Taking Aim: Power and Pain, Teens and Guns - Hardcover

Cart, Michael; Aronson, Marc; Averett, Edward; Block, Francesca Lia; Crutcher, Chris; Flinn, Alex; Galloway, Gregory; Hubbard, Jenny; Johnson, Peter; Koertge, Ron; Lynch, Chris; Myers, Walter Dean; Oates, Joyce Carol; Shanower, Eric; Weaver, Will; Wein, Elizabeth; Wynne-Jones, Tim

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062327356 ISBN 13: 9780062327352

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2015

Synopsis

Powerful, riveting, and real. Sixteen celebrated authors bring us raw, insightful stories that explore guns and teens in a fiction collection that is thought provoking and emotionally gripping. For fans of Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock and Give a Boy a Gun, and with an array of YA talent like the late great Walter Dean Myers, the poetic Joyce Carol Oates, the prophetic Elizabeth Wein, and the gritty Chris Crutcher, these are evocative voices that each has a different perspective to give. Capturing the hurt and the healing, victims and perpetrators, these stories get to the heart of the matter.

From a boy whose low self-esteem is impacted when a gun comes into his possession to a student recalling a senseless tragedy that befell a favorite teacher, from a realistic look at hunting to a provocative look at a family that defies stereotypes, each emotional story stirs the debate to new levels. The juxtaposition of guns and their consequences offers moving tales, each a reminder of how crucial the question of guns in our society is, and the impact they have on all of us.

Other acclaimed contributors are Marc Aronson, Edward Averett, Francesca Lia Block, Alex Flinn, Gregory Galloway, Jenny Hubbard, Peter Johnson, Ron Koertge, Chris Lynch, Eric Shanower, Will Weaver, and Tim Wynne-Jones.

About this title

About the Authors

Past president of the Young Adult Library Services Association, Michael Cart was a columnist and reviewer for Booklist magazine. He was also the author or editor of nineteen books, including the gay coming-of-age novel My Father’s Scar and―with Christine Jenkins―The Heart Has Its Reasons, a critical history of young adult literature with gay/lesbian/queer content. His anthologies include Love and Sex: Ten Stories of Truth and Necessary Noise: Stories about Our Families as They Really Are. In 2008 he was the first recipient of the YALSA/Greenwood Publishing Group Service to Young Adults Achievement Award, and in 2000 he received the Grolier Foundation Award for his contribution to the stimulation and guidance of reading by young people.

Francesca Lia Block, winner of the prestigious Margaret A. Edwards Award, is the author of many acclaimed and bestselling books, including Weetzie Bat; the book collections Dangerous Angels: The Weetzie Bat Books and Roses and Bones: Myths, Tales, and Secrets; the illustrated novella House of Dolls; the vampire romance novel Pretty Dead; and the gothic werewolf novel The Frenzy. Her work is published around the world.

Chris Crutcher has written nine critically acclaimed novels, an autobiography, and two collections of short stories. Drawing on his experience as a family therapist and child protection specialist, Crutcher writes honestly about real issues facing teenagers today: making it through school, competing in sports, handling rejection and failure, and dealing with parents. He has won three lifetime achievement awards for the body of his work: the Margaret A. Edwards Award, the ALAN Award, and the NCTE National Intellectual Freedom Award. Chris Crutcher lives in Spokane, Washington.

Alex Flinn loves fairy tales and is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Beastly, a spin on Beauty and the Beast that was named a VOYA Editor’s Choice and an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. Beastly is now a major motion picture starring Vanessa Hudgens. Alex also wrote A Kiss in Time, a modern retelling of Sleeping Beauty; Cloaked, a humorous fairy-tale mash-up; Bewitching, a reimagining of fairy-tale favorites, including Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, The Princess and the Pea, and The Little Mermaid, all told by Kendra, the witch from Beastly; Towering, a darkly romantic take on Rapunzel; and Mirrored, a fresh spin on Snow White. Her other books for teens include Breathing Underwater, Breaking Point, Nothing to Lose, Fade to Black, and Diva. She lives in Miami with her family. Visit her online at www.alexflinn.com.

Peter Johnson grew up in Buffalo, New York, at a time when they had a good football team, which seems like fifty years ago. Similar to Benny Alvarez and his friends, Peter always loved words, knowing he was going to be a teacher or a professional baseball player. Also, being from a long line of Irish storytellers, he loved reading and telling tales, and when he realized that his stories changed every time he told them, and that he could get paid for this kind of lying, he decided to become a novelist. His first middle grade novel, The Amazing Adventures of John Smith, Jr. AKA Houdini, was named one of the Best Children's Books by Kirkus Reviews, and he's received many writing fellowships, most notably from the National Endowment for the Arts.

From the Back Cover

Bold. Thought provoking.

Poignant. Heartbreaking.

Sixteen celebrated authors bring us raw, insightful stories that explore the impact of guns on teens. These evocative voices each have a different story to tell, a different perspective to give.

This collection of fiction tackles the tough questions of gun culture, the psychology of gun owners, the motivation of shooters, and gun violence—both the purpose and the danger, the hurt and the healing, victims and perpetrators—trying to get to the heart of the matter.

From a boy whose low self-esteem is impacted when a gun comes into his possession to a student recalling a senseless tragedy that befell a favorite teacher, from a realistic look at hunting to a provocative look at a family that defies stereotypes, each emotional story stirs the debate to new levels.

With a dazzling array of beloved YA authors, these honest stories will draw fans of Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock and Give a Boy a Gun.

Acclaimed contributors include Marc Aronson, Edward Averett, Francesca Lia Block, Chris Crutcher, Alex Flinn, Gregory Galloway, Jenny Hubbard, Peter Johnson, Ron Koertge, Chris Lynch, Walter Dean Myers, Joyce Carol Oates, Eric Shanower, Will Weaver, Elizabeth Wein, and Tim Wynne-Jones.

Reviews

Gr 9 Up—An essay on guns in America by three award-winning authors sets the stage for 13 short stories from an impressive list of writers including Chris Lynch, Francesca Lia Block, and Walter Dean Myers. Ron Koertge's "The Bodyguard: A Fable" offers an unusual perspective on hunting, Myers's "Roach" explores the feeling of power that guns bring to the powerless, while Elizabeth E. Wein's "The Battle of Elphinloan" is about coming face to face with the enemy during war. Standout contributions are Alex Flinn's "Fight or Flight" about preparing for the unexpected, and Jenny Hubbard's heart-breaking "The Babysitters" about a little girl lost too soon and those who remember her. The common themes of power and pain are nicely woven throughout the collection, and the stories cover a wide variety of gun-related topics, though it is unfortunate that Myers's contribution is the sole representation of the urban experience. VERDICT This well-themed collection contains many well-executed stories and is sure to catch the eye of the many teens fascinated by the topic.—Elizabeth Saxton, Tiffin, OH

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0062327356
• ISBN 13: 9780062327352
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 368