Endgame

Garden, Nancy. 2006. Endgame. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc.

Summary: Gray and his family have moved to a new community. He’s hoping for a new beginning but realizes that he is going to have some of the same problems he had before. He is harassed by bullies, called names, and beaten up. Teachers ignore his problem and to make matters worse, he is totally misunderstood by his parents. His overly domineering father refuses to accept his son the way he is and takes away the one thing that Gray loves, his music. His emotionally weak mother passively submits to his father. He finds one friend, but his pressure continues to grow. With no one to talk to, he reaches a breaking point and the unthinkable happens. This is a heart wrenching, yet thought provoking story about a young man who seems totally abandoned by society.

Analysis/Impressions: This story was not an easy read, mainly because problems are brought up but never resolved. Gray is a young man who is very complicated emotionally. He has never really had a chance to be accepted. His family, teachers and community have let him down.

The story starts out with Gray in a juvenile detention center. His lawyer comes to visit and asks to him talk about the events which led up to his arrest. While we don’t know exactly what Gray has done, the suspense builds toward the climax when we discover his tragic story.

While Nancy Garden has written books which emphasize GLTQ themes, we do not get the strong impression that Gray is gay. In fact, he is interested in dating a girl. Even so, he is teased and called a “fag”, probably because he is small for his age and he likes music. He also has a difficult relationship with his father, who doesn’t accept Gray for who he is and is constantly trying to force him into a mold that he prefers. An example of this is when his Dad forces him to go hunting; Gray hates hunting and shooting animals, but his Dad somehow thinks it will make a man out of him. He further injures his son emotionally by taking away Gray’s opportunities to practice on his drums, the one thing in his life that really matters to him.

While Gray doesn’t appear to be gay, his experience may be similar to what young people who identify themselves as gay struggle against. Even so, a young adult doesn’t have to be gay to identify with some of Gray’s problems: not being unconditionally loved and accepted, feeling different, and being bullied. This book touched on several different themes and while it is probably extreme, it can open up a lot of good discussions.

This book also has a lot to say to adults, both parents and educators. Gray’s case was extreme; most young people going through teenage angst aren’t going to shoot their classmates. Even so we know from recent history, that there have been cases of emotionally disturbed young adults who have done this. If anything, this book should point out the importance of targeting young people with emotional needs and intervening before it reaches a tragic end.

It speaks to parents about the need for love and unconditional acceptance. While we cannot condone what Gray did, the reader sees that Gray was put in a horrible situation. He was totally ignored by the people who could have helped him. His dysfunctional family only made things worse, by living in denial. Instead of encouraging the things that would have built up Gray’s self esteem, such as his music, his Dad took it away. A young person’s emotional stability is fragile and if pushed too hard, he/she can reach a breaking point, which is exactly what happened to Gray.

The issue is bullying is an important one in this book. The author really makes her point about the importance of adults in stopping this. In Gray’s case, no one cared enough to put a stop to it and he was left to take matters into his own hands, which meant shooting several of his classmates.

This book was well written, but very disturbing. Nothing is really solved and there is no satisfying ending. Gray is sentenced to life without parole at the age of 15 and we ask ourselves, how this could have happened, because we saw his inner struggle, and how he never had any help. Yet, perhaps this is what the author intends: to make us think about these issues, and promise ourselves, that we won’t ever again let this happen to another young person. Also, a young person who might be in a similar situation might be encouraged to seek help before his life reaches the same tragic point that Gray’s did. If they can experience vicariously what Gray did, maybe they’ll keep trying to get help.

The violence in the book may be too rough for very young teens. AIso, a scene where the bullies try to force Gray and his friend to have oral sex in the locker room is hard to read and may not be age appropriate for younger teens.

Review Excerpts:
“Garden sets up her situations and secondary characters in such a way that she normalizes Gray's responses as simple (and simplistic) cause and effect; absent any opposing voices, readers will likely agree with Gray that his shooting spree was a completely legitimate and reasonable course of action--the bully got what he deserved, the collateral damage was nothing more than regrettable, and the real tragedies were that he didn't take his father out as well and that he received a life sentence for his justifiable actions.” (Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, June 2006, 59, no. 10)

“This is a hard-hitting and eloquent look at the impact of bullying, and the resulting destruction of lives touched by the violence.” (School Library Journal, May 2006, 52, no. 5)