When Thoughts and Prayers Aren’t Enough: A Shooting Survivor’s Journey into the Realities of Gun Violence

In this gripping debut, Schumann fuses conviction and experience in a passionate testimony for stricter regulation of guns in America. In 2013, Schumann was shot by a shotgun-wielding student at the community college where she worked, leaving her with a permanently disabled right hand and deep emotional scars. She recounts the shooting and her slow recovery, and delves into harrowing details of her post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, including a nightly fear someone would harm her while she slept. An evangelical Christian, Schumann reflects on how the event challenged and deepened her relationship with God: “In the years since being shot, I’ve learned to be honest with God about my anger and my grief.” Her recovery also involved becoming more honest with herself, a quality evident in her narrative: “Being honest about the losses, the anger, the jealousy, also created the space for me to be genuinely grateful at the same time.” In the book’s second part, Schumann argues for tightening gun control laws (particularly closing loopholes in laws regarding gun ownership eligibility and background checks) and urging others to speak out, positing that only when gun culture is confronted will America ever see changes. Schumann’s powerful, grounded critique and heartfelt lament lays bare the uniquely American scourge of gun violence. [em](July) [/em]