My other BYU bookstore purchase

We left for Utah just two days after the Tucson shootings. I was first made aware of the shooting of Congresswoman Giffords when I checked my FB that day and my former high school American history teacher and United States Congressman, Harry Mitchell, had posted on his status his concerns for Gabrielle Giffords. As the TV went on I learned of the horror of that morning at a Safeway in Tucson. Violence in mass had once again reared its ugly head in a place closer to home.

Here it was again, that awful gut feeling that comes when you hear of a Columbine or an Amish school or a disgruntled former employee at his workplace. How can a child, a mother, a grandpa, or anyone be so easily discarded by another human being? How sick can a mind be to go that far?

On my little shopping trip to the BYU Bookstore I picked up the little blue book pictured above because it was on sale and because it was near a sign noting it as a favorite of employees in the children's section who were now congratulating themselves because it had been announced as a National Book Award Winner. The book jacket blurb gave away nothing of its very serious nature. It is a wonderful little book which gives voice to a girl with Asperger's Syndrome. I do recommend it. Here, however, is the author's note which comes at the end.

The shootings of thirty-three people at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia, on April 16, 2007, were horrible and devastating. While I may not have known those involved personally, it happened in my own backyard. It was the deadliest shooting by a lone gunman in United States history. And wherever or whenever this kind of tragedy occurs, it affects us all. How could something like this happen? Why? What, if anything, could we have done to prevent it? Who knows. But I am certain of one thing. It we all understood each other better, we could go a long way toward stopping violence. We all want to be heard, to be understood. Some of us are better than others at expressing ourselves. Some of us have severe problems that need to be addressed, not ignored, no matter what the cost. Saving society money is a travesty if the cost of that savings is in human lives. Ignore and ignorance share the same root.

This book was inspired by the event at Virginia Tech as well as my own need to try to explain what it's like for a child to have Asperger's syndrome. The two themes are related in my mind because I believe strongly in early intervention, whatever the disability. Understanding people's difficulties and - just as crucial - helping people understand their own difficulties and teaching them concrete ways to help themselves will help them better deal with their own lives and, in turn, ours. In this novel, the main character has Asperger's syndrome but is receiving early intervention through the public school system. She has only one parent and he is far from perfect. Her brother was the family member who really listened to her, tried to understand her, and taught her helpful behavioral skills. Unfortunately, he is killed in a school shooting, and now, but for her school counselor, she is on her own. I hope that, by getting inside her head, readers will understand seemingly bizarre behavior And I hope that readers will see that, by getting inside someone's head, really understanding that person, so many misunderstandings and problems can be avoided - misunderstandings and problems that can lead to mounting frustration and, sometimes, even violence. -- from "Mockingbird" by Kathryn Erskine

I had no idea that my book choice would be so timely and thought provoking.