Summary

Chapter 9 entitled “Tell Me When It’s Going to Be Normal” provides evidence that normal will never come in the aftermath of the shooting at Townville Elementary. Meghan Hollingsworth and a substantial number of her children who lived through gunfire on the playground suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In Chapter 10 entitled “There’s No Guarantee I’m Going to Live,” readers learn that Tyshaun too is showing signs of PTSD. He is often angry, and he sometimes overturns chairs and tears signs off walls. His mother, teacher, and social worker are all worried about him because he internalizes so much of his grief. Sometimes when Tyshaun cannot behave in his third-grade classroom, he goes to the Pride Room where Robert Hagans keeps him safe until his tantrum has passed.

In Chapter 11 entitled “It’s More Than Just Protecting the Children,” Cox explains...