What is the ‘Death Note’ Found at a Nashua School?

The "death note" that a Nashua girl wrote in comes from a world of suspense and fantasy, but in the real-world it is a troubling red flag. I should know because I've read/watched the series multiple times.

A lot of New Hampshire parents are concerned about a "Death Note" found in the Nashua School District.

They have a right to be because finding their kids' names in a list associated with death is serious and unsettling. The young student who was writing these names is being disciplined and hopefully getting the help needed.

Not a lot of people around here know about the Death Notes series, and the news media provides a very vague description:

The book is based on a Japanese anime cartoon and is available in retail stores and online. Characters in the book can write down the names of people who have wronged them, and the book has the power to cause harm to those listed.

As a comic book nerd, I am a huge fan of suspense and fantasy which is why I have actually read/watched the series many times. I'll give you all a better description of the series and maybe that will help provide some context to this story.

The story follows a top student named Light Yagami who has his whole life ahead of him. One day he finds a notebook and soon discovered that when he writes a name in there, that person dies. Light then proceeds to use the notebook to take out criminals who he sees as a burden to society.

He is soon approached by a shinigami, a god of death, who explains that the notebook is his and Light can do with it what he will. This newfound ability begins to get to Light and he begins to become mad with the power to shape the world to his will. This means that the power of the notebook is then used on people who get in his way, not just criminals.

What follows is a thrilling detective drama as Light eludes a team of investigators lead by a Sherlock Holmes-esque genius. Themes in the story include the ambiguous nature of morality, the role of execution as punishment for crimes and the limits of justice.

So that is a little more information on the Death Note series, which is a tad different from the vague description given by non-nerds in the media. The story is not some aimless murder-revenge story, which might come to some parents' minds when they see something like this. Hopefully this helps provide some context for them.

Regardless, the student who wrote in her own "death note" is likely troubled and having issues with students in school. The line between fantasy and reality needs to be clear and negative feelings need to be dealt with in a healthier way.