Book signing for Virginia Walter showcases work on kids who kill

Published: Friday, May 29, 1998

Friday, May 29, 1998

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.