The Columbine High School shooting was a wake-up call for many schools. The memoir, She Said Yes, by Misty Bernall goes through the feelings and emotions that occur when losing a child to a traumatic event. It also tells about the struggles her daughter, Cassie Bernall, had while she was a teenager going through dark times.

This book tells a lot about the struggles that many teenagers go through when they try to find themselves. This is one of the notes that Cassie’s parents later found: “January 2, 1999. I cannot explain in words how much I hurt. I didn’t know how to deal with this hurt, so I physically hurt myself. Maybe it was my way of expressing my sadness, anger and depression… I would lock myself in the bathroom and hit my head on the counters. I also did this on the walls of my bedroom. Thoughts of suicide obsessed me for days, but I was too frightened to actually do it, so I “compromised” by scratching my hands and wrists with a sharp metal file until I bled. It only hurt for the first couple minutes, then I went numb. Afterwards, however, it stung very badly, which I thought I deserved anyway. I still have the scars.” It’s becoming more and more common for teenagers to hurt themselves. Through the notes they have found from Cassie they are able to realize the thoughts and emotions that Cassie was going through.

It is important to read for any parent or guardian. It illustrates what a teenager in crisis would look like, and shows some possible steps that would help lead their child into a more positive direction. It also would be a good book for anyone who is planning to take this kind of action. It takes you into someone thoughts and feelings that experienced this kind of event first-hand, and shows the impact that an event can have on a community.

If you read the memoir She Said Yes by Misty Bernall you will think twice before you start surrounding yourself with negative thoughts and people. It will teach you to value life because at any moment it could be taken away.