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A review by kathrynje
How to Be Safe by Tom McAllister
5.0
I kept being amazed, while reading this book, that the author was a man. This is the story about a school shooting only in that the shooting sets the stage for an examination of sexism, racism, gun violence platitudes, fear-mongering and acceptable ways to mourn in public in America. If any of the above topics are triggers for you, do not read this book. The writing is direct and scathing and totally worth all the discomfort it produces. I can't say I "liked" it, but I am very glad I read it.
Anna Crawford and recently dismissed English teacher is at home when the shooting happens. Initially she considered a suspect as a possibly disgruntled ex-employee. It soon comes out that she had nothing to do with it, but microscopic scrutiny and sexist bile is already squarely aimed at her. Even after being exonerated there are people who refuse to believe she's innocent. That she adamantly resists the baggage being assigned to her is admirable. The men in her life try and help, but they fail to grasp that their platitudes engender (pun!) more of same. Her observations and inner monologue are the sorts of things you hope you'll have the courage and wit to say yourself. I found myself trying to memorize them for future use. Here are a couple of examples:
"When a Muslim man did the killing, the TV showed videos of groups of angry Muslim men, shouting at cameras and waving guns in the air. The pundits debated whether it was possible to trust someone who believed in the god they believed in. When a black man did the killing, they asked why other black men weren't doing more to stop them. They interviewed sociologists about what had caused such corruption in the souls of young black men. When a white man did the killing, they called him a lone wolf. The white male lone wolf is an apex predator. Lone wolves stalk our suburbs and our schools and they aren't in sheep's clothing, they are out in the open."
Then we have pithy observation when 10 were injured and six killed in a truck attack in Rome:
"On the news, they called it a bloodbath. The average body holds eight pints of blood and the average bathtub holds 40 gallons of liquid. For something to be rightly called a bloodbath, then 320 pints of of blood would need to be spilled, or 40 whole humans' worth. The truck attack barely qualified."
"Women do not own their bodies. Men take pictures of us when we are not looking. They surreptitiously record videos of our legs on the bus and masturbate. We wore a dress that day because it was hot outside, because we had a date, because we felt entitled to dress however we liked. They gather in groups on corners and follow us home with their eyes. They leave residue of their vision on our bodies. They tell us they love us because they love their mother and their sister and their daughter."
Not a safe read, but certainly an edifying one and one I would reservedly recommend depending on your person history.
Anna Crawford and recently dismissed English teacher is at home when the shooting happens. Initially she considered a suspect as a possibly disgruntled ex-employee. It soon comes out that she had nothing to do with it, but microscopic scrutiny and sexist bile is already squarely aimed at her. Even after being exonerated there are people who refuse to believe she's innocent. That she adamantly resists the baggage being assigned to her is admirable. The men in her life try and help, but they fail to grasp that their platitudes engender (pun!) more of same. Her observations and inner monologue are the sorts of things you hope you'll have the courage and wit to say yourself. I found myself trying to memorize them for future use. Here are a couple of examples:
"When a Muslim man did the killing, the TV showed videos of groups of angry Muslim men, shouting at cameras and waving guns in the air. The pundits debated whether it was possible to trust someone who believed in the god they believed in. When a black man did the killing, they asked why other black men weren't doing more to stop them. They interviewed sociologists about what had caused such corruption in the souls of young black men. When a white man did the killing, they called him a lone wolf. The white male lone wolf is an apex predator. Lone wolves stalk our suburbs and our schools and they aren't in sheep's clothing, they are out in the open."
Then we have pithy observation when 10 were injured and six killed in a truck attack in Rome:
"On the news, they called it a bloodbath. The average body holds eight pints of blood and the average bathtub holds 40 gallons of liquid. For something to be rightly called a bloodbath, then 320 pints of of blood would need to be spilled, or 40 whole humans' worth. The truck attack barely qualified."
"Women do not own their bodies. Men take pictures of us when we are not looking. They surreptitiously record videos of our legs on the bus and masturbate. We wore a dress that day because it was hot outside, because we had a date, because we felt entitled to dress however we liked. They gather in groups on corners and follow us home with their eyes. They leave residue of their vision on our bodies. They tell us they love us because they love their mother and their sister and their daughter."
Not a safe read, but certainly an edifying one and one I would reservedly recommend depending on your person history.