by Deborah Wiles
A truly dynamic telling of the tragic events that occurred at Kent State University. This is probably one of the most gut wrenching historic accounts in children's fiction, aside from Diary of Anne Frank. This account is told from multiple points of view, ranging from national guardsmen, protestors, to citizens in the area, we get a rare perspective as we are being told a story through a debate between those who were there. You can tell that this was heavily researched and that Wiles truly connected to the victims, the bystanders, and honestly the overall atmosphere, the connection she has to the entire event is so infused that the energy literally lifts off the pages. It reminded me that often our interest in historic events and history in general, can start with someone else who was truly inspired and pours their passion into recreating the event for us all to have a better understanding. This is a great starting point to rediscover a tragic event in our history and help us to understand a better way of operating in our society.
Raven T.