Twelve Shots [Hardcover]

Harry Mazer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 11, 1997

Guns. They are an undeniable part of contemporary life. Stories about their use--and misuse--spice the nightly news, the papers, and our favorite TV shows. Guns shape the course of history. They make us wild with excitement or red with anger, sick to our stomachs or convinced that we're safe. Guns provoke extreme emotions in all of us.

In this riveting collection of short fiction, twelve authors explore the emotion-driven world of guns. Dealing with everything from a city kid's desperation to a country boy's first glimpse of manhood, from a girl's struggle against helplessness to a teenage trio's horrifying battle of wills, these original stories are as varied and exceptional as the authors themselves. Sometimes shocking, occasionally funny, and often intensely sad, these stories are all thought-provoking and addictively readable. A superb anthology, passionate and hard-hitting, Twelve Shots helps us understand our world and solidify our own beliefs.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up. This collection of 12 original short stories, all by different authors, range from the humorous to the tragic, and each has a theme involving youth and guns. The contributors include Chris Lynch, Harry Mazer, Richard Peck, Walter Dean Myers, and Rita Williams-Garcia. Brief information about the authors and their previous titles follows each story. As in most works of this nature, some of the stories are better than others, but taken as a whole, the book makes for entertaining and thought-provoking reading. While guns are definitely not glamorized, neither are they outwardly condemned. Mazer's introduction points out the increasing presence of guns in society and their ready availability to young people. An appendix entitled "Kids and Guns: The Statistics" presents some chilling facts such as, "More people between the ages of 15 and 24 are killed with guns than by all natural causes combined." Vital information on three organizations involved in the issue of handguns as they impact the lives of young people is also appended. Twelve Shots's quality selections about a growing social concern make it a book worthy of consideration by all libraries.?Tom S. Hurlburt, La Crosse Public Library, WI
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 9^-12. Deeply disturbed by young people's ready access to guns, Mazer invited YA authors to write a story about guns and teens: "not the politics of guns, not the heated arguments or the polemics, but the way guns are present in people's lives." The result is a varied, involving collection with stories by familiar writers such as Walter Dean Meyers, Chris Lynch, Rita Williams-Garcia, and Richard Peck. Settings range from urban to rural, past to present. Some stories are serious and subtly antigun, others are hilarious. What the stories have in common is their depiction of the impact these powerful weapons have on the main characters--on their actions as well as their psyches. The authors have drawn from their own experiences, and not a single one has neglected to illustrate the awesome, terrifying respect that a gun commands. Each story is followed by a brief summation of the author's body of work and insight into what inspired the story. Some staggering statistics about kids and guns in the U.S. and addresses of several antigun organizations conclude. This will be a valuable addition to YA collections: it's not only timely and thought provoking but also an excellent springboard for discussion. Helen Rosenberg

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (August 11, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385322380
• ISBN-13: 978-0385322386
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,918,401 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Twelve Shots deserves 12 stars!, October 23, 2000

By 

"slimshadylady" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Twelve Shots (Mass Market Paperback)

I read Tweleve Shots in a sudden urge to get up and read a odd-sounding titled book. I was suprised at how intrigued one could be in a book with this such genre. I had never thought I would enjoy the book, but as soon as the library fines started becuase I was to busy reading it to return it, I went out and bought myself a copy! That was May. By December, all my friends had read the book and a few bought THIER friends copies for X-mas and birthdays! I now own a battered and worn thin, but loved and frequently read, copy.