Lethal Passage: The Story of a Gun

by Erik Larson

Book Overview

This devastating book illuminates America's gun culture -- its manufacturers, dealers, buffs, and propagandists -- but also offers concrete solutions to our national epidemic of death by firearm. It begins with an account of a crime that is by now almost commonplace: on December 16, 1988, sixteen-year-old Nicholas Elliot walked into his Virginia high school with a Cobray M-11/9 and several hundred rounds of ammunition tucked in his backpack. By day's...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679759271
• ISBN13: 9780679759270
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: Vintage
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Lethal Passage by Erik Larson

This book is, as are all his books, classic Erik Larson. It is well written and was meticulously researched. The huge amount of information is presented in a way that is riveting. It is so well written that I found it difficult emotionally. One cannot read this book and be indifferent. It is for those with a strong character.

Ironic Passage

When I read Erik Larson, I know I'm in for a treat, and this was no exception. This book not only tells the story of how a bullied boy takes his anger out using a gun at school, but the story of the inadequicies of gun legislation and the winding road the NRA has taken interpreting the 2nd Amendment. The one irony I found that Larson points out is that it's harder to get a driver's license than it is to get a gun in the United States. What I like most about the book is that Larson provides a solution to the gun problem and outlines a very reasonable and comprehensive bill regarding the use and regulations of guns. But I have to agree it would be impossible to get through legislation, not because it's unworthy, but because our current government is a messy monolith of a bureacracy where nothing gets done due to poor representation, egos, and political shortsightedness--in my humble opinion. Our forefathers would roll over in their graves if they could see what has become of our sacred 2nd Amendment. Excellent book by an author who does his homework.

Should be required reading for anyone joining the NRA!

This is a very well written and researched account of a tragic event of the nature we encounter too often in the daily news. At the same time, it illuminates the tragic and absurd situation in which the country has placed itself on the subject of gun control.

Accurate and Honest

Being aware of the real life events of the book, I can say that Lethal Passage is accurate and honest. Mr. Larson exposes the cracks in the gun control system and shows the ease with which a boy could purchase an automatic weapon and murder in cold blood. The murder story can make one cry in sorrow and in anger. His purpose in writing was to make a point in order to keep similar tragedies from occurring again. Unfortunately, up to this point, no one has listened.