This book is a powerful and emotional journey of a troubled teenage boy, Leonard Peacock, who is struggling with mental illness and a traumatic past. The author, Matthew Quick, explores the themes of loneliness, self-discovery, and forgiveness as the reader follows Leonard on his 18th birthday, where he has decided to commit a horrific act before taking his own life. The book shows the importance of acceptance and the damaging effects of society's expectations on young people. This book would be a good read for anyone who enjoys a thought-provoking and emotional story that delves deep into the human psyche.

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• Milwaukee County Teen Book Award Nominee (2014)
• Michigan Library Association Thumbs Up! Award for Honor book (2014)
• Lincoln Award Nominee (2017)
• Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction (2013)

Today is Leonard Peacock’s birthday. It is also the day he hides a gun in his backpack. Because today is the day he will kill his former best friend, and then himself, with his grandfather’s P-38 pistol.But first he must say good-bye to the four people who matter most to him: his Humphrey Bogart-obsessed next-door neighbor, Walt; his classmate, Baback, a violin virtuoso; Lauren, the Christian homeschooler he has a crush on; and Herr Silverman, who teaches the high school’s class on the Holocaust. Speaking to each in turn, Leonard slowly reveals his secrets as the hours tick by and the moment of truth approaches.In this riveting look at a day in the life of a disturbed teenage boy, acclaimed author Matthew Quick unflinchingly examines the impossible choices that must be made—and the light in us all that never goes out.

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