“The American Way of Killing: The Invention of an Epidemic” by Malcolm Gladwell, c.2026, Little, Brown, $34.00, 304 pages
Lately, you’re almost afraid to check the news. You can’t bear to see footage of another mass shooting or read about another young man losing his limbs or life. It’s all too much and you feel helpless.
In the new book, “The American Way of Killing,” author Malcolm Gladwell says maybe we’re looking at gun control the wrong way.
Abdullah Pratt has always had “a passion for science,” growing up in a Black community in Chicago, visiting museums, attending college and medical school, and now working in the city. Recently, Gladwell asked Pratt how many people he knew growing up had died of gun violence.
“… it’d probably be like in the 30s, 40s,” Pratt said, including his brother and at least 14 other close friends.
The statistics, says Gladwell, fail to show the whole picture about gun violence because the perspective is wrong and the conversation is “dishonest.” First of all, he says, “robbery and homicide are not siblings.” Gun crimes should not be lumped into a category that includes gun deaths. And before public safety can be thoughtfully examined, it must be specifically defined.
We must know exactly what is — and what is not — in gun control bills that Congress passes or doesn’t, he asserts.
“Assault-rifle bans are gun control theater,” Gladwell says, “they pretend to be something they are not.”
As for the Second Amendment, the era when it was written and language used to understand what it means should be considered. And when it comes to crime data, the police should separate the level and degree of gun violence in their official reports. Was someone killed or did the victim survive? Without that information, although doctors may save a life, critical facts will remain hidden about the impact of weapons, making “it easier for Americans to live with their gun violence.”
Is there any American left who doesn’t have an opinion one way or another about gun ownership or control? Probably not. That’s why “The American Way of Killing” is essential reading today.
Gladwell’s nuanced work in this book is calm, contemplative and balanced. But this book isn’t overtly pro-gun control, nor does Gladwell seem against it. Instead, he methodically shows readers the mistakes we make in our understanding of the issue, how we misunderstand laws, and where collective thinking can overwhelm an overall argument. In many ways, the two sides, for and against, are closer than they may believe, especially when presented with commonsensical, important and shocking statistics that illuminate the facts.
“The American Way of Killing” may not change minds, but it may open them considerably. It’s a deep read for both sides and for anyone who wants to save lives. Gun violence, as Gladwell shows, isn’t new news, but our attitudes and our work to end it might start here.
