Popular YA author Ellen Hopkins has done it again. In PEOPLE KILL PEOPLE, Hopkins combines her signature verse with prose to take readers into the lives and minds of six teens contemplating the place guns have in their day to day existences.
Guns have vital meaning for each of the characters. Grace's father was shot and killed in an incident of road rage. Silas sees weapons as a method to promote his neo-Nazi philosophies. Rand would like to end the life of his childhood abuser, and his wife Cami thinks having a gun might be a good idea when she delivers for her drug dealer. Daniel and Noelle also think a gun would be useful to take care of their problems.
These teens range in age from 17 to 19, all on the threshold of adulthood. Past experiences and current life issues have them turning to the possibility that guns could be the solution to their troubles. Whether it be revenge, protection, or self-destruction, each teen is rationalizing the use of violence as the answer.
The blurb on the book flap states, "Someone will fire. And someone will die." Hopkins sets up numerous scenarios as she describes the each character. Readers will no doubt make predictions as the stories unfold which is part of the novel's appeal. Hopkins also drives home the meaning of the title by pointing out that people kill people with more than just guns. This reviewer believes PEOPLE KILL PEOPLE is Hopkins's most thought-provoking novel yet.
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