Catching up on reviews so... Thanks to NetGalley and Harry N. Abrams for access to this book. This is an excellent, and important read. It was presented in a way that felt like reading a TED talk, which makes the topic and information more approachable. It is well researched and timely, and especially important for anyone that has or knows children that attend schools in the US, unfortunately. Recommended reading.

This book is outstanding, and I have "lost" several copies already after letting friends borrow the book. This is unfortunately timely and very well presented.

The Violence Project is very readable nonfiction about ways to address the epidemic of mass shootings in the United States. Obviously this is not a simple issue to solve, so addressing it will have to take a multipronged approach. The authors' main suggestion is providing mental health care and empathetic treatment of others. A punitive, carceral response is the wrong method when someone is in mental distress. Though they caution against trying to intercept when someone is in active crisis, we can always be kind and treat others with respect. Connection is vital for every person's health.

I appreciated the suggestions and solutions posed by the authors, but they were a little vague at times. It was pretty disheartening to learn that even in cases where a potential threat was identified and reported, too often it didn't stop mass shootings from occurring. They devote a chapter to opportunity as a potential risk factor for violence. Too often this is overlooked and it's assumed that if someone wants to do something, they will find a way. This neglects the facts that access to guns will make them more likely to be used. Not necessarily in a mass shooting, but even by accident or suicide. I was surprised at opportunity of the place being a factor as well, shooters had documented that they targeted a different location when their first choice wasn't feasible.

Thank you to Abrams and NetGalley for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I received an arc of "The Violence Project" a really long time ago, but I just got around to read it now and I found it to be a fascinating read. The book is packed with data and research, and the interviews with the shooters, the survivors, and the family of the victims were particularly interesting. Some of the interviews were heartbreaking and difficult to read, but they gave me a unique insight into the minds of these individuals, and how the events have affected them.
The authors did an excellent job of presenting the information in a well-organized and easy-to-understand manner. However, I did find that the book was a little repetitive at times.
One of the things that struck me the most was the insights into America's gun laws. As someone who lives outside of the United States, I found it concerning to read about the ease with which people can obtain firearms. The book certainly gave me a lot to think about in this regard and I am honestly scared for the school children in the US.
Overall, I would definitely recommend "The Violence Project" to anyone interested in the topic. The book is well-written, well-researched, and offers a unique perspective on the subject.

Scan your local newspaper and I'm sure you'll find a notification of a recent mass shooting. Mass shootings seem to be common now more than ever and a mass shooting doesn't discriminate where it might occur next. We've either been close to, know someone effected by, read about or discussed with friends and family the meaning behind the shootings, what we can do to curtail them, and where we fit into the solution. This book takes the essence of these thoughts, learns more about the why behind the shootings from those involved, and presents great discussion behind what is becoming a very difficult and divisive topic. While so much of the discussion seems to be about guns these days, I appreciated that the thesis behind why and what may cause these types of shootings weren't centered around guns, but covered so much more. Guns were part of the topic, but was not the center of the topic. This book presented childhood trauma, adult trauma, societal interactions with shooters and self esteem, as well as some of the ideas of how hate and discrimination played into some of the way shootings played out. Great ideas of how we as a society could help recognize and address some of the areas that shooters mentioned as being leading events to their crimes, were so helpful in giving people something they could actually do to feel as if they were able to contribute to a better future. The facts were presented in a well rounded, easy to understand, and thoughtful way. I would definitely recommend this book as a way to learn more about this phenomenon without feeling like politics and a one sided agenda is being pushed onto the reader. Very well done!

“Born during the first few years of the twenty-first century, the youngest Americans, from high schoolers on down, have never known a world without mass shootings.”

“The Violence Project” is a gripping book that will captivate anyone seeking to understand why mass shootings occur and what might be done to recognize and intervene with potential shooters before they act.

A huge thank you to @NetGalley and @AbramsBooks for the e-galley.

Dr. Peterson and Dr. Densley have published a data-rich book about mass violence events and best practices to end mass shootings. The researchers use information from theviolenceproject.org, a database about mass shootings, as well as interviews with offenders, victims and families; and analysis of factors like mental health. The book is very dense for the average person but a great read for people who want to learn more about the topic (teachers, mental health providers, court staff). The book is compelling and interviews are engaging but the authors also support that with analysis and recommendations for people to learn how we can end mass violence events. For example, 80% of mass shooters were in a noticeable crisis prior to committing the crimes and book explains how to identify and get help for people in crisis. Obviously not every person in crisis is going to commit mass murder but every person who is in crisis can benefit from help - and sometimes that extends to all the people who don't become victims of a mass shooting. Highly recommend for anyone interested in the topic and would suggest as required reading for HS and college students interested in a criminal justice career.

I enjoyed this book it was well researched and well written. I felt that it was refreshing that the authors did not name the perpetrators of the crimes, and did not glory in the details which is common of many books that I have read on this subject. Although this book focuses on mass shooting within America and analyses the perpetrators with an American cultural slant there is still much to be learnt. I enjoyed the opportunity to hear from the people who were involved, this was presented sensitively and also very much added to the book itself rather just something that they felt that they should include. The authors were very balanced in the facts that they gave and very much left it to the reader to make up their mind. This is a powerful work and it stands above some of the other cult works within this area.

This book is a difficult read but an important one. I think it is imperative to understand the violence that has taken hold in the United States and beyond. The authors take an in-depth look at what makes people turn to violence. They use data from past events to try to figure out how we can work to spot the warning signs and possibly turn the tides earlier in the lives of these troubled individuals. I appreciate that they do not name the killers. They interview people from all areas of these tragedies including some of the perpetrators. This book took me a while to read. I needed to take breaks and read other books for a bit. But the information in this book is important. It is a problem that we all need to recognize and work toward figuring out a solution for. I am glad I read it.

This was super interesting. I got my degree in criminal justice so this was right up my alley. I am grateful that I was able to read this before publication. I learned a lot.

There are many books that discuss mass shootings and their causes, and I have read a few. What I have not seen in most of these books are solutions to prevent mass shootings. Jillian Peterson’s and James Densley’s The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic (Abrams Press, 2021) is that book—it is the book that lawmakers and school administrations and business owners need to read to understand and prevent mass shootings. Peterson and Densley provide evidence-based solutions from their years-long project of studying mass shooters, their victims, and the people that knew them before the shooting. Their book explains carefully how they came to every conclusion, and they are also quick to point out when further research needs to be done. In short, The Violence Project is a perfectly balanced book, filled with research and solutions, but also with questions and important observations.
Peterson and Densley begin by imploring us to think beyond the “monster” label that we place on mass shooters, because the truth of why they do what they do is so much more complicated:
“They are us—boys and men we know. Our children. Our students. Our colleagues. Our community. They’re walking in and out of the same secure doors we are, past the same armed guards everyday, like the rest of us. They’re standing next to us when we rehearse for the next shooting. They’re reading and watching the same media stories we are. They are not outsiders. They are insiders”
Peterson and Densley force us to divorce ourselves from the easy label of “monster” because that label doesn’t invite much thought; mass shootings are a problem that will require thinking and resources to solve. We cannot allow ourselves an easy remove from the perpetrators of this violence, for they are a part of our communities. And if they are a part of our communities, that means the problems the preparators have begun in our communities. The first step is to rethink our reactions to these crimes. This is one of the many things that The Violence Project does extremely well—it asks you to first reconsider all the preconceived notions you may have about mass shootings and the people who commit them.
Peterson and Densley are both professors of criminal justice and co-founders of a non-profit research center, and their backgrounds drive the research provided in this book. They interview mass shooters and their families, but they also talked to victims of mass shootings and their families, first responders, and people who planned mass shootings but changed their minds. They studied every mass shooting in the United States from 1966 to present day. The result is a book that is filled with crucial information. Peterson and Densley state that the goal of their project “was to gather as much information as possible about each and every mass shooter, so we could look for patterns in the data and see if profiles emerged that might point us to new ideas for prevention.” The solutions that Peterson and Densley are able to come up with based upon the data they collected are astounding. Even more astounding to me were the things they were able to prove are not working—things like lockdown drills and security guards. Peterson and Densley also made the crucial decision not to name any of the preparators in support of the “No Notoriety” movement. The No Notoriety movement was created by a family who lost their son in a Boulder, Colorado theatre shooting. They were frustrated by the amount of news coverage the perpetrator was getting and “challenged the media to deprive the perpetrator of the attention he sought.” As a result, Peterson and Densley do not directly name the shooters they study as their goal, they say, “is not to focus on any one story or perpetrator, but on what we can learn from the patterns in the stories over time that can help us prevent more people from dying.” This approach serves the book well—victims’ voices are amplified instead.
The Violence Project is a crucial study. This book is a must-read for teachers, school administrators, managers/business owners, and anyone who works with young people. The solutions presented in this book are only the beginning, but if they are utilized, I believe they will go a long way in solving the epidemic of mass shooting

4 stars. An extremely informative and necessary read, especially in today's climate.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are my own and not influenced by anyone. Ever.

I wasn't sure to expect with this book, but it is an important book to read for all. It truly explains about the violence that is going on today.

An incredibly important book. It has been hard to get through strictly because of how painful a topic mass shootings and gun violence can be. Despite the painfully honest descriptions of the state of mass shootings in the nation, this book is a must read for anyone with any sense. Anyone from gun enthusiasts to the most ardent anti-gun protesters need to read this book and really look at what has been happening, and what will continue to happen, if measures aren't taken to quell the epidemic of mass shootings in America. Regardless of color, creed, politics, or any other identifier, this book is a must read for anyone with a heart and a brain.

A well-written book with many good points, but I felt there were other issues that could have been mentioned, such as how nearly every shooter will turn out to have domestic violence charges or some kind of history of abuse against women. Battered wives and girlfriends are the canaries in the coal mine when it comes to these guys. Also many of these shooters espouse rightwing dogma, with many in recent years quoting Donald Trump, so discussions of the various toxic -isms (racism, sexism, etc.) need to be brought into the discourse. Mass shooters are acting on an ideology, which needs to be discussed.

This should be a must read for all. Very well presented and very informative. Full of information. Intriguing read. Highly recommended. Thanks to Net galley, the authors and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner, had no bearing on this review.

I found this to be a very interesting read. I don’t think it would be a good read for those looking for the full cases as they are not gone over in the book. All shooters name are absent following the No Notoriety movement which for me makes it hard to keep all the cases separate but I understand why it’s necessary. I thought this was a good read for the interested in mass shootings and what we can do to prevent further tragedies.

This book was very... heavy but informative. The writing was great how it combined the emotions of the situations along with clinical data. The data was the most interesting part.

A lot of what we generally know about mass shooters proves to be true or mostly true by their research compilation like male, mental issues, not receiving help, etc. but this book really dives into all the bottom common denominators mass shooters tend to have.

Those four variables that most have: childhood trauma, ideation of previous shooters, access to guns and a crisis event in their lives. The following chapters dive into each one of these much deeper, along with talking to still-alive perps. That was fascinating but I admit I wanted to know more about their experiences during the events, but that wasn't the point of the research. Actually, they handled the No Notoriety clause beautifully by never naming any of the shooters.

What this book excels at the most is paving a roadmap and giving concrete answers on exactly how to help. There's even a summary chart at the end on how someone can really make an impact to troubled kids. A lot of preventative measures lean towards schools having networks of communication about troubled kids and mental health programs pushing for just a single adult to care about said troubled kid. A trusted relationship is a very high deterrent to them becoming mass shooters. It's unfortunate this book even exists but also it's a good thing it does.

Thanks to NetGalley who has given me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was incredibly informative and an easy read for such a tough topic. I loved how the authors tackled the perpetrators’ thoughts while not naming them in light of the No Notoriety movement. The authors bring to light simple, evidence-based things any civilian can do to stop a mass shooting- encourage people to use basic gun safety, such as locking guns away, if you see something say something, and be there to cushion the impact of trauma. This is a must read for anyone in education, law enforcement, or... basically anyone who is a human and cares about the people around them or humanity as a whole.

My only criticism is I wish we had heard more from the living perpetrators, just to see what they had to say about their own actions.

'The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic' is not an entertaining read on a cozy couch after a hard workday. Started as psychological research by Jillian Peterson and James Densley in 2018, it grew into a unique research center that contains the one and only whole database of American mass shooters till the present day. Travels and interviews across America enabled the researchers to collect stories from perpetrators and survivors, victims' families, and law enforcement workers. Stories, in their turn, were analyzed from the mathematical and statistical viewpoints, explaining the origins of mass violence and creating a pathway to solutions on multiple levels: individual, institutional, and societal.

To learn more, please visit the project's website www.theviolenceproject.org or Twitter/Instagram accounts @theviolencepro The database is free for download and substantive analysis.

The site also contains downloadable protocols for building a crisis team at a workplace and a list of organizations that dedicate themselves to preventing mass violence.

The book is a summary of a three-year research. Chapter by chapter, the researchers debunk myths, created by social and mass media. Monsters, as they are conventionally called, are not born overnight but had been shaped during a long period of time by causes inside and outside their families. People around them might have sensed that something bad was about to happen, yet they didn’t possess techniques to avoid the disaster. The perpetrators needed guidance, yet they were not able to reach the resources that could provide help.

Despite the growing numbers of victims of mass shootings, the researchers see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's a hope that through their findings, people would be able to prevent mass violence using kindness instead of prosecution and isolation.

I'd recommend the book (and the website) for people who would like to learn about the psychological causes of violence. However, due to the mathematical approach, a mass reader could find himself/herself struggling with reading.