Burn
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
"Are our schools safe?" It's hard to turn on the news without hearing this question, and the answer is typically "no." This novel explores what happens when bullying escalates to violence, and it challenges our definition of victimization.
With thought-provoking prose, Suzanne Phillips explores the psyche of Cameron, a bullied freshman who ultimately does the unthinkable: he kills another student. As she did with Chloe Doe, Suzanne has found a way to make this seemingly dark story ultimately redemptive. But she also dares readers to look at the behavior that provokes violence as having the potential to be as dangerous as the violence itself.
It's Suzanne's hope that Burn will inspire readers to take a precautionary stance against bullying rather than waiting to react to it.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In precise, often excruciating detail, Phillips (Chloe Doe) describes the downward spiral of an outcast at a school that is like a war zone. Cameron Grady is a sorely bullied freshman, the target of the football team, aka the "Red Coats"; he has become "a guy who's too afraid to bend over and tie his shoe, afraid he'll be a like a duck with his head underwater, afraid a Red Coat will pluck him out of the pond and pick apart his insides." Cameron escapes by running, and by playing with fire, literally burning matches, his skin and a large portion of the woods near his home. Like a fire, Cameron's anger is searing, and it grows out of control. Finally, he does the unthinkable, turning on the Red Coats' other target, a classmate with even fewer defenses than Cameron, and the consequences are fatal. Writing about redemption, the author challenges readers to consider who is a criminal and who is a victim, and how far a victim is allowed to go to stand up for himself. In an age of school violence, this thought-provoking, incisive story will have staying power. Ages 12 up.
Customer Reviews
Great Book!!
This book was fantastic! Incredible description of every aspect! I felt as if i were a part of the book at certain points. Ovet all, great read!