Kent State

I loved all thirty minutes it took to read this book.I think that anything longer would be unnecessary. After all, any politicized news story of the day is backed by the same set of voices; always requiring the reader to identify within the chaos created by polarization.I appreciate the opportunity to navigate end the book just as I find myself obligated to identify where I stand after after so many current events.

This book is a thought provoking book written in verse from multiple perspectives. It considers the perspectives of different groups in relation to the Kent State shootings. The author's notes on how she researched as well as a look into music's role in the time period was also thought provoking. A quick read that will make you think.

This book is written in verse from multiple perspectives. It makes you think of the many perspectives when dealing with such a tragedy.I also enjoyed the music role she researched during that period of time.

I thought the layout of the book was extremely clever, powerful and haunting. The book introduces young and reminds old readers about a pivotal time in American history.

I was worried that it would skirt the tragic nature of the event of May 4th, but it balances the story well. Reads very fast. Good for a reluctant reader. Ties the historical with the contemporary. I found it moving.

Having a friend in the National Guard at Kent that day I would have liked more interviews from them. Some of the " facts" in the book are just wrong.

Than the one I lived. Feel like this is a rewriting to advance a political agenda. Kent State was a tragedy.

May 4, 1970 is a date that should invoke painful memories in the hearts and minds of Americans, much as do the dates of November 22, 1963 or September 11, 2001. If May 4, 1970 is not ringing alarm bells for you, please read "Kent State" by Deborah Wiles. On that date nearly 50 years ago, four students were shot dead by the Ohio National Guard. Protests had been erupting across the United States following President Nixon's decision to bomb Vietcong strongholds in Cambodia. College campuses, full of draft-age young men and their girlfriends, were natural centers for discontent. Demonstrations were mostly peaceful, but the ROTC Building at Kent State had burned down. When the mayor called on the governor for backup, he dispatched the National Guard.Wiles meticulously researched the events of that fateful day. What caused the 28 guardsmen in Troop G to turn from what appeared to be a retreat and fire 67 shots in 13 seconds? Were they given an order to fire? Some details are still in dispute. What is definitively known is that nine students were injured and four were killed, including Allison, Bill, Sandy, and Jeff.Wiles' use of the victims' first names when they initially appear in the narrative serves to depict the victims as precisely what they were - typical college students with hopes and dreams. Two were not even involved in any protests; they were merely walking to class.Wiles relates the story in truly unique form. The reader's experience is akin to listening to a conversation among people whose points of view and opinions are as diverse as they are many. Speaking alternatively are anti-war students, pro-establishment students, townspeople, black students (with an entirely different perspective on white men in uniforms carrying rifles), American citizens who support the war, critics of nonconforming students, and First Amendment defenders. The voices are nameless and faceless, yet I could hear each clearly, with an accompanying tone of righteous indignation, condescension, conviction, or zealousness.Wiles was almost 17-years-old on May 4, 1970. The shocking news became a watershed moment for her. I can relate to her reaction, because I was only 19 and a student at an Ohio college only 190 miles from Kent State. Within 11 days, our university also experienced riots and a fire-bombed cafeteria, which led to the school being closed. The National Guard was called in to maintain order as we exited the campus. I must admit to being terrified by the site of the guardsmen with rifles riding by my dorm in jeeps. That I felt threatened, rather than protected, was a direct result of the damage that the Kent State Massacre did to my psyche. Fifty years later, Wiles has helped me to put that day in perspective. In many ways, it was even worse than I let my 19-year-old self believe it was. Thank you, Ms. Wiles for giving this topic the attention it deserves

This was bought as a present - the recipient loved it.