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Beiträge
Review to come.
If you are a student, then it is highly likely that you know about the constant fear of someone running on a killing spree in your school building or your university. If not, then at least you probably have relatives or friends who could potentially be involved in such a tragedy, just as everyone can possibly become a victim to such a horrifying scenario. That's what this book is about: the way an entire school deals with a killing spree after Nick Levil opened fire in the school cafeteria, killing several students and himself. I am not that well-informed about the circumstances in different countries, but here in Germany, tragedies like these have accompanied people for years, especially after the well-known and widely dreaded shooting sprees of Erfurt (2002), Emsdetten (2006) and Winnenden (2009). Emergency plans are now hanging on the doors of each classroom and instructions are given how to behave in such a case at the beginning of every schoolyear. But past events and the severe lack of security measures tell another story: that it would be easy for almost everyone to walk into a classroom or a lecture hall and kill at least ten people by random before someone can stop the killer. This is something which can never be truly predicted or prevented, not even with huge prevention activites (which, of course, cannot be found here at the moment). And this fear or becoming victim to such a tragedy as well as the aftermaths of it are what Hate List by Jennifer Brown deals with. Killing sprees are a serious topic which now and then invades the headlines and causes serious upheaval among the population. What makes it such a fascinating topic for an author to explore? It's the way they can't be predicted. Which thoughts have to run through the mind of a young person before walking through his or her school and killing dozens of people? How can such a deed be motivated? Why is it that nobody, not the parents, nor the friends, nor the girlfriend, ever sensed that something could happen? In this book, Valerie Leftman, the first-person narrator, is introduced as the girlfriend of the boy who killed those innocent people. While in their relationship, Nick was sweet, loving and caring, even though Valerie knew that he had some contacts to the wrong friends. In addition to that, Nick and Valerie, both considering themselves to be outsiders in their school, created a Hate List with the names of people they hate. And when Nick begins the shooting, those persons whose names appear on that list are chosen by him explicitly to be killed before finally he can be stopped, leading him to kill himself. When the book begins, five months have passed, and Valerie has to return to her school again. Everyone considers her to be the girlfriend of that killer, some even accuse her of having known about his plans, and nothing is going to make it easy for Valerie at her school. The social issue weighed heavily into this book, but apart from that, Valerie felt like a typical seventeen-year-old teenager to me, portrayed with almost the same character traits as all the other seventeen-year-old female protagonists in all those Young Adult novels out there. Her character had nothing special surrounding her, except for the constant self-pitying and selfishness. Her father was portrayed in a way which could not have been more negative, a way which is sadly too often occuring in reality. Her mother was portrayed in a way mothers shouldn't be portrayed, and the only character who sticked out to me as being interesting was Nick Levil, the perpetrator, for the mere fact that nobody suspected anything before he went on his killing spree. The most enthralling part of this novel was the way the author dealt with Nick's complicated mind; after all, what could turn a guy who reads Shakespeare for fun and has a (relatively) healthy social life into a killer? In the end, the premise convinced me most in this novel, while the characters fell flat for me and the plot balanced on a constant middle course between boring and interesting. However, it is possible that this novel was just a case of "it's me, not you", so I will recommend reading Anne's fantastic review and let yourself be convinced that this book deserves to be checked out.
Kennt ihr das auch? Diese Bücher, die euch gleich von dem ersten Satz an fesseln? Bücher, die eine Thematik behandeln, der man anfangs skeptisch gegenübersteht, nach einer Weile allerdings feststellt, dass dieses Buch mehr als bloß "gut" ist? Ein Buch, das man gar nicht mehr zur Seite legen kann und möchte? Die Hassliste von Jennifer Brown war genau ein solches Buch für mich. Aufgeteilt in vier Teile beginnt der erste Teil mit einem Zeitungsartikel, der von einem Amoklauf an der Gavin Higschool berichtet. Täter ist Nick Levin, der zusammen mit seiner Freundin Valerie die Abschlussklasse der Gavin Highschool besucht. Nachdem er viele seiner Mitschüler einfach so erschossen hatte, nahm er sich selbst das Leben und ließ seine Freundin Valerie mit einer schlimmen Beinverletzung alleine zurück. Die Hassliste ist schlicht und ergreifend ein richtig gutes Buch. Jennifer Brown schafft es, die Ohnmacht, die Valerie nach dem Amoklauf empfindet, unglaublich gut zu beschreiben. Sie beschreibt ihre Gefühle, ihre Gedanken ... versucht die vielen Fragen zu beantworten, die in Valeries Kopf entstehen und drückt mit ihrer gefühlvollen Wortwahl nicht nur einmal auf die Tränendrüse des Lesers. Man hat das Gefühl, mitten drin zu sein; den Amoklauf miterlebt zu haben und leidet mit jedem einzelnen mit. Nicht nur mit Valerie, die ebenfalls als Opfer aus dieser Sache herausgegangen ist, sondern auch mit den Familien; mit den Schülern, die den Amoklauf mit inneren als auch äußeren Verletzungen überlebt haben. Ich war so von diesem Buch gefesselt, dass ich es nicht aus der Hand legen konnte und es förmlich in einem Rutsch durch lesen musste. Auch wenn Die Hassliste eine fiktive Geschichte erzählt, ist es doch kein Buch, dass zur Unterhaltung dient. Dieses Buch nimmt einen richtig mit. Es ist unglaublich zu lesen, was Jennifer Brown in ihrem Roman um diesen schrecklichen Amoklauf schildert. Angefangen von den Demütigungen, die die Schüler unter sich austragen bis hin zu dem skrupellosen Mord an vielen unschuldigen Menschen, die in Nicks Augen Monster waren. Bei mir hat dieses Buch eine regelrechte Gänsehaut verursacht. Mehr als einmal hatte ich Tränen in den Augen und musste das Buch kurz weg legen, um mich wieder zu fangen. Immer wieder musste ich mich in die einzelnen Personen hinein versetzen, die einem während des Lesens so sehr ans Herz gewachsen sind. Egal ob es Valerie war, die trotz allem, was Nick getan hat, ihren Freund vermisst. Den Freund, der sie in den Arm genommen und auf die Stirn geküsst hatte, wenn es ihr schlecht ging. Oder ihre Mutter Jenny, die hin und her gerissen war zwischen ihrer Tochter als unschuldige Heldin und Täterin. Oder Jessica, Ginny und Christy, die mit physischen als auch psychischen Folgen aus diesem Anschlag raus gekommen sind. Die Gedanken und Gefühle eines jeden Charakters sind unglaublich gut beschrieben und mehr als nachvollziehbar. Fazit: Das Buch ist ein regelrechtes MUSS!!! Selbst für Leute, die vielleicht ein Problem damit haben, sich mit einer solchen Thematik auseinander zu setzen. Ich finde einfach, dieses Buch muss man einfach lesen. Es ist nicht nur gut, sondern auch einfach ... krass! Genau das ist das richtige Wort dafür: krass! Von mir bekommt Die Hassliste auf jeden Fall 5 von 5 Punkten.
I'm a sucker for fantasy driven novels but occasionally I'll find a great book that is set in the real world - this was one such book. I can admit that final chapter made me burst into tears and seeing Valerie's development from page one all the way to the final page is so inspiring. Its a difficult read, especially the chapters set on the infamous day, but it's an important read to. I loved this book, and while the topic of school shooting is difficult, the aftermath and how each student coped was heartwarming to read. I'll also say: I loved Bea and Dr Hieler, they are definitely my favourite adult characters in this book and as someone who has worked closely with therapists to work through a form of trauma, Hieler reminded me of mine who helped me find a way to talk about things and see things for what they truly are - and not what people wanted me to see.
What drives a kid or young adult to pick up a gun and kill? And who is responsible? A novel about such a topic must be sensible and complex, especially one for young adults. And that's what this book was not. 1. The motivation of the shooter. Yes, what is the motivation of school shooters? What makes a teenager grab a gun and commit homicide? It has to do with a complex net of circumstances at home and at school. Every other means of making oneself heard must be taken away in order for someone to resort to such drastic measures. What role does society play, if it evokes feelings such as that in a young person? What role do parents play? The media? Friends? Classmates? If you want a true answer to this, this book isn't for you. Because all the reasoning it gives for Nick's murders is "He was buwwied uwu". A neglectful mother and bullying at school does not make you a murderer. Hating someone's guts doesn't make you a murderer. And the author seems to know that, because she - through Valerie's words - blames it all on some pot-smoking jobless screw-up whom Nick hung out with. Yes, you see, Nick, the one who shot people, was secretly a really good and kind and sweet guy. He liked Shakespeare, isn't that so quirky? It was definitely all the fault of that Jeremy guy, because he smokes weed, he's the bad guy! Too bad that Jeremy never comes up again and is never explored in the text nor held accountable for the bad influence he supposedly had. Instead, it is agreed on that Nick was a victim too and that the real blame lies with... with whom exactly? Hate as a whole, according to the last chapter. His rampage is even excused by "He probably didn't know what he was doing uwu poor troubled kid". No, child or not, school shooters are to be held accountable. That does not negate the influence of circumstances which drive them to do it. But if you pack a gun and target specific people, you know what you are doing. You planned it and executed it. You are a murderer. This book doesn't see that. This book excuses him. 2. So was he a bad guy?! It was baffling that instead of asking questions like "How far can hate go?" "How much can hate consume you?" "How much support do adults give - how much do they take away hope?" "Why is nobody standing up against bullying?" the book started kicking off some discussion about who is actually good and bad. In reality, there is rarely something so absolute as good or bad. In fiction, maybe, but this topic is too real and important and complex to romanticize it thus far. Is Nick a bad guy? Honestly I don't care. I also don't care whether or not Hamlet was his favorite book. I want to know what MADE him do it. Why he committed suicide. Fiction offers the possibility of exploring that to exhaustive detail - but this book does not. 3. The adults What is probably the best part about the book is the way the adults react and behave. Because they're absolutely awful and abusive, especially towards those under their care. Valerie's dad threatens her and both her parents blame her for the shooting. They also force her into the psych ward and later on want to put her in there again because they don't really want to deal with her. Mr Angerson, the principal, specifically targets and ridicules Valerie because he too blames her for the shooting. But instead of calling them out, maybe offering the solutions of social services in cases like this, Valerie instead resorts to forgive them. Have fun with that unresolved trauma, baby girl. Forgiveness is nice, but without talking about the problems, nothing is resolved. Maybe it is exactly this dodgy selfishness of the adults that made Nick snap? Maybe it is this habit of leaving teenagers alone with their issues that raises adults to be such absolute assholes? Maybe adults need to start taking responsibility for their own behaviour?! 4. How does Valerie deal with her guilt? Easy, run away! The answer to this specific question kept me reading this book until the bitter end. I was not rewarded for my effort. There was one part where I began to think that Valerie would disconnect from everybody in her life to really gain some insight of herself and her fears and pain. Because sometimes you have to shut yourself off from all the noise and find out things for yourself, by yourself. The author then describes this (completely reasonable!) behaviour as selfish, and therefore Valerie ends up bothering and talking to the parents of those Nick killed. THAT reminds her of who she is. I can't believe I read that. Take accountability for your hate list, alright. But also take responsibilty for the troubled past you that started that list in the first place. Bullying and abusive parents can and will hurt a child gravely. The school officials and her own parents never understand that. Ridiculous Valerie for being hurt by parents who hate each other! Suck it up, you had a good life! What message does this send to young readers? Makes you wonder. In the end she runs away. Literally just packs her bags and leaves. She is happy that her family WHO NEVER TOOK RESPONSIBILITY FOR HER AND HER TRAUMA AND PROBLEMS can finally have happy times without her. This book was shallow and romanticized. It does not have the depth and sensibility that books about school shootings require. Apart from that, the whole thing read like a wattpad fanfiction, or an adult mimicking what teenagers probably sound like, which ends up being really cringey.
Beiträge
Review to come.
If you are a student, then it is highly likely that you know about the constant fear of someone running on a killing spree in your school building or your university. If not, then at least you probably have relatives or friends who could potentially be involved in such a tragedy, just as everyone can possibly become a victim to such a horrifying scenario. That's what this book is about: the way an entire school deals with a killing spree after Nick Levil opened fire in the school cafeteria, killing several students and himself. I am not that well-informed about the circumstances in different countries, but here in Germany, tragedies like these have accompanied people for years, especially after the well-known and widely dreaded shooting sprees of Erfurt (2002), Emsdetten (2006) and Winnenden (2009). Emergency plans are now hanging on the doors of each classroom and instructions are given how to behave in such a case at the beginning of every schoolyear. But past events and the severe lack of security measures tell another story: that it would be easy for almost everyone to walk into a classroom or a lecture hall and kill at least ten people by random before someone can stop the killer. This is something which can never be truly predicted or prevented, not even with huge prevention activites (which, of course, cannot be found here at the moment). And this fear or becoming victim to such a tragedy as well as the aftermaths of it are what Hate List by Jennifer Brown deals with. Killing sprees are a serious topic which now and then invades the headlines and causes serious upheaval among the population. What makes it such a fascinating topic for an author to explore? It's the way they can't be predicted. Which thoughts have to run through the mind of a young person before walking through his or her school and killing dozens of people? How can such a deed be motivated? Why is it that nobody, not the parents, nor the friends, nor the girlfriend, ever sensed that something could happen? In this book, Valerie Leftman, the first-person narrator, is introduced as the girlfriend of the boy who killed those innocent people. While in their relationship, Nick was sweet, loving and caring, even though Valerie knew that he had some contacts to the wrong friends. In addition to that, Nick and Valerie, both considering themselves to be outsiders in their school, created a Hate List with the names of people they hate. And when Nick begins the shooting, those persons whose names appear on that list are chosen by him explicitly to be killed before finally he can be stopped, leading him to kill himself. When the book begins, five months have passed, and Valerie has to return to her school again. Everyone considers her to be the girlfriend of that killer, some even accuse her of having known about his plans, and nothing is going to make it easy for Valerie at her school. The social issue weighed heavily into this book, but apart from that, Valerie felt like a typical seventeen-year-old teenager to me, portrayed with almost the same character traits as all the other seventeen-year-old female protagonists in all those Young Adult novels out there. Her character had nothing special surrounding her, except for the constant self-pitying and selfishness. Her father was portrayed in a way which could not have been more negative, a way which is sadly too often occuring in reality. Her mother was portrayed in a way mothers shouldn't be portrayed, and the only character who sticked out to me as being interesting was Nick Levil, the perpetrator, for the mere fact that nobody suspected anything before he went on his killing spree. The most enthralling part of this novel was the way the author dealt with Nick's complicated mind; after all, what could turn a guy who reads Shakespeare for fun and has a (relatively) healthy social life into a killer? In the end, the premise convinced me most in this novel, while the characters fell flat for me and the plot balanced on a constant middle course between boring and interesting. However, it is possible that this novel was just a case of "it's me, not you", so I will recommend reading Anne's fantastic review and let yourself be convinced that this book deserves to be checked out.
Kennt ihr das auch? Diese Bücher, die euch gleich von dem ersten Satz an fesseln? Bücher, die eine Thematik behandeln, der man anfangs skeptisch gegenübersteht, nach einer Weile allerdings feststellt, dass dieses Buch mehr als bloß "gut" ist? Ein Buch, das man gar nicht mehr zur Seite legen kann und möchte? Die Hassliste von Jennifer Brown war genau ein solches Buch für mich. Aufgeteilt in vier Teile beginnt der erste Teil mit einem Zeitungsartikel, der von einem Amoklauf an der Gavin Higschool berichtet. Täter ist Nick Levin, der zusammen mit seiner Freundin Valerie die Abschlussklasse der Gavin Highschool besucht. Nachdem er viele seiner Mitschüler einfach so erschossen hatte, nahm er sich selbst das Leben und ließ seine Freundin Valerie mit einer schlimmen Beinverletzung alleine zurück. Die Hassliste ist schlicht und ergreifend ein richtig gutes Buch. Jennifer Brown schafft es, die Ohnmacht, die Valerie nach dem Amoklauf empfindet, unglaublich gut zu beschreiben. Sie beschreibt ihre Gefühle, ihre Gedanken ... versucht die vielen Fragen zu beantworten, die in Valeries Kopf entstehen und drückt mit ihrer gefühlvollen Wortwahl nicht nur einmal auf die Tränendrüse des Lesers. Man hat das Gefühl, mitten drin zu sein; den Amoklauf miterlebt zu haben und leidet mit jedem einzelnen mit. Nicht nur mit Valerie, die ebenfalls als Opfer aus dieser Sache herausgegangen ist, sondern auch mit den Familien; mit den Schülern, die den Amoklauf mit inneren als auch äußeren Verletzungen überlebt haben. Ich war so von diesem Buch gefesselt, dass ich es nicht aus der Hand legen konnte und es förmlich in einem Rutsch durch lesen musste. Auch wenn Die Hassliste eine fiktive Geschichte erzählt, ist es doch kein Buch, dass zur Unterhaltung dient. Dieses Buch nimmt einen richtig mit. Es ist unglaublich zu lesen, was Jennifer Brown in ihrem Roman um diesen schrecklichen Amoklauf schildert. Angefangen von den Demütigungen, die die Schüler unter sich austragen bis hin zu dem skrupellosen Mord an vielen unschuldigen Menschen, die in Nicks Augen Monster waren. Bei mir hat dieses Buch eine regelrechte Gänsehaut verursacht. Mehr als einmal hatte ich Tränen in den Augen und musste das Buch kurz weg legen, um mich wieder zu fangen. Immer wieder musste ich mich in die einzelnen Personen hinein versetzen, die einem während des Lesens so sehr ans Herz gewachsen sind. Egal ob es Valerie war, die trotz allem, was Nick getan hat, ihren Freund vermisst. Den Freund, der sie in den Arm genommen und auf die Stirn geküsst hatte, wenn es ihr schlecht ging. Oder ihre Mutter Jenny, die hin und her gerissen war zwischen ihrer Tochter als unschuldige Heldin und Täterin. Oder Jessica, Ginny und Christy, die mit physischen als auch psychischen Folgen aus diesem Anschlag raus gekommen sind. Die Gedanken und Gefühle eines jeden Charakters sind unglaublich gut beschrieben und mehr als nachvollziehbar. Fazit: Das Buch ist ein regelrechtes MUSS!!! Selbst für Leute, die vielleicht ein Problem damit haben, sich mit einer solchen Thematik auseinander zu setzen. Ich finde einfach, dieses Buch muss man einfach lesen. Es ist nicht nur gut, sondern auch einfach ... krass! Genau das ist das richtige Wort dafür: krass! Von mir bekommt Die Hassliste auf jeden Fall 5 von 5 Punkten.
I'm a sucker for fantasy driven novels but occasionally I'll find a great book that is set in the real world - this was one such book. I can admit that final chapter made me burst into tears and seeing Valerie's development from page one all the way to the final page is so inspiring. Its a difficult read, especially the chapters set on the infamous day, but it's an important read to. I loved this book, and while the topic of school shooting is difficult, the aftermath and how each student coped was heartwarming to read. I'll also say: I loved Bea and Dr Hieler, they are definitely my favourite adult characters in this book and as someone who has worked closely with therapists to work through a form of trauma, Hieler reminded me of mine who helped me find a way to talk about things and see things for what they truly are - and not what people wanted me to see.
What drives a kid or young adult to pick up a gun and kill? And who is responsible? A novel about such a topic must be sensible and complex, especially one for young adults. And that's what this book was not. 1. The motivation of the shooter. Yes, what is the motivation of school shooters? What makes a teenager grab a gun and commit homicide? It has to do with a complex net of circumstances at home and at school. Every other means of making oneself heard must be taken away in order for someone to resort to such drastic measures. What role does society play, if it evokes feelings such as that in a young person? What role do parents play? The media? Friends? Classmates? If you want a true answer to this, this book isn't for you. Because all the reasoning it gives for Nick's murders is "He was buwwied uwu". A neglectful mother and bullying at school does not make you a murderer. Hating someone's guts doesn't make you a murderer. And the author seems to know that, because she - through Valerie's words - blames it all on some pot-smoking jobless screw-up whom Nick hung out with. Yes, you see, Nick, the one who shot people, was secretly a really good and kind and sweet guy. He liked Shakespeare, isn't that so quirky? It was definitely all the fault of that Jeremy guy, because he smokes weed, he's the bad guy! Too bad that Jeremy never comes up again and is never explored in the text nor held accountable for the bad influence he supposedly had. Instead, it is agreed on that Nick was a victim too and that the real blame lies with... with whom exactly? Hate as a whole, according to the last chapter. His rampage is even excused by "He probably didn't know what he was doing uwu poor troubled kid". No, child or not, school shooters are to be held accountable. That does not negate the influence of circumstances which drive them to do it. But if you pack a gun and target specific people, you know what you are doing. You planned it and executed it. You are a murderer. This book doesn't see that. This book excuses him. 2. So was he a bad guy?! It was baffling that instead of asking questions like "How far can hate go?" "How much can hate consume you?" "How much support do adults give - how much do they take away hope?" "Why is nobody standing up against bullying?" the book started kicking off some discussion about who is actually good and bad. In reality, there is rarely something so absolute as good or bad. In fiction, maybe, but this topic is too real and important and complex to romanticize it thus far. Is Nick a bad guy? Honestly I don't care. I also don't care whether or not Hamlet was his favorite book. I want to know what MADE him do it. Why he committed suicide. Fiction offers the possibility of exploring that to exhaustive detail - but this book does not. 3. The adults What is probably the best part about the book is the way the adults react and behave. Because they're absolutely awful and abusive, especially towards those under their care. Valerie's dad threatens her and both her parents blame her for the shooting. They also force her into the psych ward and later on want to put her in there again because they don't really want to deal with her. Mr Angerson, the principal, specifically targets and ridicules Valerie because he too blames her for the shooting. But instead of calling them out, maybe offering the solutions of social services in cases like this, Valerie instead resorts to forgive them. Have fun with that unresolved trauma, baby girl. Forgiveness is nice, but without talking about the problems, nothing is resolved. Maybe it is exactly this dodgy selfishness of the adults that made Nick snap? Maybe it is this habit of leaving teenagers alone with their issues that raises adults to be such absolute assholes? Maybe adults need to start taking responsibility for their own behaviour?! 4. How does Valerie deal with her guilt? Easy, run away! The answer to this specific question kept me reading this book until the bitter end. I was not rewarded for my effort. There was one part where I began to think that Valerie would disconnect from everybody in her life to really gain some insight of herself and her fears and pain. Because sometimes you have to shut yourself off from all the noise and find out things for yourself, by yourself. The author then describes this (completely reasonable!) behaviour as selfish, and therefore Valerie ends up bothering and talking to the parents of those Nick killed. THAT reminds her of who she is. I can't believe I read that. Take accountability for your hate list, alright. But also take responsibilty for the troubled past you that started that list in the first place. Bullying and abusive parents can and will hurt a child gravely. The school officials and her own parents never understand that. Ridiculous Valerie for being hurt by parents who hate each other! Suck it up, you had a good life! What message does this send to young readers? Makes you wonder. In the end she runs away. Literally just packs her bags and leaves. She is happy that her family WHO NEVER TOOK RESPONSIBILITY FOR HER AND HER TRAUMA AND PROBLEMS can finally have happy times without her. This book was shallow and romanticized. It does not have the depth and sensibility that books about school shootings require. Apart from that, the whole thing read like a wattpad fanfiction, or an adult mimicking what teenagers probably sound like, which ends up being really cringey.