Numb to This: Memoir of a Mass Shooting

Gr 7 Up–As the title suggests, this graphic memoir deals with difficult subject matter, and Neely shares in a style that reflects her experiences and emotional path, communicated through pacing as well as visuals and spatial positioning. The result is an homage to community and connection, and a journey of healing, comforting for its relevant subject and authenticity. This graphic memoir presents a critical and defining moment in Neely’s life. In reporting on her life during and after the shooting at Umpqua Community College, Neely brings readers in as observers to her anguish as she navigates the trauma and grief inside and around her. In spotlighting gun violence and living with trauma, the memoirist presents readers with an opportunity to consider two critically important issues that are both intensely personal and of social importance. Neely is not alone in her struggles, but intense suffering can bring with it a vast separateness. While the subject matter may cause discomfort for some readers, by joining Neely on her journey, teens share both in the emotional weight of personhood and in a celebration of hope, community, and interconnectedness.