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Shooter
The groundbreaking and widely praised novel about a school shooting, from the acclaimed author of Monster . Multiple narratives, a personal journal, and newspaper and police reports add perspective and pull readers into the story. "Questions of guilt and innocence drive the plot and stay with the reader," said Hazel Rochman in a starred Booklist review. "Highly readable." "A haunting story that uncovers the pain of several high school students," according to Teenreads.com. "It explores the tragedies of school violence and how the result of bullying can go to the most dramatic extreme. Myers has a gift for expressing the voices of his characters. Shooter is not a light read, but it will leave you reeling ."
223 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2004
187 people are currently reading
3656 people want to read
About the author
Walter Dean Myers
232 books1,183 followerspseudonyms:
Stacie Williams
Stacie Johnson
Walter Dean Myers was born on August 12, 1937 in Martinsburg, West Virginia but moved to Harlem with his foster parents at age three. He was brought up and went to public school there. He attended Stuyvesant High School until the age of seventeen when he joined the army.
After serving four years in the army, he worked at various jobs and earned a BA from Empire State College. He wrote full time after 1977.
Walter wrote from childhood, first finding success in 1969 when he won the Council on Interracial Books for Children contest, which resulted in the publication of his first book for children, Where Does the Day Go?, by Parent's Magazine Press. He published over seventy books for children and young adults. He received many awards for his work in this field including the Coretta Scott King Award, five times. Two of his books were awarded Newbery Honors. He was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award and the Virginia Hamilton Award. For one of his books, Monster, he received the first Michael Printz Award for Young Adult literature awarded by the American Library Association. Monster and Autobiography of My Dead Brother were selected as National Book Award Finalists.
In addition to the publication of his books, Walter contributed to educational and literary publications. He visited schools to speak to children, teachers, librarians, and parents. For three years he led a writing workshop for children in a school in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Walter Dean Myers was married, had three grown children and lived in Jersey City, New Jersey. He died on July 1, 2014, following a brief illness. He was 76 years old.
Stacie Williams
Stacie Johnson
Walter Dean Myers was born on August 12, 1937 in Martinsburg, West Virginia but moved to Harlem with his foster parents at age three. He was brought up and went to public school there. He attended Stuyvesant High School until the age of seventeen when he joined the army.
After serving four years in the army, he worked at various jobs and earned a BA from Empire State College. He wrote full time after 1977.
Walter wrote from childhood, first finding success in 1969 when he won the Council on Interracial Books for Children contest, which resulted in the publication of his first book for children, Where Does the Day Go?, by Parent's Magazine Press. He published over seventy books for children and young adults. He received many awards for his work in this field including the Coretta Scott King Award, five times. Two of his books were awarded Newbery Honors. He was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award and the Virginia Hamilton Award. For one of his books, Monster, he received the first Michael Printz Award for Young Adult literature awarded by the American Library Association. Monster and Autobiography of My Dead Brother were selected as National Book Award Finalists.
In addition to the publication of his books, Walter contributed to educational and literary publications. He visited schools to speak to children, teachers, librarians, and parents. For three years he led a writing workshop for children in a school in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Walter Dean Myers was married, had three grown children and lived in Jersey City, New Jersey. He died on July 1, 2014, following a brief illness. He was 76 years old.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 556 reviews
August 21, 2008
I honestly don't know how Walter Dean Myers does it. How can he be such a genius? It's unfathomable.
This is the story of a teenager who is often bullied by classmates who eventually loses it and opens fire in his school, killing his arch-enemy and himself. The book opens after the fact.
I liked the format of using police reports and various interview transcripts for the main text; it's a realistic device that adds to the clinical, almost sterile accounts of "the incident." It also kind of makes the story a little more creepy.
Myers' talent is really evident, though, in Len's diary. You totally get the idea that Len is crazy, but he's not one-dimensionally crazy. Myers fleshes out his background so that you can kind of see why Len would feel driven to an act of desperation, but at the same time, since you already have an idea of his personality (based on his friends' interviews), it's difficult to feel sympathetic.
Len's use of language is at once beautiful and terrifying. The way he's able to manipulate words is absolutely breath-taking, but I found myself wondering if he was really that good a writer, or if his mental acuity was a result of somewhat sociopathic nature; you know how sometimes geniuses and hyper-artistic people can be sort of crazy? Like that.
***teacher***
I definitely think my boys would like this book. It's very true in the way it depicts teenagers and the culture and hierarchy of high school. The use of non-traditional text format makes it seem more like non-fiction than fiction. I think some of the themes--changing friendships, questioning authority, realizing your elders aren't perfect, spontaneous acts of jack-assery--are especially relevant to my students, as they're experiencing all of that right now themselves. The best part is that Myers is prolific enough that they have a ton of other books to choose from when they finish this one.
This is the story of a teenager who is often bullied by classmates who eventually loses it and opens fire in his school, killing his arch-enemy and himself. The book opens after the fact.
I liked the format of using police reports and various interview transcripts for the main text; it's a realistic device that adds to the clinical, almost sterile accounts of "the incident." It also kind of makes the story a little more creepy.
Myers' talent is really evident, though, in Len's diary. You totally get the idea that Len is crazy, but he's not one-dimensionally crazy. Myers fleshes out his background so that you can kind of see why Len would feel driven to an act of desperation, but at the same time, since you already have an idea of his personality (based on his friends' interviews), it's difficult to feel sympathetic.
Len's use of language is at once beautiful and terrifying. The way he's able to manipulate words is absolutely breath-taking, but I found myself wondering if he was really that good a writer, or if his mental acuity was a result of somewhat sociopathic nature; you know how sometimes geniuses and hyper-artistic people can be sort of crazy? Like that.
***teacher***
I definitely think my boys would like this book. It's very true in the way it depicts teenagers and the culture and hierarchy of high school. The use of non-traditional text format makes it seem more like non-fiction than fiction. I think some of the themes--changing friendships, questioning authority, realizing your elders aren't perfect, spontaneous acts of jack-assery--are especially relevant to my students, as they're experiencing all of that right now themselves. The best part is that Myers is prolific enough that they have a ton of other books to choose from when they finish this one.
September 30, 2018
I like this book but I didn't like the characters because it's just was so depressing for me and the reality is that this kind of situations happened
I been studying in America for 2 years, I was afraid to go to school after see the school shooting that happened in Florida because that's never happened in Mexico where my other school was. But the reason I didn't give the book 5 starts is because I didn't felt like this book really help me it just made me feel more sad.
Sorry if i did Gramma mistakes I'm still learning English lol
I been studying in America for 2 years, I was afraid to go to school after see the school shooting that happened in Florida because that's never happened in Mexico where my other school was. But the reason I didn't give the book 5 starts is because I didn't felt like this book really help me it just made me feel more sad.
Sorry if i did Gramma mistakes I'm still learning English lol
January 12, 2021
Disturbing and powerful, this short book evoked a myriad of real emotions from me as I read. This is a dark story written in mixed media format about the aftermath of a school shooting. It delves into this tragedy from perspectives I haven’t seen in literature. I was riveted to every page.
Trigger warnings for gun violence, domestic violence, bullying, sexual abuse, depression and suicide. This is a VERY dark psychological story so beware and be warned.
Trigger warnings for gun violence, domestic violence, bullying, sexual abuse, depression and suicide. This is a VERY dark psychological story so beware and be warned.
June 2, 2019
School shootings are a common occurrence now-a-days. It's common for us to go on Twitter and see that a new shooting has occurred. With this, I am interested in what makes a killer a killer so when I saw this at the library I picked it up. I love books that stray away from the common way a book should be portrayed. This book was written in the style of an interview and at the end it showed newspaper articles, the diary of the shooter, and the medical examiner report. I enjoyed this book and breezed through it quickly. It is a sensitive and touchy topic but I would recommend it for people who are like me and are intrigued by what makes a killer a killer.
November 20, 2014
At Madison High School, if you don't fit in, you're an "outsider." And outsiders stick together. That's exactly what Cameron, Leonard, and Carla did. They were very close friends and could never stay mad at each other too long, no matter what they did to deserve the hate. Cameron and Leonard are bullied, left out, and don't feel like they belong anywhere. They feel like there is no light at the end of their tunnel, and they feel that if they can't see a light now, why keep searching? One of the kids get pushed to their breaking part, and their revenge goes way too far in their, "act of rebellion," ending in a tragic school shooting. Shooter is an excellent book. It is written in interview, journal entries, and forms and it makes it even better. When you read a Shooter you feel like you're questioning the main characters and they're answering you, one on one. It is a great book and you never get bored.
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April 6, 2019Shooter by Walter Dean Myers is a very detailed oriented book because of its revolution around these interviews that occur in the book. Overall I did like the book because it gives you a view into police interrogations. My biggest problem with the book is that a lot of the chapters are very similar up until the very end of the chapters.
I feel like this book is very repetitive because there are three main characters that experienced nearly the exact same thing from a slightly different perspective. Although the main characters tell almost the same story every time at the end of the chapters there is almost always a big realization or different interpretation of that interview. One thing that I really liked about the book is the different type of people interrogating the main characters. These people range from being very kind and gentle with the main characters to being very aggressive and punchy toward this situation. One other thing that I found very repetitive in the book is the interrogator's intents. Although the interrogators behave differently toward the characters they all have the same intent to find more and more about the character's family lives. I understand that it is an important part but I do think it is a little bit over kill to have most of each chapter being a different interviewer asking nearly the exact same questions. On the other hand one thing I did like about the book is the use of modern day language. There are a couple words that appear to be out of the ordinary but every time there is a weird word or phrase the character briefly explains that term.
In conclusion I did enjoy the book and the lay out of the interviews. If I could rate this book out of 5 stars I would give it 4 because of the different layout and understandable characters and language. I think this book would be liked y anybody that enjoys mystery or law type books because it goes deep into how complex and sensitive these types of situations are.
I feel like this book is very repetitive because there are three main characters that experienced nearly the exact same thing from a slightly different perspective. Although the main characters tell almost the same story every time at the end of the chapters there is almost always a big realization or different interpretation of that interview. One thing that I really liked about the book is the different type of people interrogating the main characters. These people range from being very kind and gentle with the main characters to being very aggressive and punchy toward this situation. One other thing that I found very repetitive in the book is the interrogator's intents. Although the interrogators behave differently toward the characters they all have the same intent to find more and more about the character's family lives. I understand that it is an important part but I do think it is a little bit over kill to have most of each chapter being a different interviewer asking nearly the exact same questions. On the other hand one thing I did like about the book is the use of modern day language. There are a couple words that appear to be out of the ordinary but every time there is a weird word or phrase the character briefly explains that term.
In conclusion I did enjoy the book and the lay out of the interviews. If I could rate this book out of 5 stars I would give it 4 because of the different layout and understandable characters and language. I think this book would be liked y anybody that enjoys mystery or law type books because it goes deep into how complex and sensitive these types of situations are.
May 28, 2025
I picked this up because I liked “This is Where it Ends” by Marieke Nijkamp. This was just alright. Written in the format of post-incident reports, that made it a bit harder to follow. Then it just… ends. No real conclusion. I’m feeling meh about this book.
July 15, 2012
Walter Dean Myers' Shooter is a multigenre work that takes a look at a fictional school shooting and events leading up to it. We don't actually witness the shooting happen, but learn about it after the fact from interviews, police reports, and a diary. School shootings has been a topic of film and novels ever since the horrible Columbine shootings of 1999, and school violence has become an increasingly greater problem ever since. It's no surprise that people are drawn to these kinds of stories, many of which focus on the character of the shooter or shooters. The media, of course, has its theories as to why these teens snap. Video games are to blame. Bullying. Bad parenting. We need to know why someone would go on a shooting rampage so we can prevent it from happening next time.
The story focuses on three characters, all students of Harrison County High School: Cameron Porter, Leonard Gray (Len), and Carla. Cameron, who was Len's best friend, is the main focus of the novel. We learn that Len was the shooter, and Cameron and Carla were also in the school at the time of the shooting. There were two deaths: Len's and another student's. The interviews are meant to shed light on the character of Len, but also of Cameron, because his participation is somewhat shady. Cameron is shy, a black kid. He and Len are both outsiders, but Len has a strangeness to him that seems to attract the attention of bullies. Len's troubled mind is apparently passed down from his father, though he didn't acquire his father's racism. One day Len's father took Len and Cameron out with his friends to do some shooting, and among the targets was a cardboard cut-out of Martin Luther King, Jr. Len treats it as a harmless joke, and Cameron tries to as well. He looked up to Len to the point that he wasn't able to realize something wasn't quite right with him.
I find that while the novel does some interesting things, it didn't work for me. It was too impassive and not very engaging. The main problem lies in the fact that Cameron isn't very interesting. We get the impression he's intelligent, but he doesn't say very much. At least one interviewer seems to believe he's holding back information, but I think he's just not very comfortable with the interview process. The one interview with Carla proves much more interesting, because she has personality. She's combative with the interviewers and she brings a lot of life to what was becoming a dull, repetitive affair. The second to last section of the novel, which is Len's diary, is also fascinating. Len uses a lot of clever, yet creepy, wordplay, and his language reveals a very troubled mind with a plan. We learn from his diary that he did have a purpose in carrying out his shooting, but I'll leave that for you to discover.
There is an emotional detachment in the way the novel unfolds. As the interviews focus solely on the words spoken by the interviewer and interviewee, we can only guess what it means when someone pauses, but there's no real emotional connection with the speaker. The news reports also add to the detachment, as well as the very final piece, which is cold in its finality. I believe Myers did this on purpose, however, to show how the dissection of tragic events removes their emotional impact. They become mere facts and figures, abstract ideas rather than a real thing with real weight. The purpose is to analyze and determine why such events happen, but Myers' goal is to point out that there aren't always easy answers to those questions. Maybe there are no answers at all. Sure, Len was an outsider and he was troubled, but so were Carla and Cameron, and they had no intention of harming anyone.
As a discussion piece for a book club or a classroom, I think this novel has a lot of potential. However, I would be hard-pressed to recommend it to a friend or family member. It's a very competent work, just not an entertaining one.
The story focuses on three characters, all students of Harrison County High School: Cameron Porter, Leonard Gray (Len), and Carla. Cameron, who was Len's best friend, is the main focus of the novel. We learn that Len was the shooter, and Cameron and Carla were also in the school at the time of the shooting. There were two deaths: Len's and another student's. The interviews are meant to shed light on the character of Len, but also of Cameron, because his participation is somewhat shady. Cameron is shy, a black kid. He and Len are both outsiders, but Len has a strangeness to him that seems to attract the attention of bullies. Len's troubled mind is apparently passed down from his father, though he didn't acquire his father's racism. One day Len's father took Len and Cameron out with his friends to do some shooting, and among the targets was a cardboard cut-out of Martin Luther King, Jr. Len treats it as a harmless joke, and Cameron tries to as well. He looked up to Len to the point that he wasn't able to realize something wasn't quite right with him.
I find that while the novel does some interesting things, it didn't work for me. It was too impassive and not very engaging. The main problem lies in the fact that Cameron isn't very interesting. We get the impression he's intelligent, but he doesn't say very much. At least one interviewer seems to believe he's holding back information, but I think he's just not very comfortable with the interview process. The one interview with Carla proves much more interesting, because she has personality. She's combative with the interviewers and she brings a lot of life to what was becoming a dull, repetitive affair. The second to last section of the novel, which is Len's diary, is also fascinating. Len uses a lot of clever, yet creepy, wordplay, and his language reveals a very troubled mind with a plan. We learn from his diary that he did have a purpose in carrying out his shooting, but I'll leave that for you to discover.
There is an emotional detachment in the way the novel unfolds. As the interviews focus solely on the words spoken by the interviewer and interviewee, we can only guess what it means when someone pauses, but there's no real emotional connection with the speaker. The news reports also add to the detachment, as well as the very final piece, which is cold in its finality. I believe Myers did this on purpose, however, to show how the dissection of tragic events removes their emotional impact. They become mere facts and figures, abstract ideas rather than a real thing with real weight. The purpose is to analyze and determine why such events happen, but Myers' goal is to point out that there aren't always easy answers to those questions. Maybe there are no answers at all. Sure, Len was an outsider and he was troubled, but so were Carla and Cameron, and they had no intention of harming anyone.
As a discussion piece for a book club or a classroom, I think this novel has a lot of potential. However, I would be hard-pressed to recommend it to a friend or family member. It's a very competent work, just not an entertaining one.
February 19, 2019
This was a horrible book by Walter Dean Myres and a disappointment to his name and legacy. TO be honest this book was very confusing and all over the place. One minute you're in an interview and the next your in a Final report or a diary. I was so confused that I barely could understand the purpose of this book and what message it was supposed to give. I was shocked to see that people liked this book when it is a dismay to Mr. Myers work. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, but hey try it you might like. As you can see this was a terrible book by Walter Dean Myers.
April 8, 2018
This novel is a collection of police interviews, diary entries, and police reports after a high school shooting. I enjoyed this non-traditional format and found it to be a compelling and interesting look into the minds of some students who are "outside" and don't fit in, those outside who "do something that shuts the door so people know you don't want to come back in."
January 25, 2022
You need to know going into this book that it’s not a straightforward story—it’s not really story at all. It’s about the aftermath of a fictional school shooting, but rather than exploring this in a traditional prose novel, this is a story comprised of police documents and evidence. Of course, you understand what’s going on from the transcripts and journal entries, but if you’re looking for a regular novel, this isn’t it.
I was a little apprehensive about the format because I like my traditional prose. This was so…interactive. But I ended up getting a lot out of it. There were some elements lost to the format; it probably would have been more emotional and disturbing if Shooter was told in a traditional format. Because most of the book was transcripts (aka, dialogue), there wasn’t much detail on body language, internal monologue, individual perspectives that weren’t explicitly mentioned to the interviewer, etc. But I still appreciated the unconventional style. If you’re open to feeling like a detective rather than a reader, then give Shooter a shot (omgomgomg I did NOT intend for that pun until I typed it out oops).
*Note: It’s kind of weird that this isn’t the first book I’ve read with a teenager shooter named Leonard…
✧ ✧ ✧
≪reading 31 books for 31 days of january≫
╰┈➤ 1. all that's left in the world by erik j. brown
╰┈➤ 2. the female of the species by mindy mcginnis
╰┈➤ 3. the battle of the labyrinth by rick riordan
╰┈➤ 4. exit west by mohsin hamid
╰┈➤ 5. don't call us dead by danez smith
╰┈➤ 6. warm bodies by isaac marion
╰┈➤ 7. the other side of perfect by mariko turk
╰┈➤ 8. the last olympian by rick riordan
╰┈➤ 9. counting down with you by tashie bhuiyan
╰┈➤ 10. a matter of death and life by irvin d. yalom and marilyn yalom
╰┈➤ 11. the new hunger by isaac marion
╰┈➤ 12. dorothy must die by danielle paige
╰┈➤ 13. starfish by lisa fipps
╰┈➤ 14. one true loves by elise bryant
╰┈➤ 15. chlorine sky by mahogany l. browne
╰┈➤ 16. for every one by jason reynolds
╰┈➤ 17. fight night by miriam toews
╰┈➤ 18. shooter by walter dean myers
I was a little apprehensive about the format because I like my traditional prose. This was so…interactive. But I ended up getting a lot out of it. There were some elements lost to the format; it probably would have been more emotional and disturbing if Shooter was told in a traditional format. Because most of the book was transcripts (aka, dialogue), there wasn’t much detail on body language, internal monologue, individual perspectives that weren’t explicitly mentioned to the interviewer, etc. But I still appreciated the unconventional style. If you’re open to feeling like a detective rather than a reader, then give Shooter a shot (omgomgomg I did NOT intend for that pun until I typed it out oops).
*Note: It’s kind of weird that this isn’t the first book I’ve read with a teenager shooter named Leonard…
✧ ✧ ✧
≪reading 31 books for 31 days of january≫
╰┈➤ 1. all that's left in the world by erik j. brown
╰┈➤ 2. the female of the species by mindy mcginnis
╰┈➤ 3. the battle of the labyrinth by rick riordan
╰┈➤ 4. exit west by mohsin hamid
╰┈➤ 5. don't call us dead by danez smith
╰┈➤ 6. warm bodies by isaac marion
╰┈➤ 7. the other side of perfect by mariko turk
╰┈➤ 8. the last olympian by rick riordan
╰┈➤ 9. counting down with you by tashie bhuiyan
╰┈➤ 10. a matter of death and life by irvin d. yalom and marilyn yalom
╰┈➤ 11. the new hunger by isaac marion
╰┈➤ 12. dorothy must die by danielle paige
╰┈➤ 13. starfish by lisa fipps
╰┈➤ 14. one true loves by elise bryant
╰┈➤ 15. chlorine sky by mahogany l. browne
╰┈➤ 16. for every one by jason reynolds
╰┈➤ 17. fight night by miriam toews
╰┈➤ 18. shooter by walter dean myers
December 13, 2024
The concept here was strong. A school shooting has happened, and the story is told through interviews, newspaper clippings and diary entries. I think in 2004 when this book was written it might have been a three star read just for sensationalism but now it doesn't quite feel juicy.
The shooters are clearly inspired by the Columbine boys. The same question of who led who - except the softer shooter, Cameron, never shoots anyone. His worse crime is being critically boring. He has almost no personality. I would have much preferred the story be just about Len and Carla and all interviews be with her, she had an interesting personality.
The actual shooting is directly linked to specific bullying and extremely targeted which we know now to not be true of most school shootings, typically they're more related to availability of firearms and mental illness going completely untreated. It felt like this book wanted to explore the why of things, but did so before we had enough concrete understanding of what the why really was.
I thought the examination of gun culture and availability was good - but the look at mental health care was skewed. I also thought the diary was not super valuable though Len's writings did share similarity with some of the Columbine killer's, all we really learned in the back half of the book is that Len was unwell and probably someone should have noticed. Like the doctor he was seeing to get anti-depressants? It's not like he wasn't getting any mental health care and that's a weird sticking point for me. There's no mention of his doctor ever being brought in for questioning either?
I also think the story was severely weakened by having only one mentioned victim, and that victim being an asshole. It almost felt like it was vindicating the shooter.
The shooters are clearly inspired by the Columbine boys. The same question of who led who - except the softer shooter, Cameron, never shoots anyone. His worse crime is being critically boring. He has almost no personality. I would have much preferred the story be just about Len and Carla and all interviews be with her, she had an interesting personality.
The actual shooting is directly linked to specific bullying and extremely targeted which we know now to not be true of most school shootings, typically they're more related to availability of firearms and mental illness going completely untreated. It felt like this book wanted to explore the why of things, but did so before we had enough concrete understanding of what the why really was.
I thought the examination of gun culture and availability was good - but the look at mental health care was skewed. I also thought the diary was not super valuable though Len's writings did share similarity with some of the Columbine killer's, all we really learned in the back half of the book is that Len was unwell and probably someone should have noticed. Like the doctor he was seeing to get anti-depressants? It's not like he wasn't getting any mental health care and that's a weird sticking point for me. There's no mention of his doctor ever being brought in for questioning either?
I also think the story was severely weakened by having only one mentioned victim, and that victim being an asshole. It almost felt like it was vindicating the shooter.
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November 30, 2022With a startling cover that uses Robert Beck's anti-gun violence piece ("gunpowder on sketchpad"), and employing a variety of formats, including threat analysis reports, counseling and interrogation interview transcripts, newspaper articles, police reports, and diary entries, this novel builds a layered, complex account of a school shooting. This multi-angle, multi-faceted approach allows the reader to understand the many subtle fault lines that run through such a horrific event, doing so in a way that is the polar opposite of sensationalism. In fact, Myers leans so far away from the sensationalistic that it's a testament to his skill that the book still manages to be completely absorbing. For anyone wanting to understand how these terrible calamities happen, this book might be the perfect place to begin.
September 25, 2019
I choose this book because I have read school shooting books before and they were interesting. I expected to enjoy the book. The book did meet my expectations. The book is about 2 kids and their lives and why they shot up the school. People should read this book as it is very interesting because it is from different point of views.
June 6, 2019
Not Quite
I love Walter Dean Myers but this book just isn’t up to par with others he’s written. The horrific events he writes about just are muted in this young adult book. It needed to be shocking and more powerful but I’m not sure young adult books are ready for it. Young adult readers need a bit hard hitting in the book department.
I love Walter Dean Myers but this book just isn’t up to par with others he’s written. The horrific events he writes about just are muted in this young adult book. It needed to be shocking and more powerful but I’m not sure young adult books are ready for it. Young adult readers need a bit hard hitting in the book department.
January 18, 2024
Reads like a play, though it is meant to be read like a report.
Interesting and sad because a lot of it is familiar. School shootings all too common in America, a lot of the sentiments relayed in this novel have been told before.
Interesting and sad because a lot of it is familiar. School shootings all too common in America, a lot of the sentiments relayed in this novel have been told before.
March 6, 2019
it was alright but was intense in some spots and did get old over time
January 30, 2020
I liked the way the book was set up and made the reader hear the story through on of the main characters.
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September 24, 2021It was alright, got lost of times. The story was interesting though. I would give it a 3 out of 5.
August 2, 2021
I just didn’t really care about any of the characters.. probably due to the book being written as series of interviews
June 6, 2022
It was very good though I really didn’t like the diary at the end.
June 7, 2019
If you are a walter dean meyers fan you will love this book. The way in which he writes this is incredible. A somewhat controversial theme (school shooting) This book puts the reader in the mind of a troubled high school student. I personally enjoyed this book, but one critique to this book would be the way in which he fully developed the non main characters.
December 8, 2022
Shooter is a very good book, I love how it is written, almost the whole book is and interigation it goes back and forth in between people. Cameron porter was getting interogated and his best friend was the school shooter but cameron didn't know. Cameron thought his friend was all good until he found out. They searched his friends house after his friend got convicted, They found his diary and then for the rest of the book it was his diary. If we were all nice to each other this type of stuff would never happen
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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March 14, 2019Name: Beyersdorf Carson
Book title: Shooter
Personal Response: I personally liked this book because it was a good read. It wasn't too hard to understand.
Book Summary: Cameron and Clara are being investigated by an organization to figure out why Madison High got shot up. Their friend Len is the school shooter, so they decided to investigate their friends to see why he did it. We come to figure out that they went to the woods and shot orange sacks full of turtles (Found out later after shooting three sacks). This action caused the group to break apart and they didn't hang out anymore. Then a few months later Len asked them to get together one last time to do a big stunt at the school.
Recommendation: I would recommend this book to mostly guys. High schoolers would suit this book perfectly.
Book title: Shooter
Personal Response: I personally liked this book because it was a good read. It wasn't too hard to understand.
Book Summary: Cameron and Clara are being investigated by an organization to figure out why Madison High got shot up. Their friend Len is the school shooter, so they decided to investigate their friends to see why he did it. We come to figure out that they went to the woods and shot orange sacks full of turtles (Found out later after shooting three sacks). This action caused the group to break apart and they didn't hang out anymore. Then a few months later Len asked them to get together one last time to do a big stunt at the school.
Recommendation: I would recommend this book to mostly guys. High schoolers would suit this book perfectly.
June 11, 2022
Powerful, still relevant,& also somewhat insightful. Very disheartening but important… there’s so much to tackle here
September 29, 2018
This was my first Myers book. While I wasn’t a fan of any of the characters, I can tell, Myers can write. I need to read something else by him.
August 27, 2021
The book "Shooter" is a good book depending on the audience intending on reading it. If you are young, or not mature enough, to handle the book I wouldn't suggest reading it. Cameron, Leonard, and Carla didn't fit in with everyone else. Len and Cameron did not fit in with everyone else, and they were a good duo, but they were not the perfect children inside. They vandalized a church but didn't get in that much trouble. It ended up where Len was a school shooter, and killed one person, and injured nine other people. I liked the book, but for me, it was all over the place.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2016
Personal Response:
The book Shooter is a really eye-opening book, because it shows you what you say can really affect a person's life. Cameron is one of the characters that I could personally relate to on some of the things he did.
Plot summary:
Shooter takes place in Madison High School, and around the school. Len is a 17 year old guy who goes the school and gets bullied because he's a bit different on what he does and how he sees things. Cameron,who is one of the only black kids, is good at basketball but doesn't go out this year,instead he starts hanging around with Len that's alright since Cameron didn't go play basketball the 'Jocks' start to make fun of him and Len. Neither of them care since they just like to hang around each other. Len got Cameron into shooting guns, that's what they did with most of their time. They also went to a few gun shows and got a Galil and a Kalashnikov ( fancy way of saying AK-47). Then Len surprisingly got himself a girlfriend and her name was Carla and she completely changed so that Len would like her even more so they went out and shot guns and turtles other stuff like that aswell. Then that fateful day in April came and Len wanted the three to write "stop the Violence " in their own blood but he knew that your body doesn't have that much blood in it so they got some paint and Len had the Idea of bringing the two guns and a butt load of ammo. They hid everything in the boiler room until they wanted to use everything to write stop the violence everywhere. Cameron didn't want too once he saw the guns and he wanted to get out of the building because he knew that he would get away from the cops so he took Carla and ran but Len started shooting at them so Cameron shot back and then the Police were called.
Characterization:
Len is one of the main characters and he is the one who wants to make change to his school in a fairly big way. Len would always keep to himself, until he met Cameron who turned into Len´s best friend they talked about everything and nearly did everything together until that day......April 22 that's the day the incident happened and Len died, and the school changed forever. Before this happened Len seemed normal except for the fact that he was the one to write on a church building while Cameron was with him. Len thought that all the buildings where government owned and he didn't like the government so he wanted to try to get back at the gov. by doing that. Len got picked on alot because of what he did or wore, like he went "black" which means that he started dressing in all black. Then he started having these suicidal thoughts and that's how he thought he could prove that everyone was wrong. But he was completely wrong at that accusation and he did what he wanted/wrote on the walls of the library.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to people that you would call bullies because they would be able to see what their words can do to someone. Because no one just wants to write " stop the violence " and then take their own life for no reason.
The book Shooter is a really eye-opening book, because it shows you what you say can really affect a person's life. Cameron is one of the characters that I could personally relate to on some of the things he did.
Plot summary:
Shooter takes place in Madison High School, and around the school. Len is a 17 year old guy who goes the school and gets bullied because he's a bit different on what he does and how he sees things. Cameron,who is one of the only black kids, is good at basketball but doesn't go out this year,instead he starts hanging around with Len that's alright since Cameron didn't go play basketball the 'Jocks' start to make fun of him and Len. Neither of them care since they just like to hang around each other. Len got Cameron into shooting guns, that's what they did with most of their time. They also went to a few gun shows and got a Galil and a Kalashnikov ( fancy way of saying AK-47). Then Len surprisingly got himself a girlfriend and her name was Carla and she completely changed so that Len would like her even more so they went out and shot guns and turtles other stuff like that aswell. Then that fateful day in April came and Len wanted the three to write "stop the Violence " in their own blood but he knew that your body doesn't have that much blood in it so they got some paint and Len had the Idea of bringing the two guns and a butt load of ammo. They hid everything in the boiler room until they wanted to use everything to write stop the violence everywhere. Cameron didn't want too once he saw the guns and he wanted to get out of the building because he knew that he would get away from the cops so he took Carla and ran but Len started shooting at them so Cameron shot back and then the Police were called.
Characterization:
Len is one of the main characters and he is the one who wants to make change to his school in a fairly big way. Len would always keep to himself, until he met Cameron who turned into Len´s best friend they talked about everything and nearly did everything together until that day......April 22 that's the day the incident happened and Len died, and the school changed forever. Before this happened Len seemed normal except for the fact that he was the one to write on a church building while Cameron was with him. Len thought that all the buildings where government owned and he didn't like the government so he wanted to try to get back at the gov. by doing that. Len got picked on alot because of what he did or wore, like he went "black" which means that he started dressing in all black. Then he started having these suicidal thoughts and that's how he thought he could prove that everyone was wrong. But he was completely wrong at that accusation and he did what he wanted/wrote on the walls of the library.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to people that you would call bullies because they would be able to see what their words can do to someone. Because no one just wants to write " stop the violence " and then take their own life for no reason.
Read
June 3, 2015A Review on Shooter by Walter Dean Meyers
Talking about the "Incident" in the beginning of the book got me really curious about what the incident was, was anyone hurt, and was Cameron involved. Shooter by Walter Dean Meyers starts off when police show up at Cameron's house and they ask him what he knows about the incident and how his best friend Leo was involved. This book is about a dark story about how bullying affects kids, how no one helps the kids that are being bullied, and how the kids that get bullied feel about it.
This book is really unpredictable because you never really suspect what's going to happen and then when it happens you can't believe something like that would in real life. Some events and scenes that were really unpredictable in the book were when Cameron wrote the numbers 666 in red in paint on the church walls. when they shot baby turtles in bags because they were going to practice their aim with a gun, when they wrote in their own blood the pain starts now in the school library and bathroom, and when Cameron's dad starts choking him for being terrible at life and not being good enough for him.
I can't really decide if the book was good or if I even liked it because the book was disturbing but at the same time I think I think it was setting a good example and message to not bully kids. In one of scenes of the book they were driving by peoples houses and shooting their mailboxes with guns. The message that they were trying to show was good because at the end it says "I wrote this book because of the effects of bullying and I wanted to show kids how I saw bullying as something that needed to be stopped. Cameron is mostly bullied by his skin color, he also comes from a wealthy black family he is a only child and is occasionally beaten by his dad for not being good enough for him.
I think this book was fairly good because even if you dont like the disturbing parts I think most readers can get past them and get to the message and look at them like a different way like you dont know what their home life is like and I believe if kids read this book it can a big impact on bullying.
*SPOILER*
The incident was that Leo and Cameron decided to shoot up the school but Cameron decided no to but Leo wanted to carry out the plan and the police came and Leo died by committing suicide.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2011
SHOOTER
Hard To Forget About Someone Once Their Gone
“At first, right after the incident, I didn’t. And I don’t think I admire him now. But the more I think about him, the more I talk about him, the more I understand him. And when you understand somebody that changes your relationship with them. I don’t know if you can get next to that, but that’s the way it goes. At least for me. Sometimes I think I don’t want to understand Len, because I don’t want to like him, or admire him. But I think you can reach a point that you don’t like a person but you’re close to him because you’re into his head. That’s what happened, or that’s what’s happening with the way I feel about Len.”
The police officers and the SWAT team surround the whole school some of the SWAT team officers and police officers enter the school searching every floor in the school. They found Cameron Porter on the second floor there was a weapon in the room with him, a loaded AR-18. Carmon was searched and handcuff and taken to custody. The officers got back to searching the building and they found Carla Evens on the second floor in the closet and they put her in handcuffs as well. Few seconds later on the third floor they found the body of Leonard Gary there was a Ruger pistol by side him as well as a Kalashnikov. Cameron was to upset to be interview then when his parents came to the station he had agree to be interviewed. Miss Evans was also held for 24 hours after she arrived at the precinct from Mercy Hospital, also as a material witness, and then released on bond by application of her family attorney.
Hard To Forget About Someone Once Their Gone
“At first, right after the incident, I didn’t. And I don’t think I admire him now. But the more I think about him, the more I talk about him, the more I understand him. And when you understand somebody that changes your relationship with them. I don’t know if you can get next to that, but that’s the way it goes. At least for me. Sometimes I think I don’t want to understand Len, because I don’t want to like him, or admire him. But I think you can reach a point that you don’t like a person but you’re close to him because you’re into his head. That’s what happened, or that’s what’s happening with the way I feel about Len.”
The police officers and the SWAT team surround the whole school some of the SWAT team officers and police officers enter the school searching every floor in the school. They found Cameron Porter on the second floor there was a weapon in the room with him, a loaded AR-18. Carmon was searched and handcuff and taken to custody. The officers got back to searching the building and they found Carla Evens on the second floor in the closet and they put her in handcuffs as well. Few seconds later on the third floor they found the body of Leonard Gary there was a Ruger pistol by side him as well as a Kalashnikov. Cameron was to upset to be interview then when his parents came to the station he had agree to be interviewed. Miss Evans was also held for 24 hours after she arrived at the precinct from Mercy Hospital, also as a material witness, and then released on bond by application of her family attorney.
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