Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy and the Battle for Truth is a nonfiction book written by journalist Elizabeth Williamson and published in 2022 by Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
 2022 Hardcover image | |
| Author | Elizabeth Williamson |
|---|---|
| Subject | Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre
Conspiracies. Social media. True Crime / Murder / Mass Murder. Conspiracy Theories. |
| Genre | nonfiction |
| Set in | Newton, Connecticut; Texas; Washington D.C. |
| Published | March 8, 2022 |
| Publisher | Dutton Publishing |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | |
| ISBN | 9781524746575 also: 1524746576 |
| OCLC | 1298898213 |
| Website | Penguin Random House |
Summary
editIn the book, Williamson presents evidence that the universe of counterfactual narratives that have become embedded in our society began with the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Hence, according to the New York Times' book review, "Williamson promises to connect the dots ... from that horrible December [2012] morning in Newtown to that despicable January [2021] afternoon in Washington when Donald Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol, leading to seven lost lives".[1] Williamson additionally says that the proliferation of injurious Sandy Hook fictional truths led to Pizzagate, QAnon, and the 2021 United States Capitol attack.[3]
The book notes publicly documented connections between Alex Jones and Donald Trump. Jones is presented as one of main perpetrators of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting conspiracy theories.[1][2] Two hours after the Sandy Hook massacre, Jones said on air: "My gut is, with the timing and everything that happened, this is staged ... Why do governments stage these things? To get our guns!"[1][2]
Even before the 2012 massacre, conspiracy theorists promoted misgivings and distrust about previous mass shootings. However, Williamson said that Sandy Hook was the first conspiracy theory that went viral.[2] In her book, Williamson wrote: "The struggle to defend objective truth against people who consciously choose to deny or distort it has become a fight to defend our society, and democracy itself".[2]
Reception
editThe book was longlisted for the 2023 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Kolker, Robert (8 March 2022). "The Long Shadow of Sandy Hook". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c d e "After the horror of Sandy Hook, an assault on truth began". Washington Post. March 11, 2022.
- ^ a b Borrelli, Christopher (May 13, 2022). "Chicago native's book explores Sandy Hook, Alex Jones, and why modern conspiracy theories have been so contagious". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ "Sandy Hook review: anatomy of an American tragedy – and the obscenity of social media".. The Guardian. March 13, 2022.
- ^ "Review: 'Sandy Hook' Is Vital Reading in the Post-Truth Age".. U.S. News & World Report. March 7, 2022
- ^ "Elizabeth Williamson's "Sandy Hook": Extremism's war on truth". WYPR (an NPR station). March 10, 2022.
- ^ "2023 Winners". American Library Association. October 11, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
External links
edit- Official website
- C-SPAN Book TV, author's interview, Politics and Prose Bookstore. Video, March 11, 2022.
- "Frontline Interview: Elizabeth Williamson". FRONTLINE. Retrieved August 7, 2022.