Bøker av Seamus McGraw

A history of the American mass shooter since 1966, and an analysis of how the nation makes sense of the senseless violence.We, as a nation, have become desensitized to the shock and pain in the wake of mass shootings. In the bottomless silence between gunshots, as political stalemate ensures inaction, the killing continues; the dying continues. From a Taller Tower attends to the silence that has left us empty in the aftermath of these atrocities. Veteran journalist Seamus McGraw chronicles the rise of the mass shooter to dismantle the myths we have constructed around the murderers and ourselves.In 1966, America's first mass shooter, from atop the University of Texas tower, unleashed a new reality: the fear that any of us may be targeted by a killer, and the complicity we bear in granting these murderers the fame or infamy they crave. Addressing individual cases in the epidemic that began in Austin, From a Taller Tower bluntly confronts our obsession with the shooters?and explores the isolation, narcissism, and sense of victimhood that fan their obsessions. Drawing on the experiences of survivors and first responders as well as the knowledge of mental health experts, McGraw challenges the notion of the "e;good guy with a gun,"e; the idolization of guns (including his own), and the reliability of traumatized memory. Yet in this terrible history, McGraw reminds us of the humanity that can stop the killing and the dying."e;An important and extraordinary book that takes us into the mind of the mass shooter and also explores our own complicity in the numbing tragedies that have become far too routine in America. Still, Seamus McGraw manages to leave us with hope that there's a way out of the despair."e; -Perri Pelitz, director and producer, Axios on HBO"e;A meditative history of mass murder by gunfire. . . . A memorable, necessary contribution to the national conversation on gun violence."e; -Kirkus Reviews"e;[From a Taller Tower] traces the history of the American mass shooter and the troubling ways we make sense of senseless violence . . . There's a tragic timeliness to McGraw's book."e; -InsideHook"e;One of the most important books you can read this or any year. It's impossible to read this work without nodding or wincing or even crying."e; -Patrick Skinner, detective, Savannah, Georgia"e;From a Taller Tower is a careful, even cathartic, look at mass shooters and the culture that ushers them forth. McGraw dispels the myths "e;forged in gunfire"e; with a riveting examination of the before, during, and after of mass shootings."e; -Amye Archer, co-editor, If I Don't Make It, I Love You: Survivors in the Aftermath of School Shootings

A Thirsty Land chronicles Texans' epic struggles over water, from San Antonio's mission-era acequias to today's debates in the face of climate change and population growth, with an eye toward innovative technologies and strategies for increasing the suppl

A lively, thought-provoking overview of climate change from the perspectives of people who are dealing with it on the ground.Climate change has become one of the most polarizing issues of our time. Extremists on the left regularly issue hyperbolic jeremiads about the impending destruction of the environment, while extremists on the right counter with crass, tortured denials. But out in the vast middle are ordinary people dealing with stronger storms and more intense droughts than they've ever known. This middle ground is the focus of Betting the Farm on a Drought, a lively, thought-provoking book that lays out the whole story of climate change-the science, the math, and most importantly, the human stories of people fighting both the climate and their own deeply held beliefs to find creative solutions to a host of environmental challenges.Seamus McGraw takes us on a trip along America's culturally fractured back roads and listens to farmers and ranchers and fishermen, many of them people who are not ideologically, politically, or in some cases even religiously inclined to believe in man-made global climate change. He shows us how they are already being affected and the risks they are already taking on a personal level to deal with extreme weather and its very real consequences for their livelihoods. McGraw also speaks to scientists and policymakers who are trying to harness that most renewable of American resources, a sense of hope and self-reliance that remains strong in the face of daunting challenges. By bringing these voices together, Betting the Farm on a Drought ultimately becomes a model for how we all might have a pragmatic, reasoned conversation about our changing climate."e;This title deserves a wide and varied readership; it has the power to change minds."e; -Booklist"e;Seamus McGraw has created not just an important document regarding climate change and the future of our planet but a wonderful and truthful portrait of America. You feel like you're on the road with him, cruising down little-traveled streets to meet fascinating characters whom you'd never see on Fox News or CNN. A terrific book."e; -A. J. Baime, author of White Lies: The Double Life of Walter F. White and America's Darkest Secret"e;Effectively blending story, science, and context, this engaging, readable book will be invaluable for those studying or working on issues associated with climate change, especially those with a social science or policy focus."e; -Choice