As a young adult reading Hate List, by Jennifer Brown, I believe that it is an important novel to include in required Core Literature for high school students. First loves are common in adolescent years and teenagers may form relationships, which are maladaptive. Valerie Leftman and Nick Levil fall in love with each other in high school and find a connection through the hate list. Nick interprets this list in a very serious manner and resorts to shooting people in Garvin High School’s Commons. Valerie loses the love of her life and the book focuses on her recovery process. Hate List incorporates themes such as bullying, gun violence, family tension, suicide, and media issues that are very prevalent in high school today. I believe that Hate …show more content…
While the extent of these consequences varies, Hate List depicts the ultimate expense of bullying. Before the shooting, Valerie and Nick are outcasts at Garvin High School, being harassed and bullied on a daily basis. Valerie is labeled “sister death”. When Valerie returns to school the year following the shooting, she is bullied in a contrasting way. Previous friends block her out of their lives and no one besides Jessica Campbell is willing to befriend her. This only makes her recovery process harder and longer. Brown wants to show her readers the perspective of a bully-victim, that bullying is not a joke, and that it can lead to serious …show more content…
For example, Valerie was completely blind to Nick’s suicidal and homicidal way of thinking even though he mentioned these thoughts around her on many occasions. She does not come to realize Nick’s characteristics until after the shooting, during her recovery process. Even throughout her constant thoughts of Nick, she mostly sees the amazing times they shared together and cannot wrap her head around why he would do something so tragic and hateful. She cannot see Nick in a monstrous way because she is in love with him. It is important for students to be able to recognize the signs that can lead up to suicide or gun violence. Being able to see all aspects of a person is important in maintaining a safe school