WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN by Lionel Shriver

FIC
SHRIVER

Through dozens of letters written to her absent husband, Eva Khatchadourian tries to make sense of the events that have unfolded in her life. From the onset the reader knows that her son, Kevin, has committed a brutal crime —- he killed seven of his high school classmates, a cafeteria worker and a well-liked teacher. Eva visits him in prison though their relationship has never been close. She wonders

NINETEEN MINUTES by Jodi Picoult

FIC

PICOULT

19 minutes...that's all it took for an alienated teen to shoot 29 people at high school one day. 10 lost their lives. What could have caused this teen so much anguish?
Peter Houghton had been bullied by kids since his first day in kindergarten. In those early years little Josie Cormier had been his best friend, but as Josie grew older, she began to spend more time with the "popular" kids. In fact, these are the very same kids who continually victimize Peter.
Thus, Peter brings guns to school and begins the rampage. Josie is in the center of many who are shot, but remains unharmed. After the shooting, she can't remember anything about the incident. Complicating the situation, Josie's mom is the judge assigned the case. Can she render a just decision?
Picoult's characters and events reflect real life and her insight into teens is nothing less than awesome. A compelling read.