dean Myers put out is just amazing i couldnt believe the plot twists and points . i was on the edge of my seat at every single page turn . this is a must have book. every book he writes makes you feel like your actually in the story next to the characters . i love every single one of his books they are amazing.

Walter Dean Myers is an excellent writer of young adult fiction, and has experienced a rejuvenation of sorts with his recent works focusing on troubled youths, like his masterpiece "Monster". "Shooter" has an intriguing premise and style. Told in report and diary form (much like "Monster" was told in script and journal form), readers examine the aftermath of a school shooting in which the gunman took his own life. Readers are left to determine the guilt or innocence of the main character telling his version of events, which is unsettling but very realistic.Cameron Porter was an outsider of sorts. A fairly good student with affluent parents who focused a little too much on their wealth and whose father couldn't understand that his son didn't lack drive but just didn't want to compete with him. Having been bullied himself, he finds himself drawn to Leonard Gray, a much more pronounced outsider, even though Leonard is white and he is black. The two form an unlikely bond, and soon Cameron is joining Len in afternoons at the shooting range, skipping school, and dreaming of ways to get back at those who've bullied them. All this we learn through interviews after the fact, as Cameron recounts his growing friendship with Len and what exactly happened on April 22, when Len opened fire at school. Was Cameron more involved than he admits? The reader gets to grapple with that notion for himself."Shooter" is an incredibly hard to put down book, fast paced due to its interview formatting and because readers will want to uncover what happened on that fateful day. Reading this in the aftermath of recent fatal shooting sprees, it is obvious that Myers has touched on a releveant and confusing topic in modern day America. What causes someone to do this? Even after reading Len's diary, readers may still not truly know what led him to open fire at school. With all of these shootings, we are usually left with more questions than answers, which makes Myers' work all too realistic and vital. "Shooter" is an intriguing, eye-opening read.

Scary and realistic. Got inside the head of a teenager who feels unaccepted. Walter Dean Myers is a master writer for adolscents.

"Shooter" is the story of a school shooting told from the perspective of the two friends of the perpetrator, in interview format after the tragedy has occurred. Cameron Gray is the shooter's friend, and Carla is their mutual friend. Both teens have problems in the form of indifferent or abusive parents, bullying by peers, and in the girl's case, sexual abuse.However, neither is as troubled as Leonard, who plots to blow up the school and eventually makes an attempt.The book's strength comes from the fact that both Carla and Cameron are entirely believable teens. They don't speak in pop culture soundbites, they aren't endlessly snarky, and they don't have insight into their situation more appropriate for an adult of the author's age. I appreciated the fact that none of the young characters sounded as if they were on a primetime teen TV drama. The reader is given enough clues to piece together what happened and figure out why, without it being overly obvious or "message-y".So why the semi-low rating? When it comes to the shooter, Leonard, himself, the author makes it impossible to figure out what is making this guy tick. Is he mentally ill? His diary entry has the language usage of someone suffering from perhaps either schizophrenia or manic depression. At times, I found it nearly unreadable, though that could have also been the font. While I felt sorry for the teen, I was unable to glean any insight into his behavior. While this is an interesting direction to take with a character, it removes a lot of responsibility for his actions, and makes the issue of bullying, bad parenting, etc., secondary. At least if you believe these conditions are caused by nature, not nuture."Give A Boy a Gun" by Todd Strasser uses a similiar format as "Shooter," only expanded to include interviews with the shooter's classmates and teachers. I think that might have helped provide more insight into the Leonard character.