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Newtown

An American Tragedy

About The Book

A journalist for The Daily News (New York) offers a “meticulous account of the Newtown massacre and its aftermath.…it’s been a year, and this harrowing book might be a reminder that the debate needs reviving” (Kirkus Reviews).

The world mourned the devastating shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14, 2012.

We remember the numbers: twenty children and six adults, murdered in a place of nurture and trust. We remember the names: teachers like Victoria Soto, who lost her life protecting her students. A shooter named Adam Lanza. And we remember the questions: outraged conjecture instantly monopolized the worldwide response to the tragedy—while the truth went missing.

Here is the definitive journalistic account of Newtown, an essential examination of the facts—not only of that horrific day but the perfect storm of mental instability and obsession that preceded it and, in the aftermath of unspeakable heartbreak, the controversy that continues to play out on the national stage. Drawn from previously undisclosed emails, police reports, and in-depth interviews, Newtown: An American Tragedy breaks through a miasma of misinformation to present the comprehensive story that must be told—today—if we are to prevent another American tragedy in the days to come.

About The Author

Matthew Lysiak is a staff writer for The Daily News (New York) who has received national recognition for his exclusive reporting on the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary and the Newtown killer Adam Lanza, the Aurora gunman James Holmes, the Tucson shooter Jared Loughner, the Fort Hood army psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan, and more.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Gallery Books (December 10, 2013)
  • Length: 288 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781476753768

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Raves and Reviews

“Lysiak’s examination of our burgeoning mental-health crisis, and how poorly equipped our health care system is to handle the needs of those who suffer from mental health issues,[is] something of a welcome surprise.”

– San Diego City Beat

“Packed with beautiful vignettes about the victims and some remarkably intimate details.”

– USA Today

“The real message of Newtown is clear: it is up to America and each and every American to decide whether or not this is going to happen again.”

– Bookreporter

“Lysiak’s descriptions are spare and chilling but in no way gratuitous.”

– Los Angeles Times

“Well-written, compassionate, and informative.”

– Books & Reviews

“This harrowing book might be a reminder that the debate generated by the tragedy needs reviving.”

– Kirkus Reviews

“A comprehensive, moving account. . . . A chilling look at Lanza’s background and contributing factors. . . . Readers will be hard-pressed to deny the raw emotional gut-punch.”

– Publishers Weekly

“Lysiak balances perfectly the ordinarily wondrous lives of [those] who were murdered against their killer’s depravity. Lysiak is a master of texture, at selecting precise,individualizing details.”

– Salon

“Although this is a difficult book to read, I recommend it highly for the very reason the author intended—to be better informed.”

– Craig Daily Press

Newtown goes beyond the sensational news bytes we have become so accustomed to. . . . A vivid portrait of the remarkable heroism shown by those involved in the tragedy, and the sheer horror that occurred. . . .”

– Coalition to Stop Gun Violence

Newtown goes beyond the sensational news bytes we have become so accustomed to. . . . A vivid portrait of the remarkable heroism shown by those involved in the tragedy, and the sheer horror that occurred. . . .”

– Coalition to Stop Gun Violence

“Illuminating . . . nota tell-all. . . . The Newtown that Matthew Lysiak describes is my Newtown, a town that stuck together and continues to.”

– 5 Minutes for Books

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