The Kids Aren't All Right (eBook)

A deadly school shooting had undeniable effects on the local community, as well as repercussions for the world.

On May 28, 1975, a sixteen-year-old entered Brampton Centennial Secondary School, unpacked two rifles, and began shooting. One student and one teacher were killed, and several other students were injured before the shooter killed himself. At the time, it was North America's deadliest school assault carried out by a student. Over five decades later, the attack persists in many Brampton residents' memories and holds lessons for what has become a frequent occurrence across the globe.

Working from testimony collected by police and personal interviews, Gregory Klages situates the shooting at the nexus of multiple movements in Canadian and North American society, including optimism about Brampton's promise as a newly recognized city, anxiety caused by economic and political crises, panic over the moral decline among teenagers, and debates on gun control. He also considers the shooting's place within the tragic trajectory of attacks at educational institutions in Canada, the United States, and beyond.

The Kids Aren't All Right offers the most authoritative version of the Brampton shooting ever told.