Phoenix Books is honored to host journalist John Woodrow Cox for a discussion of his timely and critically important new book, Children Under Fire. John will be in conversation with reporter Daniel Dale from CNN's Washington Bureau.
ABOUT THE BOOK: Based on the acclaimed series—a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize—an intimate account of the devastating effects of gun violence on our nation’s children, and a call to action for a new way forward
In 2017, seven-year-old Ava in South Carolina wrote a letter to Tyshaun, an eight-year-old boy from Washington, DC. She asked him to be her pen pal; Ava thought they could help each other. The kids had a tragic connection—both were traumatized by gun violence. Ava’s best friend had been killed in a campus shooting at her elementary school, and Tyshaun’s father had been shot to death outside of the boy’s elementary school. Ava’s and Tyshaun’s stories are extraordinary, but not unique. In the past decade, 15,000 children have been killed from gunfire, though that number does not account for the kids who weren’t shot and aren’t considered victims but have nevertheless been irreparably harmed by gun violence.
In Children Under Fire, John Woodrow Cox investigates the effectiveness of gun safety reforms as well as efforts to manage children’s trauma in the wake of neighborhood shootings and campus massacres, from Columbine to Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Through deep reporting, Cox addresses how we can effect change now, and help children like Ava and Tyshaun. He explores their stories and more, including a couple in South Carolina whose eleven-year-old son shot himself, a Republican politician fighting for gun safety laws, and the charlatans infiltrating the school safety business.
In a moment when the country is desperate to better understand and address gun violence, Children Under Fire offers a way to do just that, weaving wrenching personal stories into a critical call for the United States to embrace practical reforms that would save thousands of young lives.
John Woodrow Cox is a staff writer at The Washington Post. He was a finalist for the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in feature writing and has won Scripps Howard’s Ernie Pyle Award for Human Interest Storytelling, the Dart Award for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma, and Columbia Journalism School’s Meyer “Mike” Berger Award for human-interest reporting, among other honors. He attended the University of Florida, where he has taught narrative writing and currently serves on the Department of Journalism’s Advisory Council. He lives outside Washington, DC, with his wife, Jenn.
Daniel Dale is a reporter in CNN's Washington Bureau, where he fact-checks political claims. During the 2020 election cycle, he fact-checked President Trump, Democratic presidential candidates, and other lawmakers. Prior to joining CNN in 2019, Dale spent over a decade at the Toronto Star, including as Washington Bureau Chief from 2015 to 2019, where he was the first journalist to fact-check every false statement from President Donald Trump.
**Important Event and Ticket Information**
-- Tickets are $33.00 (plus tax and convenience fee) and include a copy of Children Under Fire with a signed bookplate*, shipping and handling to an address in the continental United States, and a link to the Zoom event.
-- Tickets are limited to one ticket per email address.
-- Attendees will be sent a link to join the event via email on the day of the event.
-- Copies of Children Under Fire will be mailed via USPS Media Mail. Please allow 7-10 business days for delivery due to Covid-related USPS delays.
*Bookplates are available while supplies last
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