# data[].attributes.body
This coming of age story is full of important life lessons, the primary lessons being:
- Love comes in all shapes and sizes, and is not solely based on physical attributes
- Life is full of twists and turns that can end at any moment, so follow the path most desirable
- Religion and faith can be questioned, let your heart answer these questions, do not pretend to believe something you can't put your heart into

# data[].attributes.body
Nora's just finishing her junior year of high school, and everything is perfect. Sure, Don Appleton doesn't see her as anymore than a kid, but she has the whole summer to look forward to. That is until 2 of her closest friends are shot and killed on their way to school, sending Nora's reality into a tailspin. She learns quickly that she needs to grow up, and that the biggest problems in life aren't boys, but that life is precious and unpredictable, not to be wasted or expended. An important lesson on how your actions can come back and bite you just as quickly as a gunshot(or twelve), "Mister Death's Blue Eyed Girls" is a thrilling mystery that makes you ask yourself, "if my life ended tomorrow, would I be content in how I left it?"

I really enjoyed the realistic fiction aspect of this story, especially since it represented multiple perspectives, Nora's, Buddy's, and Mister Death's(the killer's). The story is based off of a true story(newspaper article at the bottom), and the author of the book includes a chilling afterword of her real life experience, explaining that while the characters and personal storylines are somewhat fabricated for literal purposes, the events of the characters Cheryl Miller(Nancy Marie Shomette, 16) and Bobbi Jo Boyd's(Michael Ann Ryan, 14) deaths are eerily accurate.

Below are examples in the form of music and videos that I believe best represent what Nora would be looking into online, from poetry to relationship advice.

# data[].attributes.body
While Nora attends most parties with her close friends, she is definitely NOT a fan. From prior experiences, it has become habit for her to go into the girls' bathroom of the recreation center and cry during all of the couple/slow dance songs because she is always left behind while her friends flirt it up and dance with the boys. She can always appreciate the forty-fives Gary brings for dancing, full of Nora's favorites(playlist below).
Nora is also very artistic. Besides the fact that her crush Don is in it, art is by far her favorite class. She wants to go to art school after high school, and is very interested poetry.

Her perspective of these favorite things change throughout the story, being manipulated by her maturing self.

(Below is an example of dance moves that may have been done or seen as "scandalous" in 1955 at their rec center dances)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Learning "The Stroll" with Sue and Gary Caley

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sue and Gary Caley show the steps for the 1950's line dance "The Stroll". The song "The Stroll" was actually written by Brook Benton after the dance was created. The kids were originally doing the dance to a Chuck Willis song, "C.C. Rider". Sue and Gary Caley Teach sing in the Washington DC area for Gottaswing.

# data[].attributes.body
1, 2, 17.) Little Richard is one of Nora's favorite performers, Little Richard's songs and the beginning of the story are full of joy, happiness, and potential, reminding Nora of her close friend Charlie and making her daydream about Don. Later on in the story, his music is a bittersweet reminder of what could have been with Charlie, and reminds her she dodged a bullet with Don, realizing he's not the perfect model she thought he was.
3.) "It's My Party" comes from the perspective of a girl wondering where the love of her life is, finding out that he is with someone else, then realizing that she can do better than him. Similar to how at the beginning of the story, Don is the love of her life, and she is oblivious to any and all other boys, until she realizes that he is somewhat of a jerk with a very specific type, one she isn't able or willing to become, and learns that there is a lot more to love than physical attraction.
4.) "Autumn Leaves" is about turning over a new leaf, and finding a new beginning, similar to how Nora begins the story as an immature teenage girl to a scarred woman, questioning her entire life, maturing, and losing her religion.
5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16.) These songs are all examples of songs that would be played at those special rec center parties, getting people on the floor and dancing.
13, 14.) These songs are some of the examples Nora uses when she talks about her dreams of slow dancing with Don. These songs went from representing a jealous young girl to a lighter time for Nora. They seem too immature to her now, and just remembers the fun night that led to her close friends' murders.

# data[].attributes.body
At the beginning of the story, Nora is strictly Catholic. She even speaks of praying to God and begging her father to be Catholic so he can go to heaven with her, her mother, and her brother.

After the deaths of Cheryl and Bobbi Jo, she completely loses faith in God, questioning why he would let such a thing happen.

Something that really grabs my attention is that while she decides she doesn't believe in God she questions whether she will go to hell or if she is a sinner because of her thoughts. She is stuck in the routine from the past and can't break fully free throughout the book.

# data[].attributes.body
A slumber did my spirit seal;
I had no human fears:
She seem'd a thing that could not feel
The touch of earthly years.
No motion has she now no force;
She neither hears nor sees;
Roll'd round in earth's diurnal course,
With rocks, and stones, and trees.
- Lucy, William Wordsworth

This poem is very important to Nora, who originally came across it in her research for an English project. She wrote it in her diary so she could read it whenever she wanted, and the significance changed for her throughout the story.

In the beginning, it is just a poem that she found interesting for reasons she could not put her finger on, and kept it with her for the possibility of needing it in the future. Throughout the book, it morphs with her religion, the "with rocks, and stones, and trees" part being reference multiple times as her religion begins to change as she starts to question her faith in God.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Moleskin, 2008. A Slumber did my spirit seal, I had no human fears, she seemed a thing that could not feel the touch of earthly years. No motion has she now, she neither hears nor sees; rolled around in earth's diurnal course, with rocks and stones and trees.

# data[].attributes.headline
"For Long Tall Nora from Short Skinny Charlie"(pg.36)

# data[].attributes.subject
"For Long Tall Nora from Short Skinny Charlie"(pg.36)

# data[].attributes.body
This song really represents Nora from the aspect of the change of view she has towards love. The quote comes from the beginning of the story when the friend group is attending an end of the school year party at the local recreation center. Nora's close friend Charlie has become quite fond of her, and she is totally oblivious, despite his frequent calls to the local radio station and dedicating this song to the tall and scrawny Nora. She is too caught up in the fact that Charlie is a little bit shorter than her and she's only got eyes for the unreachable Don, a tall, popular basketball player. As the night goes on and Nora realizes how much fun she's having dancing with Charlie, she develops similar feelings for him that progress over the book. She slowly allows him her heart, maturing and realizing that love comes in all shapes and sizes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.entities[].name
Great Balls of Fire-Jerry Lee Lewis-original

# data[].attributes.body
Nora's biggest concern/challenge at the beginning of the story is how she is going to get the cute boy from art class to like her. Don Appleton is on the basketball team, and only goes steady with cheerleaders. Nora dreams of driving through town, "the car radio blasts "Tutti Frutti"" and the wind blows through her hair, and Don tells her how pretty she is and how much he likes her. Unfortunately for her, Don has a girlfriend, and Nora knows she could never compete the way Cheryl or Bobbi Jo would be able to. She just can't understand how the girls do it, how they have all of the boys wrapped around their fingers, and would have definitely went to YouTube to help her solve her problem. I picked this specific video based on her favorite TV show, "I Love Lucy", because she would have appreciated the comedic style of this video and it would have helped her ease her mind of the sadness and stress she has experience from this crush.

Her mindsets and motivations change within the story, and her idea of what she wants in a boy isn't the most popular boy in school who probably(like Miranda) has many girlfriends and isn't the nicest guy anymore. She probably would have continued watching Connor Franta's videos and seen his videos about respecting yourself and his coming out video and realized that love is so much more than how a person looks- it's how they make you feel. Nora was able to discover this on her own by taking time and focusing on more important things and connecting with guys like Charlie and Buddy on an emotional level.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
5 Ways To Get Your Crush To Like You Back

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Check out Miranda's Video: http://bit.ly/1tV5vi2 -Join The Franta Family: http://bit.ly/1gc4476 -Watch My Previous Video: http://bit.ly/1x2MCuP -Follow Your Dreams (& My twitter): http://bit.ly/1x1rwvM -Check Out My Store: http://bit.ly/1dqJ2hW ________________________________________­­­­­­________ I teamed up with Skype Qik on this video & we're holding a sweepstakes!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Six months after John Dobek died, his widow, Jean Dobek, called police to tell them she had information about the 1955 double murder. Jean Dobek said that in 1972 her husband had brought her to the Northwest Branch Park and showed her where the girls had died.