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gusreads's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.0
This is much better than the average book written by politicians, which are either glossy autobiographies/memoirs, political screeds, or light policy books they likely wrote in their sleep. (Though he does get a bit self-congratulatory in the final chapter).
In this book, Murphy (the leading voice in the Senate on gun control), provides a well researched history of human violence, with a particular focus on the history of guns and violence in America. He not only looks at shootings and mass murders, but also deaths of despair and our violent foreign policy.
He also documents how America’s history of systemic racism, poverty, and income inequality also contribute significantly to violence. He also discusses at length the history of the NRA and their chokehold on the Republican Party.
He strikes a hopeful note at the end that the ride is turning on gun control and that progress is happening. I’m not convinced but I hope he’s right.
In this book, Murphy (the leading voice in the Senate on gun control), provides a well researched history of human violence, with a particular focus on the history of guns and violence in America. He not only looks at shootings and mass murders, but also deaths of despair and our violent foreign policy.
He also documents how America’s history of systemic racism, poverty, and income inequality also contribute significantly to violence. He also discusses at length the history of the NRA and their chokehold on the Republican Party.
He strikes a hopeful note at the end that the ride is turning on gun control and that progress is happening. I’m not convinced but I hope he’s right.
transtwill's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Self harm, and Child death
Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Racism, and Gun violence
bericson13's review against another edition
4.0
this took me an incredibly long time to get through, primarily because it was so emotionally heavy that i struggled to read more than a few pages in a sitting. very thankful for Murphy's work towards gun control and a future for our children.
edininny's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
kmk182's review against another edition
3.0
Murphy tackles a deep subject on this one. The writing is great and when he tells the real stories behind tragedy it is at it's best. However, you don't feel there's any solutions here and sometimes the book uses weird logic to go from A to B.
thenthomwaslike's review against another edition
5.0
This book was excellent. It is well paced, well researched, and gives a good picture into his character without it being "about" him. Chris Murphy has a great writing voice and analyzes the issue of violence and inequality as well as the lessons he has learned in his career.
leisurelyreading's review against another edition
3.0
Usually while reading I’m vaguely thinking of what I want to write in my review, but as I clicked “I’m Finished” I had a slight oh shit moment. Weird. I don’t think that actually says anything about the book though. So, here are some bullets:
- I’m glad Chris Murphy is one of my senators
- Loved the focus on CT, I learned a lot about my own state
- I wish the citations were more precise. Like numeric-style in text citations? I feel like this would have boosted some credibility in areas Murphy clearly isn’t an expert like old-timey history.
- I highlighted a bunch of passages (I’ll make them public, so feel free to check it out)
- I’m glad Chris Murphy is one of my senators
- Loved the focus on CT, I learned a lot about my own state
- I wish the citations were more precise. Like numeric-style in text citations? I feel like this would have boosted some credibility in areas Murphy clearly isn’t an expert like old-timey history.
- I highlighted a bunch of passages (I’ll make them public, so feel free to check it out)