The Violence Inside US: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy

Senator Chris Murphy had been elected but not sworn into his new job, U.S. Senator for the State of Connecticut when something bad happened. On December 14, 2012, 20 children, a mother, and six women who worked at Sandy Hook Elementary School were murdered in a matter of minutes.

Sen. Murphy’s book, written so many years after that day, provides a reflective look back at all he has learned, done, and seen as he too has fought to stop the killing.

Long into the book, I heard him say (I listened to the audiobook) what I say to myself sometimes. He said he feels an utter failure that after all these years of work, the number of shootings continues to rise. I may have audibly screamed “yes, exactly!” when I got to that part in the book.

The challenge Sen. Murphy points out is my frustration that too few people take the time to understand what they can do to stop the killing. As he said it so succinctly, do something.

 Reading his book, The Violence Inside US: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy is a good start.