The Events of October

I couldn't put this book down.  It was incredibly hard to read because of its subject but it pulled me in so much.  I was really impressed with how this book became a whole.  There are so many people Gail had to interview to get this story and then she was able to put it all together, not only telling a story but opening up a dialogue about violence towards women.  While at times, she is serves the job of a reporter and transparent, she also intertwines her thoughts and opinions about what has happened on campus and what should be taken away from the events of October.  I really want to know how she did that.  It wasn't awkward, the reader knows she is the narrator and giving all the facts but then she seamlessly adds commentary of her own and it isn't a surprise when her voice shows up.

I was particularly interested in how she put together the chapter "This Endless Night."  So much is happening in DeWaters on the eighteenth of October, so many characters: Maggie, Neenuf, the residents, her friends, the RA, the security guard, Kalamazoo Police, Jimmy Jones, Pat Ponto, the list goes on and on.  How did she put it all together?  There is a very distinct time line from when Neenuf's roommate leaves and tells Maggie to come over, with details of her leaving her room and her friends, to the gun shots, and then the aftermath.  With so many people involved, it seems like it would be hard to put together a succinct story but Gail does this in a way that is very easy to follow.

I also thought the choice of quotes was really great.  I feel like I get to know these characters.  There is definitely some character development going on, especially between Smizgirl and Ninjoda.  The IM's were so informative to get a small peak into their relationship.  (How is this information acquired?  I have no idea, I was just curious about it.)  The back and forth shown in these messages is really important to the story and Gail does a good job of adding it in and providing context to these conversations, leading the reader to think about what is really going on, what bad things are happening in the relationship and what they mean to the individuals. 

I'm really excited to talk about this in class tomorrow and learn about how a book like this comes to life.