Bystanders

by Jonathan McKee

It was a day like any other at Mesa Rosa High School -- except for one sophomore boy who decided to carry out unprecedented revenge on fellow students. No one would be spared. Certainly not those who mercilessly bullied him over the years, and not even those who stood by and did nothing.Bystanders.All were declared guilty on this day.The preparations took months. He emptied his college fund to purchase exactly what he needed. He had the school schedule memorized down to the minute. He even studied other school shootings to determine what went wrong so he could avoid mistakes.But he didn't account for The determined detective who just couldn't just put aside a seemingly humdrum police report; the female teacher/ex-soldier who met an unexpected comrade-in-arms while the attack came inches closer to her room; the black sophomore boy from the other side of the tracks and white sophomore girl from privilege who've never spoken to each other until this day finds them hiding in the same maintenance closet where they work out their plan of escape -- and their differences.Bystanders is a suspenseful thrill-ride wound around compelling snapshots of characters so real and flawed and deep and heroic that the unfolding day they step into -- one that none of them will ever forget -- reads like it was culled from real-life newspaper accounts.

Genres: Young Adult

257 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 31, 2018

About the author

Jonathan McKee is the author of over twenty books including the brand new IF I HAD A PARENTING DO OVER; 52 WAYS TO CONNECT WITH YOUR SMARTPHONE OBSESSED KID; and the Amazon "Best Seller," THE GUY'S GUIDE TO GOD, GIRLS AND THE PHONE IN YOUR POCKET. With over 20 years youth ministry experience, Jonathan speaks to parents and leaders worldwide. You can follow Jonathan on his blog at JonathanMcKeeWrites.com, getting a regular dose of youth culture and parenting help. Jonathan, his wife, Lori, and their three kids live in California.

Reviews

[Citri · Rating 1 out of 5]

"If you ever want to brainwash Mom and Dad, just put on Christopher Cross. He's crack cocaine for parents."

Now why he gotta do Christopher Cross like that😭

In any case, I'll take the yacht rock slander over whatever the heck was discussed about Martin Luther King's possible thoughts on rap music.

This was essentially a Lifetime movie tier of work, full of out of touch thoughts. We even get a ton of songs included, as if creating the soundtrack. Stereotype on stereotype is built here, along with lots of racism. The part where there's a cop raid on a house is written soooo bad, I could not believe what I was reading.

Amazingly I used to live around the area where the story takes place and seeing certain streets or areas mentioned was the only enjoyable thing for me.

[Mary Hassan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had great potential. However, it was poorly written. Also, the amount of typos in this book is ridiculous.

[Danielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was so poorly written and filled with propaganda and stereotypes. Add the underlying racism and you get this terrible book. A waste of time

[Zach Evans · Rating 1 out of 5]

Straight garbage. As other reviewers have said it had potential but it is poorly written, so full of typos, and so full of mistakes. From the simplest things like forgetting what grades characters are in, to random spaces and typos it’s a painful read. I wanted to push on because I think it’s an important topic but save yourself the trouble and just don’t do it.

And don’t get me started on the racism and stereotypes. It’s clear this author has no idea what high school is like and just imitates TV shows, movies and other propaganda he’s “seen” online. When you see his bio at the end, you’ll see what I mean.

If you want a REAL book the dives into the all the complexities of a school shooting and how everyone is affected, I strongly recommend reading The Hate List by Jennifer Brown. Do not read this!!!

[John Krause · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing really happens until half-way through the book. Too many point-of-view characters. It's hard to latch on to any one protagonist, when I can't tell who the protagonist is. I admit I skipped much of the first half until the action started.
Once the school shooting got underway, the story was good. Fast-paced, terrifying descriptions of the shooting, the killer's inner thoughts and motivations, students running and hiding in fear.

[Mary Gwaltney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read in one sitting.

Incredibly well written! Couldn't put it down.. You worked never guess this is a fictional story as it seemed highly accurate off what could lead to a school shooting.

[Krystle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Necessary

This book is a necessary read. It's a hard read in the sense of the topic but I truly didn't want to put it down. As a parent to a preteen, it's terrifying the world we live in & kindness definitely matters.

[Callie Rodgers · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting read

This book took on multiple perspectives, which can be difficult to do. The characters were believable, and the message was strong. If typos make you wig out, probably not for you.

[Gabbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stereotypes were crazyyyy. But what I enjoyed most about this was although this book is hard af to keep on reading bc of the subject matter, I really loved the comedic relief. Half way through, I knew I wasn’t putting this down until I was done.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it in one sitting

Was pretty good and I couldn't out of down until the end. I would highly recommend for adults and teens.

[Tasha B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely heartbreaking

Reading this as a middle school teacher just broke my heart. Know that there are so many kids that just need someone to reach out and show they care.

[Pamela Steadman · Rating 5 out of 5]

interesting

It was very true to life. A story that can be related to on a personal level. Makes one aware

[Matthias Litzmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars rounded up!
I enjoyed the interwoven stories that this book provided, but felt like it didn't go into enough depth in the characters. I still enjoyed the journey book me through.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and definitely would recommend it.

[FMLDNR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

[Can Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book could have been really really good. But it seems as if it was written as a for Christian TV special but in book form. This doesn’t become obvious until the end however. But once you get to the end its clear that this book was written to push a religious narrative, and nothing more. I was so disappointed by the end. Had it been made clearer earlier in the book I would have DNF’d.

[Kirsten McKeeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.50⭐️