Why Kids Kill


Book Description

Ten years after the school massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado, school shootings are a new and alarming epidemic. While sociologists have attributed the trigger of violence to peer pressure, such as bullying and social isolation, prominent psychologist Peter Langman, argues here that psychological causes are responsible. Drawing on 20 years of clinical experience, Langman offers surprising reasons for why some teens become violent. Langman divides shooters into three categories, and he discusses the role of personality, trauma, and psychosis among school shooters. From examining the material evidence of notorious school shooters at Columbine and Virginia Tech to addressing the mental states of the violent youths he treats, Langman shows how to identify early signs of homicide-prone youth and what preventive measures educators, parents and communities can take to protect themselves from the tragedy.




Teenage Shooters


Book Description

Teenage Shooters is about Freddy Louche's world. Who is Freddy Louche? If you asked him he would tell you that he is an all-American teenage loser who lives in a neighborhood populated by gangbangers and bullies. He hates school because the classes are boring and many of the students are intimidators. But there are three things Freddy loves: his skateboard, his video games, and his father.His skateboard is a Serial Killer which sports an image of Charles Manson. In a strange way Freddy never feels alone when he is riding Manson, who is also his protector, at least until that fateful night when Freddy's life begins to rapidly unravel.Resident Evil is Freddy's favorite video games because in the world of survival horror he can defend himself against the zombies and other monsters that remind him of the cretin bullies who hang out in the corridors of his school and the thugs that roam the streets of his city, a city that is in many ways like Raccoon City, which was also an all-American city until the walking dead and other beasties took control of its streets.Freddy's father is the one adult Freddy can always depend upon. Unfortunately, Mr. Louche, like the school authorities and the police, cannot protect his son from the thugs and bullies who constantly harass him. Thus, a time finally comes when Freddy and his loser friends must take on their tormentors.







Columbine


Book Description

Ten years in the works, a masterpiece of reportage, this is the definitive account of the Columbine massacre, its aftermath, and its significance, from the acclaimed journalist who followed the story from the outset. "The tragedies keep coming. As we reel from the latest horror . . ." So begins a new epilogue, illustrating how Columbine became the template for nearly two decades of "spectacle murders." It is a false script, seized upon by a generation of new killers. In the wake of Newtown, Aurora, and Virginia Tech, the imperative to understand the crime that sparked this plague grows more urgent every year. What really happened April 20, 1999? The horror left an indelible stamp on the American psyche, but most of what we "know" is wrong. It wasn't about jocks, Goths, or the Trench Coat Mafia. Dave Cullen was one of the first reporters on scene, and spent ten years on this book-widely recognized as the definitive account. With a keen investigative eye and psychological acumen, he draws on mountains of evidence, insight from the world's leading forensic psychologists, and the killers' own words and drawings-several reproduced in a new appendix. Cullen paints raw portraits of two polar opposite killers. They contrast starkly with the flashes of resilience and redemption among the survivors. Expanded with a New Epilogue




The 7 Best Things Smart Teens Do


Book Description

In , therapists John and Linda Friel gave parents an easy-to-understand guide to overcome the seven worst mistakes even good parents make while raising children. Now they’ve written a book for teens based on the same formula: it includes the seven worst things even smart—and outwardly successful—teens do, and shows teens how they can change these behaviors and assure their success in life as they grow towards adulthood. This book was written expressly for teenagers as a unique roadmap into adulthood. It was designed to stimulate the brain as well as the heart because teenagers who listen to both can eventually negotiate adolescence successfully. It will appeal to teenagers who like to think, wonder, question and challenge, as well as to teenagers who feel that they haven’t quite figured out this “life” thing. The Friels show teens the seven things they need to do in order to overcome common roadblocks they face or will face. These are: Become competent—don’t expect to have self-esteem without becoming competent Master your feelings—don’t let your feelings run the show Break the silence—don’t silently scream instead of making yourself known Get healthy power—don’t avoid learning about power Face the serious stuff—don’t hide the really important things you're experiencing Find an identity—don’t avoid the struggle to find yourself Learn to stake out the extremes—don’t live only in the extremes. Written in clear, straightforward language and including many interesting and colorful story interludes, this book is an easy-to-use, powerful tool for all teens.




Miller's Children


Book Description

"Miller's Children is a comprehensive look at the consequences of the US Supreme Court's decision in the case of Miller v. Alabama, which outlawed mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juvenile murderers. This book describes the author's fieldwork as a psychological expert witness in more than forty resentencing cases of juveniles affected by the Miller decision (and follow-up rulings), providing a wide-ranging review of research on human development in adolescence and early adulthood. It focuses on how and why convicted teenage murderers have been able to accomplish dramatic rehabilitation and transformation, emphasizing the role of spiritual development, education, reflection, and mentoring in that process."--Provided by publisher.




The Violence Project


Book Description

"Groundbreaking." ―Rachel Louise Snyder, bestselling author of No Visible Bruises An examination of the phenomenon of mass shootings in America and an urgent call to implement evidence-based strategies to stop these tragedies Winner of the 2022 Minnesota Book Award Using data from the writers’ groundbreaking research on mass shooters, including first-person accounts from the perpetrators themselves, The Violence Project charts new pathways to prevention and innovative ways to stop the social contagion of violence. Frustrated by reactionary policy conversations that never seemed to convert into meaningful action, special investigator and psychologist Jill Peterson and sociologist James Densley built The Violence Project, the first comprehensive database of mass shooters. Their goal was to establish the root causes of mass shootings and figure out how to stop them by examining hundreds of data points in the life histories of more than 170 mass shooters—from their childhood and adolescence to their mental health and motives. They’ve also interviewed the living perpetrators of mass shootings and people who knew them, shooting survivors, victims’ families, first responders, and leading experts to gain a comprehensive firsthand understanding of the real stories behind them, rather than the sensationalized media narratives that too often prevail. For the first time, instead of offering thoughts and prayers for the victims of these crimes, Peterson and Densley share their data-driven solutions for exactly what we must do, at the individual level, in our communities, and as a country, to put an end to these tragedies that have defined our modern era.




Inside the Mind of a Teen Killer


Book Description

Phil Chalmers has spent more than a decade visiting high security prisons to interview young offenders, his mission is to attempt to answer the questions we all are asking: Why do the crimes continue to happen? What sends these kids over the edge? Could we have seen these crimes coming and stopped them? How can we keep our own kids safe? In Inside the Mind of a Teen Killer, Phil explores the reasons why teens kill; the warning signs we must be looking for; and offers a game plan to keep our homes, schools, and communities safe. This book may help save your life or the life of a child you love! What the experts say: “Phil Chalmers has interviewed the killers. He has corresponded with them extensively. He has exhaustively researched their crimes. There is no human being alive who knows more about these killers, and as you read this book, you will truly be taken Inside the Mind of a Teen Killer.” Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman, U.S. Army (retired), murder expert, and author of Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill “This book has incredible knowledge and information that is invaluable to law enforcement, school resource officers, school personnel, and parents. Every single person who is in a school environment needs to read this book, and understand that some of the most horrific crimes that are being performed are being carried out by our children.” Officer Russ Diehl, School Resource / DARE Officer, Brimfield Police Dept, Kent, Ohio “To go into the mind of a killer, you need to go into their hearts, and Phil has done just that. Phil’s book raises your awareness of where we have gone wrong in society and how we can make major changes with simple steps.” Joe Shillaci, Former Miami Homicide investigator and star of the A&E show The First 48




Shooter


Book Description

The groundbreaking and widely praised novel about a school shooting, from the acclaimed author of Monster. Multiple narratives, a personal journal, and newspaper and police reports add perspective and pull readers into the story. "Questions of guilt and innocence drive the plot and stay with the reader," said Hazel Rochman in a starred Booklist review. "Highly readable." "A haunting story that uncovers the pain of several high school students," according to Teenreads.com. "It explores the tragedies of school violence and how the result of bullying can go to the most dramatic extreme. Myers has a gift for expressing the voices of his characters. Shooter is not a light read, but it will leave you reeling."




Rampage


Book Description

In the last decade, school shootings have decimated communities and terrified parents, teachers, and children in even the most "family friendly" American towns and suburbs. These tragedies appear to be the spontaneous acts of troubled, disconnected teens, but this important book argues that the roots of violence are deeply entwined in the communities themselves. Rampage challenges the "loner theory" of school violence, and shows why so many adults and students miss the warning signs that could prevent it. Drawing on more than 200 interviews with town residents, distinguished sociologist Katherine Newman and her co-authors take the reader inside two of the most notorious school shootings of the 1990s, in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and Paducah, Kentucky. In a powerful and original analysis, she demonstrates that the organizational structure of schools "loses" information about troubled kids, and the very closeness of these small rural towns restrained neighbors and friends from communicating what they knew about their problems. Her conclusions shed light on the ties that bind in small-town America.