But yes, I would consider it an essential and impactful read for every adult. While the topics are handled with a lot of sensitivity, I still feel that it would be better to target the YA audience and above as potential readers for this story. So I’m a bit divided in my feelings here.
To put it bluntly, this book could either help children understand trauma, or it will end up creating trauma. At the same time, these are events that actually happen, and awareness is always helpful. With a sibling death, parental problems dealing with the tragedy, and a school shooting too, the book is really heavy on the emotional scale and may not be the right fit for most typical middle graders. Is this a book I would want middle graders to read? I honestly don’t know. What I am unsure about: (Note that I didn’t say ‘dislike’) The book will be a worthwhile, albeit traumatic read for parents too. I’m sure school shootings rank as one of the worst nightmares for a parent, and it preys on their feeling of helplessness in dealing with such situations. It is a goldmine of discussion opportunities, and not just for children. The issues it raises: This one book has the potential for so many important discussions we need to have with children: the importance of open and frequent communication, the willingness to opt for therapy if needed, the necessity of understanding mental health struggles (both for yourself and for others), gun control and personal safety requirements.On the whole, the character development in the book is fabulous. You will feel deeply for the former and admire the latter. Jackson, the teacher who seems to be modelled on Mr. I especially want to mention two memorable characters here: Avery, whose step-brother was responsible for the shooting, and Mr. The author doesn’t seek to exaggerate or devalue any experience but stays true to how actual people might behave under similar circumstances in real life. The characters: Most of the main characters are depicted in a very realistic manner and you feel for them as they go through their lives in the ‘aftermath’ of their respective traumas.Other than the obvious ‘math’ reference to indicate Lucy’s love for the subject, it also hints at the aftermath of the two tragedies: the death of Lucy’s brother and the school shooting. The title: What a clever name for this book! It is a perfect fit for the story in multiple ways.The first person perspective of Lucy: This writing style brought us that much closer to her insecurities, her confusion, her love for maths, and her wish to fit in.(Including the math riddles and the fact that every chapter began with an interesting math-related fact that also connected to the story.
The geek in me enjoyed all these math references. The intelligent manner in which the author has interwoven mathematics in the story is worth appreciating. Lucy being a math geek! I adored the way she thought in Math and tried to put everything around her in terms of math.Soon, Lucy learns that everyone can deal with grief in different ways, and kindness is a powerful tool to overcome most obstacles. All Lucy has as a source of comfort is her love for math, which seems to be reliable and definite, unlike most other things in her life.
#Aftermath real story full#
The book depicts the impact of tragedy on these young lives, with Lucy struggling to fit in a class full of children dealing with PTSD in different ways, and her own tragedy making her a misfit in her new social circle. But Lucy finds that her new classmates are dealing with a different tragedy of their own – they are the survivors from a school shooting that happened in their class 4 years back. In an attempt to make a fresh start, the family shifts to a different town. Twelve year old Lucy’s family is struggling with the death of her younger brother from a congenital heart defect. In a Nutshell: What a brilliant book this is! And yet, it leaves me with a niggling doubt about whether its content is suitable for children.
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