A major theme in The Perfect Shot is the idea that many events in history happen in cycles and patterns, and it’s crucial to learn from those patterns. If people do not understand the context in which terrible things happened, they won’t have the power to stop similar things from happening again. Mr. Fortner, Brian’s history teacher, wants to demonstrate this concept in a meaningful way by assigning his students historical cases to study. One way he helps his students think outside of their normal contexts is by assigning the students partners outside their social groups. This forces the students to see things from a different perspective, which is the first step in disrupting harmful historical patterns. This is especially clear in Brian’s interactions with Todd and his brother, who give him new insights into how the legal system works and the way systemic injustices happen again and again.

Before long, Brian and Todd realize that the Leo Frank case they are studying is similar to Mr. Daine’s trial, who has been accused of murdering his family. The books they read about Leo Frank show that prosecutors are using similar tactics to call his character into question, even though there is no actual evidence that he committed the crime.