Book Chapter: If I Don't Make It, I Love You

If I Don't Make It, I Love You: Survivors in the Aftermath of School Shootings was published in Sept 2019 and compiles accounts from people who were affected by school shootings. The Columbine chapter has essays from Dave Sander's daughter, Coni, Ann-Marie Hochhalter's dad, then-freshman Jami Amo, Heather Martin, who founded The Rebels Project, and Paula Reed, a teacher from Columbine who has since met with teachers at other schools where shootings occurred to offer support.

The book: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

This is the Columbine chapter: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

've only read the Columbine chapter so far. It's hard to read at times, especially Coni's piece. Her story made me feel so sad, and it's one I'm not overly familiar with. She talks about her desire to avoid being identified as Dave's daughter so she wouldn't have to hear people's Columbine stories in college Other chapters collect stories from survivors of MSD, Sandy Hook, UT Austin from 1966 - and a lot more. There are 21 chapters in total, which is itself depressing to think about.

I'd been meaning to get this book; but reading just the one chapter was rough. Interesting, but rough.
I had no idea that the pilot sped up the plane for Anne Marie's father or that the paramedic almost bypassed her until she mouthed "help me." I knew her injuries were grave, but this puts them in a whole new light.
So sad all around.

There are a lot of pieces like that in the book that you'd never hear unless someone did the work the editors did and gathered up all the stories of victims and their families. It is a really tough book to read, full of very sad details - almost sadder because they come from people we don't hear all that much about.