Friday, May 29, 1998
Book signing for Virginia Walter showcases work on kids who
kill
BOOK: Professor, author utilizes various voices to educate
readers about motives behind child crimes
By J.Sharon Yee
Daily Bruin Contributor
In light of the recent schoolyard shootings in Arkansas, Oregon,
and other parts of the nation, a new children’s book addresses the
issues and emotions involved with the phenomenon of children who
kill.
Wednesday night, Virginia Walter, an associate professor of
education, signed copies of her latest book, "Making Up
Megaboy."
Told in 17 different voices, ranging from parents to the school
principal to news reporters, the book deals with a community
struggling to rationalize the killing of a liquor store owner by a
teenager.
From the very beginning, the reader discovers (through the voice
of Louise Jones, the boy’s mother) that her son, Robbie, on the day
of his thirteenth birthday, has shot and killed the owner of a
local liquor store, an elderly Korean American man named Jae
Koh.
"Lord, I will never understand why he did it. I ask myself every
day what went wrong, but I can’t find any answers. He wasn’t a bad
boy.
"Why would Robbie shoot somebody on his birthday? It should have
been a happy day," reflects Louise Jones.
The rest of the book chronicles the thoughts of the other
members of the community who are shocked and frightened by the
senselessness of a vicious crime committed by a seemingly innocent
child.
Walter did not anticipate the timeliness of the book with regard
to the school shootings which have occurred in the past few
months.
"I didn’t write this book as a tract to let people know what was
wrong with society," Walter said.
"This was purely a creative act," she added, mentioning that
once inspired, it only took her the one weekend to actually write
it.
"Professor Walter certainly didn’t want to profit off of other
people’s tragedies," said Daryl Maxwell, a second-year library and
informational science student and president of the student chapter
of the American Library Association.
"But I think that this is a very timely book about a very timely
subject," he added.
The one voice that everyone wants to hear – Robbie’s – remains
silent, as Walter deliberately chose not to incorporate his side of
the story into the book.
"I never heard his voice," she said, "Apparently, no one else
did."
Though Robbie never directly speaks, he does indirectly, through
a story he and his friend Ruben wrote together about Megaboy, a
comic book character from another planet and Robbie’s
alter-ego.
In the story, titled "The First Earth Adventure of Megaboy,"
Robbie describes the superhero as a kind of savior of children,
someone who "works to defeat the forces of evil who oppress
children on this planet."
Some have theorized that Robbie intentionally shoots Koh to
avenge the girl he likes, as Koh refuses to sell cigarettes to her
and her sister.
Others say that Robbie wanted to prove to his father that he was
not a sissy.
"I didn’t come away with a clear-cut idea of why it happened,"
said Lydia Doplemore, an administrative assistant to the library
and informational science faculty and someone who has read the
book.
"I don’t think we’re supposed to," she added.
Though the book primarily targets 10 to 14-year-old children,
Walter said that she didn’t write it for any particular age in
mind, mentioning that even her 6-year-old granddaughter responded
very well to the book.
"I don’t think anyone understands him," said 13-year-old Rachel
Gross. "But it doesn’t bother me that he doesn’t talk."
"We all feel like Robbie every now and then," she added.
Already in its second printing, the book has generally received
good reviews and criticism from publications such as Booklist and
the Denver Post.
"In the back of my mind, I knew I had always been an advocate
for kids," Walter said.
"When I became aware of the phenomenon of children who kill, it
disturbed me incredibly," she said, reflecting upon the first time
she was extremely troubled by a story she heard on the news about a
boy who killed a local bicycle shop owner.
"Megaboy" is the result of many years of thought and research on
the issue of kids who kill.
However, after all that time, Walter still does not have all the
answers, and as a result does not give a direct explanation for
Robbie’s behavior.
"There is a well-established convention in children’s literature
that even if you write about something horrible or frightening, you
end it with a happy ending or at least offer the child hope at the
end of the story," she said.
"Instead of hope, my book gives them questions," she added,
referring to the moral ambivalence that readers feel while reading
because they often feel sympathy for both the victim and the
child.
Although Walter admitted she still does not know why children
kill, she speculated upon some possibilities.
"There is something toxic about society that makes it possible
for kids to kill," Walter said, making reference to the idea that
though there have always been bullies, one major difference in
today’s society is the widespread availability of guns to young
people.
"A society that can create a 13-year old murderer should feel
responsible for him and his actions," she added. "I think, in many
ways, this community had failed this child."
"Society doesn’t cherish children as gifts," said Maxwell.
Sponsored by the UCLA chapter of the American Library
Association, the signing drew close to a hundred people and all
profits from the book sales will benefit the student chapter.
MICHAEL ROSS WACHT/Daily Bruin
Virginia Walter, an assistant professor from the UCLA School of
Library and Information Sciences, signs her book "Making up
Megaboy" on Wednesday.