Reviews

Bullets Into Bells: Poets & Citizens Respond to Gun Violence by Dean Rader, Colum McCann, Alexandra Teague, Brian Clements

pamiverson's review

4.0

Poets wrote poems about a variety of aspects of gun violence (mass shootings, accidental deaths of children, domestic violence, suicide) and people who were impacted by violence, including many who have become anti-gun activists, respond. Powerful, thought-provoking. I like that Beacon Press offered it for free.

jennseeg's review

4.0

I liked the poetry more than the essays.

melissafirman's review

5.0

Incredibly powerful and moving collection of poems that is both emotionally difficult to read yet vitally important, especially given the national dialogue about gun violence. These are the heartbreakingly strong voices of gun violence survivors, parents of the first graders killed at Sandy Hook Elementary, friends of victims, concerned citizens and others. These pieces memorialize the tragedies and the names that have garnered national headlines as well as incidents known only to those who lived them. 

Bullets Into Bells is organized as a call and response -- for each poem, there is a brief response from someone with some connection to the incident or person who is remembered or honored through these verses. This structure gives each piece additional context, resonance and depth. Gabby Giffords, Mark Kelly and Colum McCann write the forward and introduction, respectively. 

Highly recommended. These are voices we must listen to.

christie's review

4.0

This book is both too late and too early, as well as timely. Gun violence is a common theme in the news, as it has been and unfortunately will be, at least until something changes. This is one voice (well, actually collection of many voices) asking for change and is a unique one at that.