Shooting Monarchs

The lives of six teens converge one Sunday morning on hill in Shiloh. One is shot dead. This is the gripping tale of the events leading up to that disastrous day. Macy is 18 -- and a serial killer. But he wasn't born to kill. The reader is introduced to an innocent toddler, raised by an abusive mother who left him alone outside in the rain for hours, tied by the ankle to an old swing set. Then she came home drunk. By the end of middle school, he was sent to juvie for stealing. When he got out, he stole a car and was sent back. For Macy, the food, accommodations, and attention at juvie were more than he ever got at home. As a rebellious teen, he bought a gun and killed store clerk, Mohammed Aziz. And got away with it. That's how the killing started. After spending a year in prison for attempted robbery, he steals a car, buys a gun and heads off on a killing spree that winds up in Shiloh. Danny is a disabled 16 year-old who lives with his grandmother. He loves monarch butterflies and Leah, the most beautiful girl in Shiloh. He works at The Store with her younger sister, Sally. Leah's boyfriend, Chad is the star athlete and he hates Danny. The Saturday afternoon Macy drives into town, he sees Leah jogging. He chooses her for his next victim and abducts her. In the search for her, the six teens end up on the hill that Sunday morning. One is a killer, one is a victim, and everyone's life changes forever. Told in a third-person, easy-to-read, almost journalistic style, the narrative flits -- like a monarch -- in and out of the lives of the people who cross paths with Macy, those he victimizes and those who victimize him. "Shooting Monarchs" is an excellent teaching aid for any class or discussion about justice or social issues. In the end the reader must decide Macy's fate. Does he deserve the death penalty?

Just like real life, there are no easy answers found in "Shooting Monarchs". While one or two characters may seem cliche, the message of the book is that people are a complex blend of their environment and their determination. It is an excellent book for sparking debate on the death penalty. Should someone who has committed murder be forgiven if he is the victim of horrific abuse that has rendered him insane? Again, there are no easy answers.

This is a wonderful read for middle-schoolers. It allows teenagers to think about their own views on crime, justice, and many moral issues that face us everyday. I recommend it to anyone looking for one of the greatest books for teenagers ever written.

One day when Macy was three his mother and a new boyfriend went swimming in the river. She left Macy home. Since it looked like a nice day, she decided to leave him in the backyard...Then to make sure he didn't follow her or wander off, she took the loose end of an old rope that was wrapped around the swing and tied it tightly to his ankle." "The big day has come The bell is sounding I run my hands through my hair one last time Outside the prison walls the town is gathering People are trading crime for crime..." --Ani Difranco "The sky above the yard had become dark with clouds. A drop landed in Macy's eye and another drop hit his cheek. Then the rain became steady. Macy hadn't had anything to drink for hours, so he closed his eyes, turned his face toward the sky, opened his mouth wide, and caught the drops until his thirst was satisfied. "But the rain didn't stop...His clothes were soaked and he was cold. He crawled under the seat of the swing for protection as the rain became a downpour. Then, when night came, he curled up in the mud and shivered. He never cried." "...Everyone needs to see the prisoner They need to make it even easier They see me as a symbol, and not a human being That way they can kill me Say it's not murder, it's a metaphor We are killing off our own failure and starting clean..." "Macy's teachers were concerned about his poor academic and social skills, but when they called to schedule meetings with his mother, she said she was too busy. All the years Macy was in school, she never met with even one of his teachers. By the end of middle school Macy had stopped going. What should have been Macy's first year of high school was spent in a state juvenile correctional facility, where he had been sent for shoplifting at a liquor store." "...I think guilt and innocence they are a matter of degree What might be justice to you might not be justice to me I went too far, I'm sorry I guess now I'm going home So let any amongst you cast the first stone..." "The store clerk, Mohammad Aziz, should have been off that night, but he was filling in for his boss. Mohammad had recently immigrated to the United States with his wife and four children, and he welcomed the opportunity to earn extra money. This one night of work would pay for next week's celebration of his son's tenth birthday... "Mohammad was uneasy when he saw Macy. There was nothing extraordinary about Macy's size or clothing, but his face revealed a history of violence. There were several fresh scars, his nose was knocked off center like it had been hit by a truck, and his front teeth were broken. His head was completely shaven to conform to the popular style at juvie. Macy liked the bald look because it was easy to maintain without the help of barbers. The confinement of barber chairs and being touched by people with scissors always made Macy feel uncomfortable." "...You might be the wrong color You might be too poor Justice isn't something just anyone can affor