Many thanks to NetGalley and Thread for gifting me an audiobook of this true crime story by Ellen J. Green, narrated by John Chancer - 4 stars!
On September 6,1949, twenty-eight-year-old Howard Barton Unruh shot thirteen people in less than twelve minutes on his block in East Camden, New Jersey. This is considered the first recorded mass shooting in America. Told through the eyes of then 12-year-old Raymond Havens, we get an intimate account of Unruh's behavior, background and life.
This was a meticulously researched book - we hear from the neighbor boy who befriended Unruh, who listened to him talk about the war, his stamps, history. We learn ab out Unruh's past as well as the constant bullying he faced in his neighborhood. While I believe everyone has to take personal responsibility for his actions, this book will leave you feeling somewhat sympathetic towards Unruh even while deploring his actions. It's hard to believe how far we've come since the 1950s - it seems like hardly a night goes by where we don't hear of a mass shooting somewhere in the US on the news.
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