This book titled No Guns Left Behind: Poems about Mass Shootings on US School Campuses...

• Publisher : Cyberwit.net (November 25, 2020)
• Language: : English
• Paperback : 63 pages
• ISBN-10 : 9388319400
• ISBN-13 : 978-9388319409
• Item Weight : 3.2 ounces
• Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.16 x 8.5 inches

This book titled No Guns Left Behind: Poems about Mass Shootings on US School Campuses by Mickey J Corrigan is a sorrowful saga of students, professors and people who lost their lives in the school massacres committed in the US.  The only breather as Mickey writes is that there are some kids from Parkland who are doing something about it by way of protests, walkouts, marches and demonstrations.  Let’s wish them all the very best in their efforts to bring in peace and decorum in the future.

Many congratulations, Mickey that some of your poems have appeared in literary journals, viz – “Dance Dance Revolution”, “13 Minutes”, “Future Mass Shooter”, “Hurt in 42”, “School Strong”, “Allure of the Disaffected”, “The Evidence”, “Red Lake”, “The Question Mark Kid”, “This is Not a Whodunit”, and “Post-Parkland”.  We look forward to many more.

“That stain lingers to this day on young men’s hands” as in Enoch Brown & Night Walker, 1764 where he pens about a massacre at a Pennsylvania school house in which teacher Enoch Brown and 9 students were killed by 4 young American Indians.

As in 13 Seconds, “And bombs dropping overseas where the war continues killing the people and young soldiers lose time, limbs, their minds” as he wrote about how unarmed college students were gunned down by 28 members of the Ohio National Guard.

“Dear sir we regret to inform you are ineligible to purchase a firearm in the state of California” A 23-year old man who involved himself in a 13 minute killing spree in Santa Monica after he set fire to his father’s house and shooting to death his brother and father.

“Under seven evergreens old memories stand tall in clean green air two custodians, a graphic artist grad student, professor a photographer, son of the dean”, his narration in Evergreen as he expressed about a delusional custodian, an ex-Marine who killed 7 and injured 2 who were his fellow employees brought cold chills to me.  How pathetic this must have been!!!  His paranoid schizophrenia led to this killing.

“I don’t like Mondays, shoots out the windows, shoots up the children, shoots down her future, spends Mondays in jail”.  A tale masterfully woven into words in “Monday” of a 16-year old girl who shot 10 people from the window of her house in San Diego.

At the end of the book, Mickey has given the names and ages of 177 innocent people who lost their lives from gunshot wounds during school shootings.  That is so nice of you Mickey.  It will be like whoever will read this book will pay homage to the departed souls.  We all pray that their souls rest in peace.

In “Hurt in 42”, “He wanted to break the monotony, he stole it from his parents’ bedroom.  He hid it in a basket of laundry his book bag his plan.  A gun for going out and making people miserable with”  Yet another account of a Marshall County High School student in Benton, Kentucky who opened fire on classmates and killed 2 and wounded 14 who later informed the investigators that it was a experiment.

Another tale of an English major at Virginia Polytechnic Institute who killed 31 people and wounded 17.  The shooter killed himself when police arrived.  He had selective mutism and wrote violent poetry and plays in a creative writing course and his professor had him removed from the class.

“Does Not Fit”, “Two middle school boys played alone in the woods of Arkansas met on the school bus joined forces made mad plans.  His grandfather had a wildlife job, unlocked guns.  His mother had a van.  Soon they had 9 guns 2000 rounds and a getaway car”.  The boys killed 4 and injured 10 and were tried as juveniles in a state where the law did not allow young people to be tried as adults.  Since their release from detention, one has been arrested with a gun, the other has filed for a concealed carry permit.  What do we say on this??? Just speechless!!!

This is Not a Whodunit is a story of a Biology professor at University of Alabama, Huntsville which showcases her different versions as in a novel and her real life who stood up at a routine faculty meeting and killed 3 and wounded 3 before her gun malfunctioned.  Previously, she had killed her brother.  Her unpublished novels cover themes that echo her own life story.

Mickey, I applaud you for your efforts in getting into the details of the so called killers and it looks like each one of them suffered heavily at a psychological level which led to these killings.  Isn’t that so risky???  Hats off to the parents who have garnered all their strength to move on but I am sure these memories are very hard to erase.

I have written many book reviews more so on love, nature and some very beautiful topics.  Your book has in fact challenged me to write on this hit-and-hard topic which talks about mass killings, blood stains, psychology and the pressure and stress the natives went through.  Hope I have done justice. 

Readers, you will need a strong heart to go through this book.  It is written in all honesty and sincerity of what really happened.  All the poems are about those dreadful incidences which happened and are worth reading.  I urge you to go through.  This indeed is a very unusual topic to read but you will get a feel and glimpse of what really is happening around the world.

We wish you all the very best and pray that your book travels across continents narrating this painful saga so that people become more aware so that this can be stopped as early as possible.  We also look forward to your next one.  

Best regards,

Shubhaangi Kundalkar

Author – Justaju-In Search of Life