As difficult as it was to read, I'm extremely glad I read this book. It does justice to the victims of Sandy Hook, but it also shines an eye-opening light on the conspiracy theories and misinformation surrounding this shooting (and other similar incidents). This book is, of course, full of triggering content for anyone who may be sensitive to issues surrounding gun violence, the deaths of children and many other disturbing topics, but I would recommend this book to anyone who is comfortable reading it.

wow wow wow this is amazing
I have read a lot of books about mass shootings — so many of them go deep on the crimes and the perpetrators. This was refreshingly not that. It was almost entirely a story of how misinformation and blatant lies took over the Sandy Hook narrative, and it's a poignant look at the post-truth era. It's heartbreaking, but it also gives me hope that the thinking prevalent in this book, which openly calls out Alex Jones and other bad actors for what they are. So deeply reported and tactful. A must-read.

I took my time reviewing this one as it's just too important a book to throw a review together for. Even now, I don't feel like I'm going to do it justice but here we go.

When I seen this book on NetGalley I knew I had to read it. I still remember Newtown, I remember it all playing out on TV and specifically a Vanity Fair article that I read on the train to work one day that had me crying in my seat. I was too young to remember Columbine, but I was in school when the Dunblane School shooting happened in Scotland, where I'm from. There were others since then that I also remembered but this is one that is seared into my memory, most likely because it involved such young children - not that anyone should lose their lives to gun violence, and especially not within a school environment regardless of age!

Personally, this book should be a must read for people for a variety of reasons. It reminds you, in detail, what victims of gun violence and their families go through - the shock and devastation, being hounded by the 24 hour news media, dealing with the police and then trying to work through their grief. I'm not a reader that cries, but I cried multiple times very early on in this book.

It also sheds a light on what the victims and families go through after the event, especially a large scale tragedy such as Newtown. Until very recently I was oblivious to the harassment, stalking and downright disgusting behaviour they endured via the internet (as well as via letters and in person), from people claiming it was all a lie, their child wasn't dead and they were profiting off of all of this.

This then leads to the question of, who or what gets these people so riled up? In this instance is leads back to one man. I don't want to name him and give him more airtime than he needs, he's had enough and caused enough damage in this world. The misinformation and disinformation that can be spread by one person, with a big enough platform to cause real harm is shocking to see. What is also disgusting is when said person knows that they are perpetuating lies and causing harm to others but doesn't care.

Williamson is a reporter for the New York Times, which is apparent in her writing, but you can also tell how much this story means to her in the way she tells it and the relationships she has built with the victims families. She tries to help you understand why hoaxers and conspiracy theorists would behave this way, whilst also acknowledging that understanding them isn't easy. She's also able to draw a line between what started at Newtown and lead to January 6, in essence showing that this is a problem that is continuing to grow.

Gun violence in America only seems to be increasing, and with it come the people in this book that try and tell you your tragedy didn't happen.

This was a fascinating, infuriating and heartbreaking read, but it reminded me that behind the names of these tragedies are real people and families and we should never forget them and what they go through.

As you can imagine, there are lots of trigger warnings in this book, specifically around gun violence and child death.

To the families that have fought to ensure the lies & harassment stop and to protect the memories of their children, thank you.

Suing Alex Jones wasn't enough, that man needs to be in prison. I was reading this while dealing with my own grief and it was a fraction of what these families had gone through. What an impactful read.

I hard but interesting read. I was drawn to it for what it was about. Its such a sad story all round and one that should never had to be told. Because things like this shouldn't happen.
Non-fic isn't always my go to but it was a decent read.

Super interesting. Not a huge non-fiction fan but was drown to this story, obviously and it was so eye-opening and heartbreaking all at the same time. Highly recommend. Thank you NetGalley

This was definitely a hard read but well worth it. I learned a lot about this tragedy I didn't previously know. The reader can immediately tell this book is extremely well written and heavily researched, This book catches your attention from the very beginning, then you are hooked through the entire journey.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was incredibly difficult to read but well worth it. Extremely well researched and written, Elizabeth Williamson builds the story from that awful day in Newtown to the triumph in the courthouse and the build up in between. To see how those horrible conspiracies began and were nurtured intentionally was shocking. This is an important, gripping read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sandy Hook
by Elizabeth Williamson
Pub Date: March 8, 2022
Dutton
Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Based on hundreds of hours of research, interviews, and access to exclusive sources and materials, Sandy Hook is Elizabeth Williamson’s landmark investigation of the aftermath of a school shooting, the work of Sandy Hook parents who fought to defend themselves, and the truth of their children’s fate against the frenzied distortions of online deniers and conspiracy theorists.
I felt this was a well-written book. It was quite emotional.
4 stars

I was really looking forward to reading this book, but the file is corrupted and I can't open past a few pages. What I can read of it is pretty good.