That's Not What Happened

Keplinger, K. (2018). That's not what happened. New York: Scholastic Press.

Summary:

Three years ago Virgil County experienced a school shooting. Six people survived the tragedy. Now, three years later, the events that transpired that day are about to resurge when the parents of one of the victims announce they are going to publish a biography.

Lee knows the truth of what happened in that bathroom. But there’s more to what happened that day. And she decides to find out, opening old wounds and creating new ones. But it could be just what she needs to heal.

Reaction:

Three years after a tragic shooting, Lee has taken it upon herself to investigate the different viewpoints of that day. She reaches out to the other survivors and asks them to write a piece expressing their thoughts of the events that transpired or about the people that were brutally murdered. Lee has a strong desire to do what she believes is right. But what about three years ago?

Her best friend, Sarah, was one of the victims of the shooting. A rumor was spread about how Sarah defended her faith before she was shot. But Lee knows that isn’t true. When the time came for her to tell the truth, she remained silent. So why dig up the past now? Sarah’s parents are planning on writing a biography, and Lee knew the real Sarah. Not the Sarah she pretended to be for her parents. And she knows that the real Sarah would not want to be represented this way.

One aspect of this book that is interesting to consider is the different viewpoints introduced. Everyone sees or hears something different when they are taking part of an event. Lee learns this all too well during her research.

This novel explores what happens after a substantial amount of time has passed after a tragic event. One of the victims, Eden, is now in college. Eden is constantly speaking to schools about gun violence, working with her girlfriend on a popular webcomic, and taking her classes. But all is not what it seems. Eden drowns her pain in alcohol. It’s later revealed through her letter to Lee that she feels survivors guilt for making it out of the shooting alive when her cousin didn’t.

Another character that isn't all what she seems is Kellie. It was Kellie who defended her faith to the shooter. But Kellie wears all black. Kellie is goth. No way was it her. It had to be Sarah. Kellie is an example of what we all fear. To tell the truth only to be dismissed by everyone you know and love.

This novel is also one of the few novels that features an asexual character. This is not Keplinger's first time at introducing an asexual character. One of the main characters in Run is revealed to identify in this way. This is not a sexual identity often discussed in novels, so Keplinger is opening the doors for more conversations.

That’s Not What Happened examines the events after a tragedy and how the survivors deal with the fact that they made it out. It reveals the different perspectives a story can be told in. Three years later, and not everyone is going to move on with their lives as easily as others might make it seem. And that’s okay.  

Connections:

Activities:

• Compare a news story of a tragic event two days after the event vs. a month after the event. What differences do you notice?
• Introduce the lesson with a discussion on gun violence or Cassie Bernall, the woman from the Columbine shooting Sarah is based on.
• Have students complete a project over a school shooting that happened in the United States. Students need to provide news articles and explain the effects it had on the community then and even now. https://www.infoplease.com/us/crime/timeline-worldwide-school-and-mass-shootings   
• PBS.org provides several lesson ideas on how to express solutions to gun violence: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/daily-videos/lesson-plan-teens-propose-their-own-solutions-to-school-shootings/
• Play a video of people playing or doing a menial task. Ask students to write down what they see and hear. Then ask students to write a narrative about it. Have them share with a partner and compare how their narratives are the same and different. This will reflect how everyone experiences things differently.
• Practice school shooter drills with students often. Stay current in school shooter training.

Videos:

[Scholastic]. (2018, May 14). That’s Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger| Scholastic Fall 2018 Online Preview [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/1JRk27CQgKw

Other School Shooting Books:

Nijkamp, M. (2016). This is where it ends. Naperville, Illinois: Sourcebooks Fire.

Hubbard, J. (2014). And we stay. New York: Delacorte Press.

Hassan, M. (2013). Crash and Burn. New York: Balzer + Bray.

Brown, J. (2009). Hate list. New York: Little, Brown.

Myers, W. (2004). Shooter. New York: Amistad/HarperTempest.

Strasser, T. (2000). Give a boy a gun. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.