AFTER SUDBURY

Doug Most’s February 18 essay on shock over suburban school shootings led to an outpouring of both support and anger – and a rebuttal from the man whose quote helped spark the debate.

After Sudbury

I articulated the "inane phrase" referenced in Doug Most’s "Perspective" article (February 18), and I am the father of two freshmen at Lincoln-Sudbury High. Only his absurd spin on that phrase makes it "arrogant" or "insulting to a large group of people." That phrase was embedded within a broader statement, in which I emphasized that we face a national problem that cannot be solved by school officials and law enforcement alone. I ask that we work together to eliminate unthinkable tragedies in schools everywhere. All adults should be working with school officials, law enforcement, and health professionals everywhere to purge this urban and suburban problem.
Robert Sackstein
Sudbury

You hit the nail on the head and brought the true danger to light: struggling, confused, and angry teens whose troubles remain unrecognized while their emotional needs go unmet.
Terri Lee Carabillo

Topsfield

While I agree with the piece, it must be noted the Globe contributes to the "it can happen here" mentality: The tragedy received front-page, above-the-fold attention; the nearly daily violence facing urban kids often gets an inch or two in the B section.
Ellen Noonan
Hyde Park

Thanks for elucidating the smug, myopic, self-righteous viewpoint of some suburban dwellers.
Terry G. Lorber II

Lynn

As a student of Lincoln-Sudbury High, I was offended by your article. You absolutely cannot blame this incident on students and faculty. Lincoln-Sudbury is an extremely accepting school and, due to the confidentiality of the special-education programs, no one thought anything of John Odgren’s behavior. Also, to say his own parents ignored his loneliness is ridiculous.
Justine Kablack
Sudbury

Blame who you like, but realize there are school systems everywhere working tirelessly to avoid such an event. And guarantees can never be handed out.

E. Ormberg
Bellingham

One of the first deadly school shootings took place in the idyllic town of Great Barrington years before Paducah, Littleton, or Cold Spring. Maybe the parents from Sudbury would’ve been less arrogant had the media reminded them of what happened right here in Massachusetts.
Wayne Lo
Norfolk

Editor’s note: The writer is serving two life sentences for the 1992 shooting at Simon’s Rock College that killed two and wounded four.>Blissful Numbers
It was so good to read "The Romantic Life of Brain­iacs" (February 18). I am 29 and finishing my PhD. I have spent a great deal of time wondering if there’s something wrong with me for not being married. I think women in our generation are still internalizing a lot of those negative myths described in the article, so it’s wonderful to see the statistics on the marriage success of educated women who wait.
Paola Rodriguez
Watertown

No Place Like It
We’ve moved three times in 10 years. I’m an expert at not forming an attachment to my home ("Perspective," February 11). Candles imitate the smell of home cooking. The landscaper plants my bulbs. My dryer sheets smell like the great outdoors. (Can you still purchase clotheslines?) I’m a fake! Bring back the good old days.
Janet Ross
Raynham

We purchased our first home just shy of three years ago. We’ve had great ideas for improvements that have not come to fruition. Every time I think of a possible project, I say to myself, "What will be the return at resale?" Thank you for helping me change my viewpoint.
K. Astudillo
Marlborough