Hate List

Author: Jennifer Brown
Genre: YA Contemporary
Original publication date: September 2009
Book description (from Good Reads): Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.
Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.

 This is a hard thing to describe. At some point it felt a very long book, it had me annoyed, angry, it made me upset.....  I still cannot put order to my feeling but let's give it a try.

 Valerie is portrayed as a typical teenager, she sees reality only through her own eyes and experience. She is selfish, full of self-pity, yet confused and hurt by the events just like anyone else. She is portrayed as a flawed person, but not evil. We are shown the people as humans, who have their good and bad sides, the victims and the perpetrators. 
We see the way people can react, placing blame on everyone, feeling guilty, changing their perspective on life and try to be better towards others, yet like in everything there is no such thing as perfect. People behave awfully towards Valerie, not only the surviving injured teenagers, the surviving teachers, parents, even Valerie's parents.. It is in part very emotional, but it does not necessarily make you feel good.

 Though I do feel it is a story more teens should read. Especially so they can make a conscience about bullying and what people go through emotionally, it is not a black and white thing, the victims and bad people are not mutually exclusive, no one is inherently bad and good.  

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