c.2026, Little, Brown
\n$34.00
\n304 pages<\/p>\n
By Terri Schlichenmeyer<\/p>\n
The Truth Contributor<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Lately, you\u2019re almost afraid to check the news.<\/p>\n
You can\u2019t bear to see footage of another mass shooting. You can\u2019t stand to read about another young man losing his health, limbs or his life. It\u2019s all too much, and you feel helpless. So read The American Way of Killing by Malcolm Gladwell.<\/strong> Maybe we\u2019re looking at gun control the wrong way.<\/p>\n Abdullah Pratt had always had \u201ca passion for science.\u201d<\/p>\n He grew up in a Black community, went to museums, attended college and medical school and he works where he was raised, in Chicago. Recently, Gladwell asked him how many of the people he knew growing up have died of gun violence.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026 it\u2019d probably be like in the thirties, forties,\u201d Pratt said, including his brother and at least 14 other close friends.<\/p>\n The stats, says Gladwell, don\u2019t show the whole picture about gun violence because we\u2019re looking at things all wrong and we\u2019re having \u201cdishonest\u201d conversations. First of all, he believes, we should remember that \u201crobbery and homicide are not siblings.\u201d We should not lump all gun crimes<\/em> into a category that includes gun deaths<\/em>. Before we talk about public safety, we need to specifically define it. We must know exactly what is, and what is not, in gun control bills that Congress passes or doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cAssault-rifle bans are gun control theater,\u201d Gladwell says, \u201cthey pretend to be something they are not.\u201d<\/p>\n As for the Second Amendment, we have to look at the era in which it was written and grammar used to understand what it means. And when it comes to reporting, we must ask the police to separate the level and degree of gun violence in their official reports. Was someone killed, or did the victim survive?<\/p>\n Without that information it\u2019s easy for medical professionals\u2019 expertise to save a life, but which hides the facts and makes \u201cit easier for Americans to live with their gun violence.\u201d<\/p>\n Is there any American left who doesn\u2019t have an opinion one way or another about gun ownership or control?\u00a0 Probably not \u2013 which is why The American Way of Killing<\/em> is essential reading today, now.<\/p>\n The one thing you need to know before you start is this: author Malcolm Gladwell\u2019s work here is calm, considerate and balanced. You may notice nuances, but this book isn\u2019t overtly pro-gun control, nor does Gladwell seem against it. Instead, he methodically shows readers the mistakes we make in our thought-processes, how we misunderstand laws, and where collective thinking can be more effective in an overall argument.<\/p>\n In many ways, the two sides, pro- and against, aren\u2019t as divergent as we might think we are, especially when presented with commonsensical, important and shocking statistics that could flip your understanding of the facts.<\/p>\n The American Way of Killing<\/em> may not change minds, but it may loosen them considerably. It\u2019s a book for both sides, and for anyone who wants to save lives. Gun violence, as Gladwell shows, isn\u2019t new news, but our attitudes and our work to end it might start here.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" c.2026, Little, Brown $34.00 304 pages By Terri Schlichenmeyer The Truth Contributor Lately, you\u2019re almost afraid to check the news. You can\u2019t bear to see footage of another mass shooting. You can\u2019t stand to read about another young man losing his health, limbs or his life. It\u2019s all too much, and you feel helpless. 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