How to Survive a Mass Shooting chronicles the life of a Columbine High School mass shooting survivor during the days, months, and years that followed. Memories of school and friendships before the event weave through chaos and guilt that erupted in the wake of one of the most notorious mass shootings in the United States. How-to lists are employed throughout the book, borrowing from the self-help genre to break up the narrative and acknowledge the desperate and sometimes-fruitless search for answers and healing.
While our nation continuously faces senseless violence, the memoir aims to widen the discussion on our culture of violence and individual trauma. How to Survive a Mass Shooting addresses the losses and struggles of mass shooting survivors, and how turning towards art, sharing our stories, and empowering ourselves can bring resilience, recovery, and maybe even hope.
From the back cover:
As she knelt on the cafeteria floor of Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, Krista Hanley did not know that two of her friends were murdering classmates just outside the school. Tragically, they killed twelve students, one teacher, and themselves, while transforming the Columbine community from average high school students and staff into mass shooting survivors. Though she escaped the building unscathed, the days, months, and years following the event were emotionally wrought as she attempted to function under the shadow of extreme trauma. Through continued national tragedies, college and career decisions, difficult relationships, and untreated PTSD, Krista suppressed her suffering while she sought to regain a sense of normalcy. Over a decade later, she finally faced her fears and learned that turning towards art, sharing her story, and empowering herself could bring resilience, recovery, and maybe even hope.