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Fifty years ago, protests at a Midwestern university led to a tragic situation that stunned the entire country. At the time, author Deborah Wiles was a teenager—who, like so many others, was shocked and terrified by what happened that day. And in her young adult account, Kent State, she tells the story from multiple points of view.
The story travels to the small town of Kent, Ohio, in the spring of 1970, as tensions are building over the war in Vietnam. Students at Kent State University are angry. They’re angry about the latest moves in a war that they don’t believe in. They’re angry about the draft. And they gather to make their views heard. But things somehow get out of control. Buildings burn. The town’s residents begin to fear for their lives. And the National Guard is called in to restore order. But the chaos only leads to tragedy.
In this short but powerful book, the author tells the story from multiple angles and multiple perspectives, using spacing and fonts and page layout to tell the story as if it were a poetic discussion. People come and go in this conversation: students, activists, townspeople, National Guardsmen and more. They welcome the reader into the conversation, drawing parallels from this new friend to the four young people who lost their lives on that terrible day half a century ago.
The storytelling definitely takes some getting used to. The different characters have no names, no introductions, so you’ll need to figure everything out for yourself. But it all feels incredibly authentic. There are debates and arguments. There are strong words that are spoken in anger, and there are quiet words of fear and regret. At times, the memories are hazy. Did the helicopters show up on Saturday, or was it Sunday? But the feelings, the beliefs are all still there, all these years later.
At the same time, though, while telling the story of something that happened decades ago, the author also makes it relevant to today’s young readers—and today’s not-so-young readers—making it more than just another historical account. It’s an emotional and sometimes even inspiring read.
Kent State is not an easy book. It takes some effort to settle into the style, and then it challenges readers to see the story from different perspectives—and to stand up for what they believe. It’s the kind of book that you can finish in a sitting or two, but it will stay with you much longer.
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