TITLE: Bang
AUTHOR: Barry Lyga
PUBLISHER: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
PUBLISHED DATE: April 18, 2017
ISBN: 978-0316315500
PAGES: 304
This book is extremely timely.
This book touches on gun violence, discrimination against Muslims, suicidal ideation, and how social media can haunt youths throughout their lives. This book is short, accessible, and thought provoking.
I read this book for the 2018 Mock Printz award on Goodreads, and though I'm not sure if this book is a contender - I think it's a book that could be used in schools to teach about the themes mentioned above as well as a book that teens could read and enjoy without it being assigned.
Sebastian, at 17, is haunted by the night he shot and murdered his infant sister when he himself is only a toddler. After the grisly night, his parent's marriage falls apart, his mother emotionally detaches from him, and he is teased all the way into his senior year of high school, after all...he's the boy who killed his baby sister. Sebastian bakes delicious pizzas to cope, and when he meets a new girl in his community, Aneesa - she encourages him to take his pizza making skills to Youtube. The dynamic between Sebastian and Aneesa is an interesting one. As tempted as I am to spill the beans about the nature of this relationship, I will leave it up to you to read this one and discover it on your own.
Recommendation: A solid read. You should read it.
Audience: Young Adults and Up
*This book was purchased on Audible.