Kapsidelis tells the story of mass shootings unwaveringly from the perspective of survivors. His voice is quiet, empathetic, sensitive, trustworthy, accurate, and never overwrought, conveying empathy without pathos. Kapsidelis’s account of the actual day of the shooting, and the shooting itself, is brilliant. At a time when guns are posited as the only way to preserve life and safety, the events at Virginia Tech suggest that there are other means of survival and heroism.
[O]utstanding. In his book, Kapsidelis uses his newspaper expertise — reporting and editing — to fashion a saga worthy of the memory of those 27 students and five faculty members murdered on April 16, 2007.
In After Virginia Tech: Guns, Safety, and Healing in the Era of Mass Shootings, Kapsidelis weaves together the stories of survivors, families and first responders as they navigate how to heal from what was the worst mass shooting in the United States for nearly a decade.
It's not a blood-soaked, minute-by-minute account of what many have called a massacre. Instead, Kapsidelis tells the story of the Virginia Tech shootings and their aftermath through the eyes and voices of the survivors.
Former RTD editor looks at long, hard road of healing in After Virginia Tech.
"Well-researched and clearly written, [the] book's major accomplishment is the author's exploration of the healing process.... Too many accounts of murderous rampages fail to offer long-term insights into the trauma faced by survivors, but Kapsidelis provides useful information on the topic, including discussions of 'gun violence as a health issue.'... An important book for policymakers and those interested in the continuing, depressingly widespread instances of gun violence. "—author of Kirkus Reviews
"[O]utstanding. In his book, Kapsidelis uses his newspaper expertise — reporting and editing — to fashion a saga worthy of the memory of those 27 students and five faculty members murdered on April 16, 2007. "—author of The Virginia Gazette
"In After Virginia Tech: Guns, Safety, and Healing in the Era of Mass Shootings, Kapsidelis weaves together the stories of survivors, families and first responders as they navigate how to heal from what was the worst mass shooting in the United States for nearly a decade. "—author of Roanoke Times
"It's not a blood-soaked, minute-by-minute account of what many have called a massacre. Instead, Kapsidelis tells the story of the Virginia Tech shootings and their aftermath through the eyes and voices of the survivors. "—author of Richmond Magazine
"Former RTD editor looks at long, hard road of healing in After Virginia Tech. "—author of Richmond Times-Dispatch
2019-01-13
A freelance journalist who worked at the Richmond Times-Dispatch for 28 years seeks the answer to an important question: "Could the [2007 Virginia] Tech killings change how people think about gun violence in Virginia and, by extension, the rest of the nation?"
On April 16, 2007, Kapsidelis was dispatched to the Virginia Tech campus, responding to reports of a shooting. In his first book, the author discloses what he saw that day, which included 32 students and faculty members dead, many others physically wounded, and countless emotionally traumatized. As he learned more about the perpetrator, senior Seung-Hui Cho, Kapsidelis cataloged the warning signs that he should have been in counseling and certainly should have been barred from procuring weapons. One of the most puzzling aspects of the killing spree was how the gunman was able to murder two students at a dormitory in the early morning hours, escape undetected, and then enter another campus building hours later to murder 30 more. Furthermore, why did university officials fail to alert students, faculty, and staff about possible danger after learning about the dormitory murders? Although Kapsidelis' account of the violence is well-researched and clearly written, his book's major accomplishment is the author's exploration of the healing process, which he indicates in the subtitle. Too many accounts of murderous rampages fail to offer long-term insights into the trauma faced by survivors, but Kapsidelis provides useful information on the topic, including discussions of "gun violence as a health issue." The author's cast of characters is large, which may make the account difficult to follow for some readers; ultimately, though, the broad cast makes the narrative deeper and more profound. An unexpected strength is the focus on Virginia's governor at the time, Tim Kaine.
An important book for policymakers and those interested in the continuing, depressingly widespread instances of gun violence.
