Shavaun Scott

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“Nearly 40,000 people die from gun violence in the US every year. This uniquely American crisis leaves no community untouched―but it doesn’t have to be this way.” ―Gabrielle Giffords

The Forgotten Survivors of Gun Violence collects 20 personal essays of survivors’ visible and invisible wounds from school shootings, attempted suicide by firearm, mass shootings, gang violence, and domestic violence. Their stories remind us that these traumatic experiences are not exclusive to combat soldiers but, more notably, suffered by ordinary people during modern life. With this collection, editors Loren Kleinman, Shavaun Scott, Sandy Phillips and Lonnie Phillips expose the true lifecycle of a bullet and the trauma left in its wake. Through personal narratives and select personal photos, the wounded tell a story that’s forgotten when the cameras go away. This collection will be of interest to first responders, officers, therapists, medical practitioners, and educators.

Public mass killings are becoming more common. Though the chances of being harmed or killed in a mass shooting are slim, each incident affects the public's sense of safety. There are many myths and falsehoods concerning mass murderers. As a result, the public lacks reliable knowledge about the reasons behind such killings, preventing the development of comprehensive strategies to mitigate the violence.

Written by a mental health therapist with thirty years of clinical experience in violence prevention, this book clarifies the realities of mass killings. Using research from forensic psychology, it provides a foundation for understanding the "pathway to violence" identified in the personal histories of many mass murderers. Drawing from criminology, neuroscience and developmental and social psychology, the author makes the case that we are all capable of creating a safer society.

An eleven-year-old boy strangled an elderly woman for the equivalent of five dollars in 2007, then buried her body under a thin layer of sand. He told the police he needed money to play video games online. Just a month later, an eight-year-old Norwegian boy saved his younger sister's life by threatening an attacking moose and then feigning death when the moose attacked him--skills he said he learned while playing World of Warcraft.

As these two instances show, video games negatively and positively affect the minds, bodies, and lives of millions of gamers. This book approaches video game addiction from a cross-disciplinary perspective, bridging the divide between liberal arts academics and clinical researchers. The topic of addiction is examined neutrally, using accepted research in neuroscience, media studies, and developmental psychology.