โAn engrossing, moving, and utterly motivating account of the human stakes of gun violence in America.โโSamantha Power, Pulitzer Prizeโwinning author ofย The Education of an Idealist
Is America destined to always be a violent nation? This sweeping history by U.S. senator Chris Murphy explores the origins of our violent impulses, the roots of our obsession with firearms, and the mythologies that prevent us from confronting our national crisis.
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In many ways, the United States sets the pace for other nations to follow. Yet on the most important human concernโthe need to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe from physical harmโAmerica isnโt a leader. We are disturbingly laggard. To confront this problem, we must first understand it. In this carefully researched and deeply emotional book, Senator Chris Murphy dissects our countryโs violence-filled history and the role that our unique obsession with firearms plays in this national epidemic.ย
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Murphy tells the story of his profound personal transformation in the wake of the mass murder at Newtown, and his subsequent immersion in the complicated web of influences that drive American violence. Murphy comes to the conclusion that while Americaโs relationship to violence is indeed unique, America is not inescapably violent. Even as he details the reasons weโve tolerated so much bloodshed for so long, he explains that we have the power to change. Murphy takes on the familiar arguments, obliterates the stale talking points, and charts the way to a fresh, less polarized conversation about violence and the weapons that enable itโa conversation we urgently need in order to transform the national dialogue and save lives.