Or you could stop speaking cryptically like an idiot.

Sibling behavior isn't an indicator of parental quality.

Abusive families often choose one child as a scapegoat to prevent sibling solidarity against the abusers.

>a mother who (as she tells us) encourages him/says she loves him at least three times a day etc. Kevin had no reason to do what he did other than he was born a sociopath.

You obviously didn't read the book.

The mother was abusive and neglectful.

She played a significant role in Kevin's development.

>a dad who went above and beyond (the absence of a father figure is usually a symptom of the problem)

The dad was a part of the problem as well. He coddled Kevin and never tried to seek help for his mental illness.

Both of these parents were horrible and should've never had children in the first place.

>His sister was brought up in the exact same conditions and was a loveable child.

Abusive families often use one child as a scapegoat to prevent siblings from feeling any sense of solidarity against the abusers.

Why do I care about what happened to his sister?

rip.

It's an excellent character study on trauma.

I'm surprised so many people dislike it.

You don't know what happens behind closed doors.

For all you know, the child was abused and neglected just like Kevin was.

>I believe that Kevin was just born a little shit

When it comes to stuff like this, everyone loves to just believe that monsters appear out of nowhere and commit callous acts for no reason at all.

The brutal truth is that society, including every parent of a school shooting victim, is to blame for the prevalence of school shooters in the United States.

The ease of access to firearms, lack of universal healthcare, outdated education system, rising cost of living, increasing concentration of wealth in the hands of a few, rampant spread of right-wing propaganda, nonsensical poverty guidelines, etc.

And don't even get me started on how common and accepted child abuse is. We still have some people advocating for beating their children as a method of discipline. That is how psychotic society is.

With regard to the book, the mother abused and neglected Kevin, which always seems to be glossed over for some reason.

There is no point in analyzing isolated incidents when it is a systemic problem that will never change.

>maybe a Bronte sister

Better be Emily.

>Catcher in the Rye - Salinger (boooring!)

This is blasphemy.

Pick

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen; a classic feminist novel.
2. Night by Elie Wiesel; a scarring memoir about the Holocaust.
3. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr; a novel set during WW2 that will give you two conflicting perspectives of the war from a blind French girl during the Paris invasion and a German boy whose skills make him a valuable member of the military.

I think these selections give wiggle room for your group as the third novel isn't solely focused on the Holocaust.

Sinclair Lewis is better at handling these themes, imo.

Main Street and Babbitt are his best works.