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Sandy Hook

An American Tragedy and the Battle for Truth

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Sandy Hook

By: Elizabeth Williamson
Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman, Elizabeth Williamson
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About this listen

 Slate, "25 Best Crime Books, Podcasts, and Documentaries of All Time"

Vanity Fair’s “Books We Can't Stop Thinking About”

Carnegie Medal Nonfiction Longlist 2023

The Washington Post Best Non-Fiction Books of 2022

Publishers Weekly Best Books 2022

Kirkus Best Non-Fiction Books of 2022

Slate Best Books 2022

Chicago Tribune Best Books 2022

Los Angeles Times Best Books 2022

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.

On December 14, 2012, a gunman killed twenty first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Ten years later, Sandy Hook has become a foundational story of how false conspiracy narratives and malicious misinformation have gained traction in society.

One of the nation’s most devastating mass shootings, Sandy Hook was used to create destructive and painful myths. Driven by ideology or profit, or for no sound reason at all, some people insisted it never occurred, or was staged by the federal government as a pretext for seizing Americans’ firearms. They tormented the victims’ relatives online, accosted them on the street and at memorial events, accusing them of faking their loved ones’ murders. Some family members have been stalked and forced into hiding. A gun was fired into the home of one parent.

Present at the creation of this terrible crusade was Alex Jones’s Infowars, a far-right outlet that aired noxious Sandy Hook theories to millions and raised money for the conspiracy theorists’ quest to “prove” the shooting didn’t happen. Enabled by Facebook, YouTube, and other social media companies’ failure to curb harmful content, the conspiracists’ questions grew into suspicion, suspicion grew into demands for more proof, and unanswered demands turned into rage. This pattern of denial and attack would come to characterize some Americans’ response to almost every major event, from mass shootings to the coronavirus pandemic to the 2020 presidential election, in which President Trump’s false claims of a rigged result prompted the January 6, 2021, assault on a bastion of democracy, the U.S. Capitol.

The Sandy Hook families, led by the father of the youngest victim, refused to accept this. Sandy Hook is the story of their battle to preserve their loved ones’ legacies even in the face of threats to their own lives. Through exhaustive reporting, narrative storytelling, and intimate portraits, Sandy Hook is the definitive book on one of the most shocking cultural ruptures of the internet era. History & Culture Media Studies Murder Social Sciences Technology & Society True Crime Crime
All stars
Most relevant
Well written and incredibly researched this book attempts to get to the heart of a secondary problem that arose around a tragedy. The material is handled sensitively and the author does not flinch when examining the unsavoury and wretched people who profit or obsess over conspiracy theories.

An excellent book on an important topic

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A thoroughly detailed book that captures the insidious power of disinformation, and its harrowing effects on a grieving community.

Heartbreaking and infuriating.

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Well worth a read. Suggests some much needed strategies to address the growing chorus of ignorants who now have a pulpit in social media.

Timely and fascinating

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A thought provoking read that truly opened my eyes to the horror these families went though after such a tragedy. This is not a lite read but something I believe worthwhile, especially in today's climate.

A horrific insight to the US

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I read a lot of media and cultural theory, and while I love it I do have many audiobooks that become a chore to get through, glance over things too lightly, or just lose momentum due to lack of structure or narrative progression.
This book avoids these pitfalls, and does a brilliant job of telling the human story, running an analysis of Sandy Hook/ the hoaxes/ the mediasphere, and tying it into bigger patterns around the culture wars and the move towards 'post-truth' thinking.

Also, the performer rates a mention. She balances the fine line of keeping expression and emotion in the mix without it becoming too cloying or intense when spread across a full 16 hours of material, very well done.

Whether you are interested in Sandy Hook itself, or a springboard into the bigger questions and issues around media and culture this is a very worthwhile listen. Not too esoteric if you are new to this sort of book, but not so light that it doesn't do justice to the terrifying events during the shooting and the disgraceful responses from certain quarters, this is certainly worth your time.

A very well written and expansive investigation.

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