Six moving profiles reveal the complex realities behind gun violence in the United States. These are the stories of the shooters. In South Carolina, a young man embarks on a life of crime that culminates in a drug-related shooting and decades in prison; in Chicago, an off-duty police officer engages in a shootout with a murderous gunman, saving a fellow patrolman; in rural Tennessee, a troubled … Tennessee, a troubled teenager shoots her abusive father in his sleep. The Trigger recounts the dramatic life stories of six individuals who have shot someone in America.
In 2017, over 15,000 were killed and over 31,000 were injured by gunfire. Faced with these desensitizing statistics, one easily forgets that each incident is perpetrated by a living, feeling human being who has walked a unique path. The causes and consequences of these violent acts are often far more complicated than one might expect.
Author Daniel J. Patinkin exhaustively interviewed each of six shooters about their life experiences and about the unique circumstances that compelled them to use a firearm against another person. The result is a series of profound narratives that is sure to distress and challenge the reader, but also, perhaps, to provide enlightenment and inspiration.
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An empathic and revealing look into the lives and circumstances of six Americans who have shot another person. For the most part, Patinkin does well in laying out the chronological events that led to his subjects acquiring a gun and having a reason to use it, whether that reason was the perpetuation of a criminal lifestyle, anger, psychosis or self-defense. My biggest complaint is with the third chapter of the book, where Patinkin begins with his subject’s trial and prison sentence, then flashes back to the immediate aftermath of the shooting, then continues with the remainder of the subject’s incarceration before briefly describing the actual shooting at the very end of the chapter. Compared to the straightforward organization of the other five chapters, I found this fractured storyline rather jarring.
That concern aside, The Trigger is an extremely useful book for understanding the vast majority of American gun violence which does not attract major media coverage. I was also surprised by the depth at which the book describes problems in America’s penal system. And as a Chicago resident, I especially appreciated Patinkin’s breakdown of the Laquan McDonald murder and other recent police-involved shootings in comparison to the justified police shooting in this book. Read The Trigger for a look at the myriad factors that contribute to gun violence and for a better grasp of the entire criminal justice system.
I did not enjoy this book. Didn’t hold my interest. Did not like the way it was written. No depth.
The true life characters are fascinating and in most cases their circumstances keep you wanting to read til the end. The epilogue is worth for the price alone.
Awesome stories
Thank you Net Gallery and Skyhorse Publishing to give me a chance to read this fantastic book. It certainly kept my attention from beginning to end. I would like to read more by this author.
Like I wrote above this is a fantastic read and I know it will be a bestseller and I hope my review helps it along.
Here we see 6 different powerful stories of the perspective of the actually shooter and why, how, and what of why they did what they did it. No discrimination in these stories, anyone can pull the Trigger. It must of been hard for the author to only pick 6 stories. There are plenty out there.
Whether you are abused, someone close to you dies, drug-related, or the best person in the town. You can find yourself in these situations. A lot of research is put in this book and the statistics are unbelievable. This book even throws in the many shootings by law enforcement. You will find yourself shaking your head at the things people do.
Every story is fantastic. I felt sorry for the abused girl that tried so hard to get away from her father and no one would listen. They say there are other things she could of done but really there wasn’t. She did the only thing she could. I felt it justified. Courts thought differently.
Every one of these stories are wonderfully written and shocking. I really want to read it again.
Thanks again for the ARC