School Shootings: What Every Parent and Educator Needs to Know to Protect Our Children [Paperback]

Joseph A. Lieberman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2008

When You Send Your Children To School In The Morning,
Do You Worry That You May Never See Them Again?

In this insightful look at the danger that threatens students and families today, investigative journalist and longtime educator Joseph A. Lieberman takes us inside the minds and hearts of everyone affected by school shootings--and the kids who commit the shocking crimes.

Lieberman became intimately acquainted with this terrifying epidemic during an unforgettable, heartbreaking encounter with a traumatized survivor of a notorious school shooting. The issue became even more personal when his daughter's schoolgrounds were invaded by an angry fifteen-year-old dropout with two loaded stolen handguns and extra ammunition. After years of intensive research, Lieberman shares his findings, shedding dramatic new light on school shootings--from Columbine to Virginia Tech and more--and offers practical strategies for how we can respond to and even prevent them.

School Shootings offers new understanding on:

• How many of the shooters were depressed or suicidal, or had psychotic symptoms

• Why it is almost always boys, rarely girls, who commit these killings

• Why so many school shootings have taken place in our current cultural climate

• How American incidents are similar to--and differ from--what's happening in other countries

Whether you're an educator, a parent, a counselor, or in law enforcement, School Shootings is timely, compelling, and indispensable.

"This book has been a real hit on campus. The students are drawn in immediately, and can hardly put the book down. It's a great book for a College Reading course, and for getting students interested in reading again! I've used it two semesters, and look forward to using the updated version this Fall." -- Vicki M. Pettus, Adjunct Professor, Dept. of Language, Literature, and Philosophy, Kentucky State University

"Heartbreaking and eye-opening." --Nancy Stap, radio host, Air America

"Riveting!" --Madalyn Tower, Oregon School Counselors Association

"This is the book that finally connects the dots and could help prevent the next school shooting." --Nancy Willard, author of Cyberbullying, Cyberthreats

"Thoughtful and refreshingly frank, this book will no doubt save lives." --Jodee Blanco, author of Please Stop Laughing at Me

With 16 pages of dramatic photos

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Citadel; Rev Upd edition (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806530715
• ISBN-13: 978-0806530710
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,266,885 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After graduating with a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts from Boston University and a graduate Diploma in Education from Sydney Teachers College in Australia, it was inevitable that writer, illustrator, educator and author Joseph A. Lieberman would follow a two-tiered career track that would last right up until the present.

Throughout the 1970's and 80's, Lieberman was simultaneously involved in secondary and college education, gallery exhibitions, and the establishment of a global employment clearinghouse for teachers of English as a Second Language. He was heavily involved in TESOL, becoming Chair of Teaching English Internationally.

He spent most of the 1990's as a university lecturer, photojournalist and author in East Asia. Since his stories first appeared in The Boston Globe in 1981, he's published over 600 features and articles in newspapers, magazines and professional journals in seven nations, and produced two travel books. All five of his textbooks in Japan and Taiwan were self-illustrated. He's had 23 years of teaching experience in four nations at all grade levels above middle school, including universities and adult education, and has traveled to 48 countries on six continents.

After relocating to Eugene, Oregon in 1999, his interest in school shootings was sparked by meetings with key people involved in the Thurston High tragedy. The personal impact of these chance encounters and the continuance of other horrific events led him to an investigation into this disturbing phenomenon. His project eventually became a book revealing the synchronous nature and common roots of school shootings, workplace rampage and suicidal terrorist acts. School Shootings: What Every Parent and Educator Needs to Know to Protect Our Children, (Citadel Press/ Sept. 2008) examines how all these incidents interface at some level, from the earliest attacks to the most recent US campus shooting in 2008. Lieberman's view is that understanding how and why these terrifying events took place is the first step toward preventing them. It is the author's hope that his book will contribute to that end. For more information, visit www.schoolshootingsbook.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must" read for understanding this issue, August 31, 2008

By 

V. Pettus (Frankfort, Kentucky USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: School Shootings: What Every Parent and Educator Needs to Know to Protect Our Children (Paperback)

As a university adjunct professor, I researched many books about school shootings before I settled on Mr. Lieberman's book. I used the book for a college reading course -- with the intent of getting students involved in the subject matter and, thus, involved in reading. It has turned out to be an excellent choice.

This book weaves the story of a horrific act, which is played out all too often in our world today -- that of a troubled teen using violence to express what may be a personal or societal problem. This is story of Kip Kinkel -- but much more than that. Lieberman keeps you intrigued as the story of Kip unfolds among the questions that we all must ask ourselves: what makes a person kill his parents and school mates; what, in society, may play a role in forming the personality of the teen who kills; what are we doing to curb bullying at schools - which seems to play a big role in many shootings. These issues are springboards for discussion within ourselves and with others.

I would highly recommend this book for its style of writing (great writing) and content. Mr. Lieberman passes no judgement on Kip or the other shooters he profiles. Instead, he offers us insight and information and leaves the pondering to us.

I couldn't put the book down. Neither could my students.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We Need to Know, August 31, 2008

By 

Lucy Whitmarsh - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: School Shootings: What Every Parent and Educator Needs to Know to Protect Our Children (Paperback)

There has been an epedemic of school shootings in the recent past. Schools used to be safe havens where we could learn and study. Now when we enter a school we have to go through a security check and are constantly vigilent and in fear of being killed.

We need to know what has gone into creating the situation that we now face in our schools. In his book Joseph Lieberman presents a well researched and well documented yet readable book that gives the reader an inside look at what is happening in our schools to create situations that result in loss of life.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Important Information, August 31, 2008

By 

Lois I. Kantor - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: School Shootings: What Every Parent and Educator Needs to Know to Protect Our Children (Paperback)

I work in a community library. We are always looking for books like this, that address community issues in clear, detailed language that will engage the public. Mr. Lieberman's book is a valuable asset for anyone wishing to understand and address such a grave community issue.