Choice Outstanding Academic Title 2023 The Myth of Harm engages and analyses controversies generated by horror that examines some of the most high-profile media debates around the issue of whether or not horror texts corrupt children. The horror genre has endured a long and controversial success within popular culture. Fraught with accusations pertaining to its alleged ability to harm and corrupt young people and indeed society as a whole, the genre is constantly under pressure to suppress that which has made it so popular to begin with - its ability to frighten and generate discussion about society's darker side. Recognising the circularity of patterns in each generational manifestation of horror censorship, The Myth of Harm draws upon cases such as the Slenderman stabbing and the James Bulger murder amongst many others in order to explore the manner in which horror has been repeatedly cast as a harmful influence upon children at the expense of scrutinising other more complex social issues. Focusing on five major controversies beginning in the 1930's Golden Age of Horror Cinema and ending on a more contemporary note with Cyber-Gothic horror – this book identifies and considers the various myths and false hoods surrounding the genre of horror and question the very motivation behind the proliferation and dissemination of these myths as scapegoats for political and social issues, platforms for “moral entrepreneurs” and tools of hyperbolae for the news industry.

This powerful retrospective analysis of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting aftermath considers society's response to the attack, long-term implications of the shooting, and the ways in which research and related policy must continue to move forward. An indispensable resource for anyone interested in learning about the long-term impact of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, Columbine, 20 Years Later and Beyond provides a comprehensive look at how the event unfolded, what has changed since the attack, and how this information can be used to prevent future mass shootings. Authors Jaclyn Schildkraut and Glenn Muschert, both experts on mass shootings, share their broad understanding of this tragedy and its aftermath. Columbine became the measuring stick against which all other mass shootings would be compared, and this book details with great sensitivity the ensuing changes to school security, law enforcement's response to active shooter situations, threat assessment practices, legislative efforts, and media coverage of unfolding situations. With delicacy and tact, Schildkraut and Muschert help to answer the painful question raised by a stone on the wall of the Columbine Memorial: "What have we learned?".

Ten years in the works, a masterpiece of reportage, this is the definitive account of the Columbine massacre, its aftermath, and its significance, from the acclaimed journalist who followed the story from the outset. "The tragedies keep coming. As we reel from the latest horror . . ." So begins a new epilogue, illustrating how Columbine became the template for nearly two decades of "spectacle murders." It is a false script, seized upon by a generation of new killers. In the wake of Newtown, Aurora, and Virginia Tech, the imperative to understand the crime that sparked this plague grows more urgent every year. What really happened April 20, 1999? The horror left an indelible stamp on the American psyche, but most of what we "know" is wrong. It wasn't about jocks, Goths, or the Trench Coat Mafia. Dave Cullen was one of the first reporters on scene, and spent ten years on this book-widely recognized as the definitive account. With a keen investigative eye and psychological acumen, he draws on mountains of evidence, insight from the world's leading forensic psychologists, and the killers' own words and drawings-several reproduced in a new appendix. Cullen paints raw portraits of two polar opposite killers. They contrast starkly with the flashes of resilience and redemption among the survivors. Expanded with a New Epilogue

"Examines the tragic shooting at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, including detailed reports of the horrific events, background on the killers, and the aftermath of the shooting"--Provided by publisher.

This multivolume resource is the most extensive reference of its kind, offering a comprehensive summary of the misdeeds, perpetrators, and victims involved in the most memorable crime events in American history. This unique reference features the most famous crimes and trials in the United States since colonial times. Three comprehensive volumes focus on the most notorious and historically significant crimes that have influenced America's justice system, including the life and wrongdoing of Lizzie Borden, the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, the killing spree and execution of Ted Bundy, and the Columbine High School shootings. Organized by case, the work includes a chronology of major unlawful deeds, fascinating primary source documents, dozens of sidebars with case trivia and little-known facts, and an overview of crimes that have shaped criminal justice in the United States over several centuries. Each of the 500 entries provides information about the crime, the perpetrators, and those affected by the misconduct, along with a short bibliography to extend learning opportunities. The set addresses a breadth of famous trials across American history, including the Salem witch trials, the conviction of Sacco and Vanzetti, and the prosecution of O. J. Simpson.

The people of Price City, Missouri, were convinced "it couldn't happen here" just as the people of Newton, Connecticut; Littleton, Colorado; and Parkland, Florida, had once believed. But it did, amidst the political and social upheaval of the nation's worst pandemic in a century. What conditions led to one of the worst mass-casualty school shootings in American history? Thirteen Minutes: Death of an American High School is a fact-based fiction grounded within contemporary journalism. It describes the root causes of a painful American form of tragedy. At the heart of the story is a typical rural community, just the kind of place where these atrocities frequently occur. It is also about a town polarized by political and social strife exacerbated by the global pandemic. There are Price City's most powerful man and his son, both self-absorbed bullies whose actions have far-reaching and unintended consequences. It is also a tale about the social pecking order within a high school, where athletes and popular kids rule while those considered outsiders or loners are often targets of abuse. Most outsiders and loners suffer in silence. But sometimes they don't. School mass-casualty shootings have become an all-too-familiar and all-too-terrifying aspect of modern life. Thirteen Minutes: Death of an American High School serves as a cautionary tale that provides insight into the causes and effects of these uniquely American tragedies.