Kent State

Allison, Bill, Sandy, Jeffrey, the four students killed at Kent State University by the Ohio National Guard almost 50 years ago, are made real again by author Deborah Wiles. This fast-paced novel-in-verse moves through conversations between the students, the townies, the National Guard, and the protesters. The dialogue reveals thoughts, feelings, and perspectives of all the people involved in this bleak moment in American history. Wiles reveals the thoughts of the young, inexperienced Guardsmen forced to fire on American citizens their own age, following orders as they had been trained. We learn of the townspeople totally bewildered at what was happening to their town, we hear of the students who were just trying to make their way across campus, we learn of the protesters there to stir the student body into protesting the war. The conversations in the book are ones that have been played out a million times since that day in 1970, but this short text invites the reader to sit down with the participants and learn their stories. Despite the fact that this is a somewhat difficult read, both for the subject matter and in the unique manner that Wiles uses to move the dialogue along (using varying fonts and type sizes to indicate the speaker), it is absolutely worth the trouble of deciphering the various points of view. This would be an excellent read for high school social studies or civics classes as it would engender some great discussion and inquiry questions. The text will help students see the parallels between the past and today and will hopefully drive home the idea that "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

[Editor's Note: For additional resources related to this title, including an interview with author Deborah Wiles, be sure to check out our Kent State Educator Guide]