Gray Area

by Leah Decker

When Rachel Harding, a college senior, experiences a police-involved shooting at the school where she is student teaching, she is thrown into a complex world of politics and self-preservation, all the while trying to complete her internship hours and move into her next stage of life, wherever that might take her.

With mounting pressure to speak out about the event to the press and members of the community, Rachel has to decide not only where her own views lie but also how she can deal with its effects on her and her young students. Rachel struggles to overcome her soft-spoken demeanor and loneliness amid tragedy, simultaneously hoping to receive a strong recommendation from her supervisor, Mrs. Means, who from the beginning warned, "I think the students are going to eat you alive." 

Complete with romance, complicated relationships, and big decisions about the future, Gray Area will offer insight into the makings of the modern teacher.

218 pages, Paperback

Published September 23, 2025

Reviews

[Kate Connell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rachel Harding, or Ms. H as her students call her, is working through her student teaching when there is a shooting on the school grounds (not a school shooting to be clear). This occurs early in the novel, and the rest of the book follows Rachel as she deals with the aftermath of the experience and her own life, familial concerns, romantic concerns, and roommate problems that are all exacerbated by this event.

Not quite what I expected from the description, the event occurs very quickly off the page and is also resolved rather quickly. The main character also expects the worst out of everyone around her, from her long-term roommate to her supervising teacher, even though she is pretty miserable and closed off herself, even before the incident. Overall, it is an interesting look into teaching in the modern world, and I recommend it if the above description interests you.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this novel.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a teacher who went through the student teaching process, I found myself nodding along with Rachel and her experiences. This book has a lot, a shooting at school and the aftermath, finding comfort in a college setting, those in poverty vs those in wealth, all while navigating the world of teaching. The author did a great job making you feel Rachel’s uncertainty and wonder while experiencing things for the first time.


Thank you Netgalley and Koehlerbooks for the ARC!

[Todd Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unwavering and profoundly human, Gray Area pulls back the curtain on what it means to survive in the aftermath of a school tragedy. Leah Decker’s razor-sharp narration delivers a raw, intimate portrait of trauma, ethics, and resilience without veering into melodrama. Ideal for readers of memoir-style fiction and emotional complexity, this debut leaves a lasting mark.

[Nancy Graben · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a realistic coming of age story about a young woman finishing her education degree during a difficult time in an impoverished school. Her experiences are all too real, and the ambivalence of her roommate and cohorts are painfully imaginable.

[Kenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gray Area by Leah Decker was an okay read. It's the story of a young woman doing her student teaching who has to face a school shooting during the school day. It's a difficult topic that's becoming increasingly more common. The book is about how this young woman deals with the trauma and how others respond (or don't) to it, all while she's learning how to be a teacher.

Overall, I didn't think the book lived up to its potential. It wasn't a bad read, but it also wasn't great. I gave it three stars.