#Never Again

#Never Again

YA/adult nonfiction
"When you open your eyes but the nightmare doesn't go away,
you've got no choice but to do something...since that day none of us
are the same. But we are alive. And in memory of those who are not,
we will remember and act for the rest of our lives." [David]
"I remember getting out of bed and going to the window. I
looked at the sunrise and all of a sudden it hit me, 'Oh my God, my
friends aren't seeing this.' That hit me so hard--my friends who had
been there just the day before were never going to see the sun rise
again." [Lauren]
Valentines Day morning siblings David and Lauren Hogg were simply
Marjory Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Florida) High School students
attending classes. Lauren experienced it as a great day at first.
"Everybody was just so happy giving each other chocolates and flowers
and hugs." But in the afternoon they were trapped in a Hell on Earth,
a nightmare of hiding, comforting friends, sending 'I love you'
messages to parents they feared they'd never see again, and hoping
desperately that a rampaging shooter would not discover them. When
they finally got out of school they emerged into a war zone of police,
ambulances, students seeking safety, and parents desperately seeking
beloved children.
In #Never Again David and Lauren share their experiences of that
terrible day and its aftermath. They also talk about what they and
their peers are doing to help make sure other students don't have to
die or suffer through the trauma they survived and how they've
experienced cowardice on the part of many politicians and vicious
insults and threats from so called adults. They also candidly point
out that their access to politicians and press was facilitated by
their whiteness and affluence. Less wealthy students of color in
similar situations are basically ignored despite the fact that "...in
raw statistics, their odds of getting shot are twice as high as ours,
and a lot of American kids just like them live in places where they
have a higher death rate than soldiers in Afghanistan."
One of the most important parts of the book is the eleven point
strategy in the next-to-last chapter. Many of the points concern
common sense gun laws. The last is something we all can do--vote for
people who aren't NRA syncophants.
All of at least most of us have had to think personally of
school shootings. As a parent I've prayed for my children's safe
return from places in which they should have been totally safe. As a
school committee member I've worked with colleagues and school
administrators on active shooter plans. Before the pandemic switched
me to online learning I inspected all my UMaine classrooms and work
and socializing spaces for exits and hiding spaces.
Enough is enough already! Read #Never Again and share it with
friends and family members. Insist that your library get multiple
copies.
On a purrrsonal note, I hope your weekend was terrific. Mine was
purrrfect. Saturday was a family picinc in Amber and Brian's back
yard. Eugene was off hunting with his brother. I got a ride from
Katie and Jacob. Adam and Asia were there too. We really enjoyed the
chance to eat and talk together. We're very close as a family.
Quality time for sure. We met the outside squirrel that Brian feeds.
Amber gave me a late birthday present with really cool stuff like cat
earrings (now my favorites) and a pixie dust necklace. There was also
a cake mix and frosting. Eugene will be happy when I bake us a cake.
Today the weather was purrrfect--all sunny and summery. People were
out and about along with very excited dogs. (Tobago got the windows
open for a breeze). The leaves were looking autumn sharp while my
purple petunias and the random flowers people call weeds were still in
the game. I did some writing outside. As Mr. Rogers used to say, it
was a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Oh, yeah, Eugene was away
with his brother. So I attended zoom church. It was pretty good.
And I knit on Scarfzilla all the way through. (Jules).
All those dogs who would be on the lower tail of the normal curve of
animal intelligence got to be OUTSIDE strutting around while I, the
feline of superior smarts, had to look through the window! The
injustice of it all! (Tobago)
A great shout out goes out to our fabulous family.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway


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