Raymond B, Flannery is a licensed clinical psychologist who has taught on the faculties of Harvard Medical School and the University of Massachusetts Medical School. His expertise lies in violence, stress, and psychological trauma. In this earnest and edifying book, he takes on the knotty subject of violence in America.
There are no safe places anymore: you can be shot to death at school, in a movie theatre, or while sitting on your porch in a ghetto neighborhood where drive-by killings are the norm. Anyone can become a victim.
What are some of the reasons why there is so much violence in America? Flannery discusses the transformation of the postindustrial state, the growing gap between the haves and the have-nots, and the cultural factor of anomie. He then moves on to look at the biological, sociological, and psychological factors in violence.
Flannery renders us a moral service by helping us see and understand the variety of factors which can trigger mayhem including drugs, anger, hatred, personality disorders, poverty, inadequate schooling, domestic violence, and depression.
He does a good job explaining that only a collaborative approach involving families, schools, religious organizations, businesses, and government can stem the tide of violence in America.
