A Safeway in Arizona: What the Gabrielle Giffords Shooting Tells Us About the Grand Canyon State and Life in America

by Tom Zoellner

A riveting account of the state of Arizona, seen through the lens of the Tucson shootings On January 8, 2011, twenty-two-year-old Jared Lee Loughner opened fire at a Tucson meet-and-greet held by U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords. The incident left six people dead and eighteen injured, including Giffords, whom he shot in the head. Award-winning author and fifth generation Arizonan Tom Zoellner, a longtime friend of Giffords's and a field organizer on her Congressional campaign, uses the tragedy as a jumping-off point to expose the fault lines in Arizona's political and socioeconomic landscape that allowed this to the harmful political rhetoric, the inept state government, the lingering effects of the housing market's boom and bust, the proliferation and accessibility of guns, the lack of established communities, and the hysteria surrounding issues of race and immigration. Zoellner's account includes interviews with those directly involved and effected, including Arizona's controversial Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Zoellner offers a revealing portrait of the Southwestern state at a critical moment in history- and as a symbol of the nation's discontents and uncertainties. Ultimately, it is his rallying cry for a saner, more civil way of life

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Crime, Politics, American History, True Crime, Cultural Studies

276 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2011

About the author

Tom Zoellner is the author of several nonfiction books, including Island on Fire: The Revolt that Ended Slavery in the British Empire, and works as a professor at Chapman University and Dartmouth College. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Harper’s, The American Scholar, The Oxford American, Time, Foreign Policy, Men’s Health, Slate, Scientific American, Audubon, Sierra, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Texas Observer, Departures, The American Scholar, The Wall Street Journal and many other publications. Tom is a fifth-generation Arizonan and a former staff writer for The Arizona Republic and the San Francisco Chronicle. He is the recipient of fellowships and residencies from The Lannan Foundation, the Corporation of Yaddo, the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation.

Reviews

[Mikey B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book digresses onto several topics. It is more of a history and sociological study of Arizona. The title refers to the attempted assassination of Gabrielle Giffords, a representative in the U.S. Congress, in front of a Safeway store in Tucson, Arizona where she was holding a rally on January 8, 2011. A bullet entered her head and she miraculously survived, but six people died (including a young girl nine years of age) and twelve others were injured.

I was aware that the book was not solely about this murderous rampage when I read an excellent review by Kimba.
(https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...).

The book examines this sad shooting in terms of the history and polarizations that exist in the state of Arizona. Arizona is a state that places a large value on libertarianism – like low taxes, individualism, anti-government… One small example is that it is not mandatory for someone 19 years and over to wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle. Arizona is the newest state in the continental United States (it became a state in 1912).

It has attracted many new residents due to the warm climate, and more so with the advent of air conditioning beginning in the 1950’s. There was a housing and construction boom for several decades, until the recession of 2008. The cheap housing was facilitated by immigrant labour from Mexico and Central America. The construction industry values this labour because of the low salary given to these non-unionized immigrant workers. But there are also vicious anti-immigration vigilante groups in Arizona. So this is one example of the tensions existing. The author also suggests that many of these new housing communities are alienating with no parks, schools, and sidewalks, perpetuating a lack of social cohesion.

Against this background, the author presents us with the life of Jared Lee Loughner, the twenty-two year old murderer that day at the Safeway. Jared should have been diagnosed as a schizophrenic. He was not a “normal” functioning individual; he was unable to cope. For example, he was officially told that he could no longer attend the courses he was taking at a local college due to his disruptive and threatening behavior.

The author explains how the flimsy Arizona gun laws (if they could be called that) contributed to that days’ carnage. Jared easily purchased a Gock pistol with no wait time. He loaded it that morning with a magazine containing 30 bullets that he purchased in Walmart (he was carrying extra magazines).

The shortcoming in this book is the lack of background about Jared’s upbringing. As the author acknowledges the parents could/should have had their son examined by medical doctors. While it is true that Arizona’s emphasis on individual rights, historical conflicts with Indians and immigrants, along with the perceived interference of the federal government in health care, gun rights, and education may have contributed to Jared’s breakdown the book lacked a closer personal diagnosis.

Nevertheless, we come away with a good history of Arizona. Gabrielle Giffords resigned from Congress in 2012. She is now an advocate for anti-gun violence causes (as per Wikipedia). Jared Lee Loughner will be spending the rest of his life in jail.

[Kimba Tichenor · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a book that centers on the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords and eighteen other people at the Safeway in Tucson, Arizona on January 8, 2011, this is not the book for you. It is not a true crime story, unless of course you consider the transformations taking place in contemporary American society that facilitate these types of crimes criminal. It is those transformations that are the real focus of this book. No, the author does not strictly blame the gun culture of American society, although yes he certainly points out that in Arizona, one does not have to have a permit to carry a concealed weapon and that the state does not bar a mentally ill person from buying a gun (so long as they have not been convicted of a felony). And yes, he also mentions that just four months after Giffords was shot, the governor of Arizona signed a bill that made the Colt Single Action Army Revolver the state gun of Arizona. But he would also be the first to admit that the American fascination with firearms is not the sole culprit. Instead, he offers a much more nuanced look at a variety of contributing factors. These factors include fairly recent developments, such as the new climate of anything goes on social media and the rise of shock jocks that spread hate not for ideological reasons but in order to improve ratings. They also include more longterm developments, such as the rise of suburban culture and its emphasis on anonymity, rather than community and the dismantling of mental health programs in Arizona and elsewhere.

I would have given this book five stars, except for its rambling style, which may turn some readers off. The author moves from topic to topic that at first seem to have no direct connection to the question at hand: Why did this shooting happen? What could have prevented the senseless death of 6 people, including a nine-year-old child? He goes into a fairly in depth discussion of the history of Arizona and of Tucson -- all the way to Spanish settlement -- in order to give readers a sense of the area's political culture and the issues that divide the state. At first glance, this much background information seems overkill, especially when the author does not preface this history with any claim about its relevance to his topic. But if you bear with these seeming detours, one soon discovers that they are not detours at all. Through this history, he slowly points out the unresolved conflicts of Arizona and of the United States at large: immigration, racism, poverty and joblessness, gun rights, the rise of the Tea Party, the breakdown of community, virulent political culture, and the economy of a state based on cheap land that was hard hit by the collapse of the real estate market in 2000.

He warns against accepting the easy answer -- namely that Jared Lee Loughner, a 22-year-old undiagnosed schizophrenic, was simply a crazed lone gunman acting on his delusions. This is the answer that the Arizona legislature accepted, so that it could turn a blind eye to larger issues, starting with the fact that later the very same year that Giffords was shot, the state introduced 36 million dollars in cuts to the budget for mental healthcare services. No one also thought about the fact that although schizophrenics are delusional, as Zoellner points out, their delusions do not develop in a vacuum, rather they are reflective of the culture in which that person lives. S0-called sane people in the United States have increasingly promoted a political discourse that does not allow for different points of view. For example, Sara Palin of Alaska (and also owner of a multimillion dollar home in Arizona) kept a "target list" of lawmakers that she wanted to see removed during the next election cycle. Gaby's district was on that list -- designated by crosshairs, i.e. a pair of fine wires or lines crossing at right angles at the focus of an optical instrument or gun sight. Palin later tweeted, "Don't Retreat. Instead RELOAD." The author certainly does not suggest that the shooting was Palin's fault, but he does raise questions about the violent rhetoric and hatred that has become commonplace in political discourse. In addition to Palin's remarks, Giffords' opponent also spewed vitriol, comparing immigrants to terrorists and denouncing the federal government for any intervention in state affairs. Then there are the shock jocks spreading conspiracy theories because they sell, not caring that some actually believe them, even think it is real news. Not to mention those who called her office in the months leading up to the shooting to call her a "Communist bitch."

And then, there is the question what if someone, anyone, had stepped up to the plate and done something about Loughner, who was obviously delusional? Loughner had been a student at Pima community college until shortly before the shooting:

"He made so many bizarre statements in his Pima College classes that students and school officials got worried. The college police finally went to his house and read him a suspension notice, telling him he could not come back unless he had a statement verifying his mental health signed by a professional. But there is no indication that anybody tried to get any help for him. H. Clarke Romans, the executive director of the Tucson chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, describes the college's response as: 'Let's solve this problem by removing it from the area of our responsibility.'"

And in fact, avoidance has become the hallmark of our society. We no longer interact with our neighbors. As we have relocated to suburbs, we have moved houses farther back off the road; we have placed garages at the front of the house, shifting the center of activity from the front porch to a closed off backyard, where we can keep the neighbors out. There is no village to raise children anymore; there is mainly isolation:

"I know this instinctively, because I grew up in one of those subdivisions, and I have not forgotten the loneliness. When I was 11, in 1980, my parents moved us from Phoenix to what was then the edge of Tucson, into a new subdivision that had a typical arbitrary name, Shadow Hills, about two miles from the Safeway. A Texas megacorporation, U.S. Home, had bought two square miles of desert and bladed streets that ignored the natural contours, with names like Camino Alberca (Swimming Pool Street) and Camino Padre Isidoro (Father Isidoro Street). To this day I have no idea who Father Isidoro was or if he even existed or was just a developer's picturesque invention. On the side of our house was a limbless saguaro cactus that was slowly dying; one of the men who helped build the house had shot it repeatedly with a pneumatic nail gun, so its flank was full of rusting metal and its ribs were rotting from the wounds. There were no sidewalks; I rode my bicycle in endless circuits past other houses that were like locked-up boxes. I knew no one in them, and seldom saw our neighbors except when they were sealed inside their cars."

Zoellner gives no easy solutions to these problems, but does state clearly that we must first recognize them as problems if we are to overcome them. We cannot dismiss such shootings as the actions of a lone gunman, rather we must recognize our part in creating the atmosphere in which a mentally ill individual becomes isolated and falls through the cracks. We must recognize the lack of civility that characterizes our current political discourse and the ways in which it encourages violence. And most importantly, we must relearn to reach out to one another, to empathize, and to listen, rather than simply judge or ignore.

[EllenR · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for people who reject simplistic media explanations that become received wisdom: "A deranged gunman shot a congresswoman but not for political reasons"...sorry, but shooting an American congresswoman at a meeting of constituents is a deeply political act. Because the shooter was missing a clear party affiliation which would drive the story, flummoxed commentators went with mental illness, open and shut. Yes, that's a big part of this, but not all - and Zoellner argues manfully for a contextual analysis of the many cultural factors acting on the gunman, some of them unique to Arizona.

The book takes a fascinating look at Tucson's origins and mentality, schizophrenia, mental health care/history in America and Gabrielle Gifford's life and personality. The author has done a public service by writing this book which asks uncomfortable questions without providing simple answers. It requires the reader come to his or her own conclusions without an obvious polemic, which, in our pundit saturated culture, goes against the grain. Highly recommended. A very humane work.

[Ms.pegasus · Rating 5 out of 5]

The aftermath of an all too frequent scenario – mass slaughter by a lone gunman – is always the question, “Why?”. Tom Zoellner has done a thorough job of exploring this question in the case of the events of January 8, 2011 which left 6 people dead and Gabrielle Giffords, representative of the 8th Congressional district, with a near fatal head wound.

Giffords was a close friend. She encouraged Zoellner in his decision to transition for newspaper reporter to writer. He worked as a volunteer in her election campaigns and knew many of the people on her staff. That human connection drives his inquiry and informs his perceptions.

One thread of his inquiry is sociological. He argues that there is a deep disconnect caused partly by demographics: The rapid influx of well-off white retirees seeking secluded lifestyles in gated communities or remote mansions with little incentive to participate in schools or local government. Air-conditioned interiors, bedroom communities, and automobile travel had a intensified impact on this setting. “ 'You might compare it to a ski community,' said Coor, 'a place where people might own a condominium and feel no real connection to the town. They come to play and enjoy themselves. They come to have a swimming pool with a yard around it. Maybe not having to put up with all that organizational stuff back home, maybe that's what drives it. But it is clear that you can exist in Arizona without having any human interaction at all.' ”

Another thread is psychological. Zoellner explores the history of mental disturbance exhibited by the perpetrator, Jared Loughner. A student in one of his classes at Pima Community College related that she always made it a point to sit closest to the door because she feared Loughner could easily become a deranged shooter like at Virginia Tech.

Obviously there is a political thread – a culture that would seem to condone violence, from racial (anti-Mexican) to extreme pro-gun rhetoric. Here, Zoellner discloses some surprising facts. Much of the business community of Arizona is not anti-immigration. Mexican labor enabled developers to turn a profit. “This is the invisible Arizona hypocrisy—a wink and a nod that has ensured that the pools get cleaned, the hotel sheets are crisply laundered, the golf courses are mowed, the strawberries are picked, and the roof beams are nailed tight.” In addition, Arizona only became a major immigration corridor after the Border Patrol concentrated its efforts on urban routes into El Paso and San Diego in the 1990's. The idea was to decrease illegal immigration by channeling it to a hostile desert crossing. He also points to interesting differences in the political structure between Arizona and New Mexico.

However, the strength of Zoellner's book is in its human portraits. He details Giffords balancing act, a moderate attempting to bridge the diverse and often extreme opinions of her many constituents by always looking for a point of personal understanding. One of his most compelling portraits is his interview with Charles Heller, a pro-gun advocate. By focusing on Heller's words, and feelings, Zoellner is able to convey to some extent the viewpoint of gun proponents stripped of NRA combativeness. It's much easier to understand a viewpoint when we meet real people, even if we still are in disagreement.

My interest in Arizona stems from a vacation at Grapevine Canyon Ranch which lies within Gifford's Congressional district. I met some wonderful people there – people whose opinions and experiences were often very different from my own. Like Zoellner, I wondered how such an awful tragedy could occur there. We are at a point in history when we are each capable of creating a synthetic social structure built around “planning” rather than adaptation. The “baby boom” is now moving toward retirement age. We need to revisit how we can balance individualism and communitarianism. Zoellner's book is significant in that it displays some of the consequence of the balances we have attempted to date.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the spring of 2009, Jeremy and I met author Tom Zoellner at the Tucson Festival of Books. We discussed his The Heartless Stone, as well as Arizona, Mormonism, and, briefly, Under the Banner of Heaven. We talked about that book's slant on Mormonism and how Krakauer argued a relationship between a religion and a horrific crime.

Now we have A Safeway in Arizona, about the Gabrielle Giffords shooting, and I find that it reminds me quite a bit of Under the Banner of Heaven - a little bit memoir, a little bit history, and at the core, an exposition of a terrible tragedy. But everything Banner did wrong, this book does beautifully right. Zoellner is a Tucson native and a longtime friend of Giffords, so he is in a good position to write about the events of January 2011. He is also a meticulous historian and story teller. There were so many missteps he could have made in crafting this controversial work - it could have overhyped Giffords, or simplified the Arizona political landscape too much, or caricatured Loughner, or been too sympathetic to one side or the other. Instead, A Safeway in Arizona is at once realistic, nuanced, thorough, thought-provoking, and ultimately very moving. As I read, I alternated between wanting to talk to everyone around me about each page, and wanting to just sit and think for a while, alone, to digest the ideas I was taking in.

Here are three of my favorite passages, to give you an idea of the kind of book this is. First, in a section of the book that talks about gun control, there is this:

"Predation is the crux of the whole question. The act of owning a gun is almost a theological statement. It carries an assumption that the universe is hostile and capricious. It assumes that society's safeguards or God's providence will not be sufficient to protect us from Darwinist terrors, and that a person must have access to the easy ability to remove another's life forever and without question, in a decision that might contain within it all the deliberation that three seconds can afford." (p. 203)

The above passage is placed in the context of a larger conversation with a gun enthusiast and I found that one of the most affecting chapters of the book.

At the heart of the book is the question of what effect, if any, Arizona's divisive political landscape had on the crime perpetrated by Jared Lee Loughner. Every chapter relates to this issue, directly or indirectly. And unlike Krakauer (in my opinion), Zoellner makes a convincing case against the shooting having occurred in some kind of social vacuum:

"I don't think that the atmosphere of twenty-first-century Arizona made this crime inevitable or was the motivating cause of it. There was only one responsible human part: Jared Lee Loughner, who is gravely mentally ill.

"The much harder question to examine - which must be looked square in the face - is the context in which the shooting took place.

"James Clarke's study of American assassination demonstrates that those who plot violence against politicians are generally suffering from mental illness, but they are never free of influences from the culture at large. They always come from a specific set of circumstances in a specific time. And even in a case of an illness like paranoid schizophrenia, the social context becomes worthy of scrutiny, not as a direct cause of violence but as an influencing factor: an aggravation." (p. 257)

Finally, this statement near the end of the book gave me pause:

"[Gabrielle Giffords] taught me the difficult lesson that it is not enough to merely dwell in a place. You must make the decision to truly live in that place, take ownership of it, be a citizen of it, and play a part in the common good beyond your own front door." (p. 263)

On this count, regarding my years in Tucson, I am absolutely guilty of dwelling, not living. And that makes me sad. I can argue that some of this lack of citizenship is due to the particular season of my life I was in during that four-year period: pregnancy, childbirth, nursing, the library, the park, etc. My world was made very small by my children. After reading this book, I wish I had engaged more with Tucson, even though I knew from the beginning that I would only be there for a few years. I certainly feel I understand Tucson more now, and understand my own experience there better, after reading this book.

The best and rarest books make you feel like they were written just for you. A Safeway in Arizona is one of those - illuminating, heartbreaking, and just plain interesting!

(PS - since I am so easily offended by sloppy portrayals of Mormons in non-fiction, I have to give a shout-out to Zoellner for being so careful the few times he mentions the members of my religion. Specifically, he talks about Russell Pearce for over a page before mentioning that he is a Mormon. Soon afterward, he points out that the mainstream body of the church does not agree with Pearce, with a succinct and astonishingly correct explanation of this disagreement. It would have been so easy for the author to call Pearce a Mormon first thing, and then not bother to show the other side - which is what I felt like Krakauer did on every other page in Under the Banner of Heaven. Just saying.)

[Alice Burba · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read and close to the heart. Like the author, I was raised in Northwest Tucson only blocks from the Toscana Village Safeway. My experiences growing up in Tucson, however, are not ones of social isolation. On the contrary, our family found much needed connections in Tucson, especially after moving from the suburbs of LA. I'm not sure I totally accept the argument of social isolation presented in the book and feel that the author was perhaps projecting some of his own difficult experiences.

That said, I greatly appreciated the historical backgrounds presented as well as the treatise on Arizona's lack of services for the mentally ill. I also was touched by Zoellner's personal grief beautifully expressed in the final chapter of the book. One of his final sentences summed up this book best, "What is best in us ought to rise to this occasion and have the conversation about our responsibilities toward the strangers in our midst as we, as a nation move forward into an uncertain century" (p. 259).

[Todd Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anyone who has kept up with the news these last few years knows that Arizona has repeatedly made itself the butt of a running series of bad and often tragic jokes. It is a state that is among the least educated (7th from the bottom in terms of adults with a college education), where politicians are elected on platforms of xenophobia and a shrivel-faced, tongue-tied governor takes pride in wagging her finger in the president’s face.

While there are many troubling aspects to Arizona’s dysfunctional politics, the question Zoellner examines is whether any of them played a role in the assassination attempt of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in a Safeway parking lot in January of 2011 by Jared Lee Loughner. The simple answer … is no, and Zoellner admits as much. And this goes a long way toward explaining why A Safeway in Arizona winds up being an uneven and rambling description of the state of the State.

The book begins with a compelling description of the events that occurred on the day of the shooting leading up to the 15 second bloodbath that left 6 people dead and 13 others injured. From there, the book drifts aimlessly from topic to topic with no sense of connecting events to make a broader point. Subjects include Zoellner’s life growing up in Tucson, his friendship with Giffords, Arizona politics and history, immigration, Sherriff Joe Arpaio, mental illness, gun laws, the housing market, social isolation, the economy, and other factors pertinent in the state. Zoellner presents his ideas almost as a stream of consciousness, shifting from one subject to the next. While this approach provides a good overview for the uninitiated of the dysfunctional conditions that exist in the state, it’s old news for those of us who reside here.

There’s no doubt that lax gun laws provided no barrier to Loughner obtaining a weapon, and overheated political rhetoric in Arizona likely did nothing to ameliorate his disturbed mental state. It would be difficult to consider these factors to be the primary cause of the shootings, though, given Loughner’s diagnosis as a paranoid schizophrenic with a long history of disturbed behavior. In the end, Zoellner wishes the events of January 8, 2011 had been used as an opportunity for politicians and their constituents to reexamine civic values in Arizona. While a pleasant thought, such an activity could only take place in a state governed by thoughtful and empathetic leaders with strong problem solving skills. Unfortunately, this is no way describes the state in which we live.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

***Won from Goodreads.com First Reads***

At the end of this book, I was glad that I had read it. My parents live in Arizona and I live in New York City. Every time I go to visit, it shocks me how different the States are... especially in regard to Arizona's perspective on immigration. I mostly enjoyed the historical background, though it went into too much detail in parts. I didn't think it necessary to name all the people the author included. It made it confusing at some points. I also found personal interest in learning about Sheriff Arpaio because I've heard about him, but didn't think it fit into the book. Also, sadly, I didn't like the author's description of Giffords. I'm sure she was an incredible person, but the ultra gusto with which Zoellner describes her -- as a near superwoman -- left me feeling that I didn't really know her at all. No one is perfect. Understanding examples of even minor imperfections or her personal challenges is what adds extra beauty to a person's strength.

Nevertheless, I learned a lot about AZ and appreciated the author's back and forth between contrasting opinions and viewpoints that make up the State. The explanation of mental disease and studies world-wide helped me appreciate and admire even more Gifford's father's lack of anger towards Laughner. Not many people could feel the way he did. Mostly, I'm impressed by the amount of research through interviews, reading and research Zoellner compiled in such a short amount of time to produce his book.

My favorite section of the book was when Zoellner introduce each of the people who were shot that day. In a few simple, concise sentences, the author described the individuals in a way that drew me in immediately. I felt a wave of compassion flood over me and it drew tears to my eyes (while on the very public NYC subway) imaging them. Bravo. My heart goes out to those families that were affected that day. And more so, I'm grateful to Zoellner for giving each of the victims a voice that will allow us all to remember them not just because of their deaths, but because of their lives, as well.

P.S. It's: N-E-G-R-A M-O-D-E-L-O!

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this as a First Reads.

In the beginning of the book Zoellner states, "This book is an attempt to make sense of a fundamentally baffling event." and "this is not a work of objective journalism". One of these sentences is true. One is definitely not.

It started off well, recounting the happenings of January 8, 2011 in Tucson, Arizona. It was interesting reading the details of the day, including who was there, why and where. But a few pages in it started losing it's appeal to me. I appreciate the fact that the author wanted to really detail everything but he went into incredible detail about things that we didn't really need to know. Zoellner could have left out some of the minute details and saved the reader a lot of useless descriptions.

The book jumps from one subject to another in an instant. First you are reading about that tragic day, next you are reading about the Kennedy assassination, then pieces of history of Arizona. The author even threw in stories about his childhood, which did eventually bring us to his meeting with Gabrielle Giffords, but not without boring us first.

I feel this book is more of an transcript of a rambling, grief stricken man, trying to make sense of a personal tragedy, then a work of literature. Though I did learn quite a few things about the state of Arizona I would never have known if I hadn't read this book. That is the only reason for the 2 stars.

So, in case you were wondering the first statement was false. This didn't make sense of the event at all. I don't think you can blame an economy or history for one persons decision to take lives.

Maybe I'm just not the audience the author intended this book for. Other may very well enjoy this book. I did not.

www.theultimatebooknook.blogspot.com

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tend to finish whatever books I start, but every once in a while I give up and put a book aside, never to be picked up again. "A Safeway in Arizona" became perilously close to being one of those, but once I got over one-third into it, it became more interesting. After the initial description of the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords and those around her by a mentally ill shooter, the book seemed to evolve into a mini biography of the author's life in Arizona, and then to a rambling history of the State and its general characteristics.

But Zoellner soon got into more relevant topics relating to the senseless shooting, including gun control issues, conservative talk radio, Arizona's treatment of individuals with mental illness, etc.

Zoellner ultimately draws vrey loose links between the culture of Arizona, it's gun laws, lack of adequate mental health treatment, etc., and the Laughner shooting.

Other points which Zoellner raises includes the lack of a Federal ban on arms length magazines holding 33 bullets, how partisan talk radio is not a genuine public policy forum, but a money oriented business meant to excite and create an audience through gross exaggerations and invented grievances, and how the staff and administrators at Loughner's local Community college did a good job protecting Laughner's rights as a student, but failed society when they failed to refer him for evaluation when his disruptive actions clearly indicated his increasing mental illness.

[Mona Ammon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why I Chose This Book: It meets the criteria for the 30 NF Book Challenge I have been working on this year. Category "A Book Set in Your Hometown"". I initially was going to pick a book about the place I grew up in Connecticut a book about Tucson was easier to find.

Summary: An analysis of the January 8th shooting of Gabrielle Giffords and others looking at the personal and the societal factors.

Review: There are a lot of elements of this book most of which work and work well together. A recounting of basic facts of the shooting, an analysis of the shooter and his motives, history of the state of Arizona and the city of Tucson, a biography of Gabrielle Giffords and an analysis of Arizona politics. The part that seemed more of a distraction was when the author recounts his own history in Tucson and his meeting Gabrielle. Maybe he wanted to show both his bona fides and his bias, but it felt disjointed and unnecessary. I really had not read a lot about Tucson history so I learned a lot on that part. While I did live in Tucson at the time of the shooting I did not follow the story so closely as to garner all the details so I learned some things there. It definitely brought up feelings of sadness recalling this and the shooting at the UofA which happened about a month after I started working there. Sadness that things like this can happen and that it seems nothing has changed much to stop things like this happening.

[Susie Spizzirro · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the first part of this book. The author's description of the events and the people are so clear I felt I was there with the victims. I felt my heart beating against my chest as we held the gunman down. I could feel the coolness of the morning air against my face. Tom Zoellner made me feel like I was lying on the sidewalk, excelent writing.
Yesterday I watched Gabrielle Giffords say the Pledge of Allegiance. I was deeply touched with her attention to each word as she pronounced them. I could visualize each step this lady has had to take since that horrible day, and no one understands why. God Bless her and her family.
With the last half of the book I had some problems. I couldn't keep up with what the book was trying to say. I lost interest and my place severaltimes. It's probably my own fault that I got distracted.
I loved the first half. The last half was like being in school with a teacher with a monotone going on and on. I did learn some things about Arizona.
I gave the book 3 stars. The book is worth reading and like I said it could just be me. I loved the first half. Thank you for letting me read this book. Susie

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book very much. The author is a fifth-generation Arizona native and long-time friend of Gabrielle Giffords. He was a field organizer on her Congressional campaign. He documents the January 8, 2011 assassination attempt by twenty-two-year old Jared Lee Loughner, who opened fire at a Tucson meet and greet, that killed six people and wounded 18 others, including Giffords, the U.S. representative from Arizona, who was shot in the head. Zoellner writes of the vulnerabilities in the state's political and socioeconomic landscape that allowed the shooting to happen. He writes of the harmful political rhetoric, the inept state government, the lingering effects of the housing market's boom and bust, the proliferation and accessibilty of guns, the lack of established communities and the hysteria surrounding issues of race and immigration. He offers a revealing portrait of the Southwestern state at a critical moment in history -- and as a symbol of the nation's discontents and uncertainties. It is his rallying cry for a saner, more civil way of life. I recommend the book to everyone who is concerned about our country.

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't really a book about the Loughner shooting so much as it was sociological study of Arizona and the climate that lead to the Loughner shooting of Congresswoman Giffords. Zoellner explores the history of the state of Arizona and the attitudes that prevail even to today. He offers up some suggested reasons and motivations for what Loughner did and explores in detail some of the things we can blame for Loughner's continued behavior beyond just him being mentally ill. Ultimately Zoellner says there is no one thing but it is a combination of things and unless these things change we can expect more Loughner-type situations to occur. An interesting read but a little redundant. I'm not sure I agree with the author on some of his statements/suggested blames but I was willing to hear him out.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I often disagreed with Zoellner, especially when he delved in critic, I found his writing to be enjoyable and occasionally enlightening. As a native Arizonan, many of his insights into the mind of our shared state were striking in their ability to explain what I have had trouble communicating in the past.

Would I recommend this book? Yes. But I would provide caveats as to much of the political undercurrents that Zoellner seems unable to avoid.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

First things first: this cannot be a perfectly objective review because I am an Arizonan myself. I was eighteen and in a grocery store when I heard about the Gabrielle Giffords shooting, which happened about four hours from my hometown. If you ask any Arizonan, they'll say they remember where they were when it happened.

That aside, even if you're not from the Grand Canyon State, this book is revelatory.

Very rarely does a book about politics or current events take a step back and consider what it means in the long-run context of our world, but A Safeway in Arizona does so. Tom Zoellner, who is not only a lifelong Arizona resident and former newspaper reporter but also a personal friend of Giffords, does not rant and rave about the depreciating values of this country, gun rights, and the rising rash of irrational mass shootings (even more since this book was published; witness Sandy Hook and the number of copycats since) but calmly and rationally discusses what the event means for the state and its place in the country as a whole.

For those who don't remember or were perhaps on vacation the week of January 8, 2011, Democratic Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was hosting a "Congress on Your Corner" at a Safeway grocery store in Tucson when a twenty-two year old college dropout named Jared Lee Loughner shot her in the head before opening fire on the constituents around. Before he ran out of rounds and was tackled to the ground, he injured seventeen people and killed six, including one of Giffords' staffers, a federal judge, and a nine year old girl. Loughner was later found to have severe undiagnosed schizophrenia, manifested in the form of distrust of the government, whom Giffords represented.

Zoellner presents a minute-by-minute rundown of the event before diving into the issues behind it, including the rabid gun fervor rampant in the state of Arizona (which has some of the most liberal gun laws in the nation) and the general feeling of distance from the federal government. In the third chapter, the author throws aside any pretense of an objective analysis and begins presenting a memoir, which in some cases would seem cavalier, but in this case is brutally honest and affecting. After all, an autopsy of the event by a man who is not only a personal friend of two of the victims but also an experienced Arizonan? That makes the perspective much more valuable than any political analysis.

Nationwide, Arizona is a bit of a maverick. The three things we are best known for today are SB1070, Joe Arpaio, and the heat, and really, if the first two aren't enough to chase you away, the third definitely will (if you live south of Crown King, anyway). Our politics are held in a stranglehold by fear and racism, and false rumors about the financial health of the state circulate like poison in the blood. Zoellner neatly pulls all these to pieces.

The conclusion? The Gabrielle Giffords shooting was no misplaced tragedy. The history of the state has been building up to events like this, fueled by fear, blame-casting and poor planning.

Most notably, in the last chapter, Zoellner poignantly lists about eight things that could have been done to prevent an "errant citizen" like Jared Loughner from walking into the Safeway parking lot that day with a loaded Glock in his pocket. Rather than dulling with time, this event has grown more and more painful as we see more evidence of the great need for self-examination in every state, not just Arizona.

A Safeway in Arizona is available on the Kindle for a surprisingly expensive $18.99, or in hardback from Amazon for $10.77. Political books tend to be timely and pricier, but my library happened to have a copy of this, and yours ought to as well. I know people tend to hate talking about politics, but consider this more journalism- you're informing yourself to make the best decision. You don't have to sign up for a party as soon as you finish it. But if we are to understand the things that led up to this in time to save ourselves, we need to know as much as we can.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic book and delivers exactly what it promises. If you live in Arizona this book is a must-read. If you still want to live in Arizona after reading this book, then you should consider yourself a "die hard" Arizonan. Like Giffords, I think Arizona is worth the effort, so I've decided to stay... but the book was pretty harsh in the gritty details department.

While reading this book I found myself wishing that I was as smart as Zoellner and could have strung together so many facts, statistics and interviews into such a powerful argument. And yes, it does take about 400 pages to explain the phenomenon of the Giffords shooting.

Gun rights advocates would like you to believe that "guns don't kill people, crazy lunatics do." Sarah Palin would like you to believe that irresponsible political rhetoric doesn't cause assassination attempts. Not quite true, according to Zoellner, and then he presents overwhelming research to make his case (including many details about Loughner that I didn't catch in the news).

This books goes through the 4 profiles of actual perpetrators of shootings like the Tuscon mass murder and it was both eye-opening and scary. I worry for the future of our country and the future of our politicians (on either side of the aisle) because I fear that it's just going to get worse from here on. Still, a great book, especially if you like history and politics.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

New interesting take on the Gabrielle Giffords shooting and what were the contributing factors. Instead of heaving all the blame on the shooter the author posits that while the shooter, Loughner is responsible for the deaths Arizona failed him. Arizona's mental health program and safeguards was underfunded and most people with mental health issues could not receive adequate care. Loughner a paranoid schizophrenic was not identified or referred to mental health professionals because of these issues. Arizona also failed Loughner because there is very little connection between neighbors in Arizona (I think in modern times this is an issue nationwide and not isolated to Arizona). Without someone to connect to Loughner did not have a lifeline that might have prevented him from going on a shooting spree. The nation failed him because of the partisan political talk shows that are more about entertainment than education or news. The mentally stable are able to differentiate between hyperbole and facts. But those that have serious mental health issues, like Laoughner, take the rhetoric too far that can lead to violence.

The author does devolve at times in side tangents that have very little to do with the Giffords shooting. But these are forgivable since they usually don't last too long and were interesting to me. Overall I think the book is a good read and brings some interesting ideas to the table. I am reminded of the adage that everything is connected.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Within fifteen seconds on a crisp January morning in Tucson, Jared Loughner had killed six people and wounded thirteen, including Congress-woman Gabrielle Giffords. Tom Zoellner, an investigative reporter and close friend of Giffords, delves into the political and social background of the state of Arizona to try to understand why this tragedy happened. Guns, foreclosures, real estate deals, immigration concerns, the absence of real neighborhoods, the lack of mental health funding are all front and center in his analysis of his native state.

Since Arizona is celebrating its 100th anniversary as a state this month, it was also fascinating to discover historical facts and political insides about its government. Arizona and its governor are always in the news about “protecting the borders”. The book also gives a clue to the development of the Tea Party movement and the kind of people the movement attracts. The author did a great deal of research and also interviewed a large number of government officials, relatives of victims of the shooting, university professors, real estate developers, lawyers and police. A great read for everyone interested in the current political climate.

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that gives a broader picture of what is happening in the state of Arizona. There is ample background on what is behind the scenes. The author has worked with Gabrielle Giffords on two campaigns and has lived in both Phoenix and Tucson. So he is well qualified to write the book. The problems I have with the book are the needless repetition. Some things are repeated two and three times. He wanders away from his subject throwing in characters who are largely irrelevant to the story. The book reads as though he swallowed a thesaurus, honestly I have a master's degree and a wide vocabulary, and I found at least one word every few pages that I had no idea what it meant. If it wasn't a library book I would have been in full editing mode, making things clear and easy to read. I would have given it another star, if it wan't for this. I have lived in Arizona for 27 years and didn't know some of the things that he chronicled. I would have to stay it was strange seeing the symbol for the state of New Mexico on the page for each new chapter. Big faux pas on the part of the editing staff.

[Mike Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coincidentally, I finished this book on the anniversary of the attempted homicide of Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. The title refers to the Safeway parking lot where Jared Loughner killed and wounded innocent people. The author, a long time journalist friend of Mrs. Giffords, uses the incident to examine what he sees as the political and cultural corruption of Arizona and a harbinger of change in our national psyche. Zoellner admits to his biases and then goes on to make a very strong, well documented case revolving around controversial themes such as gun laws. The basic premise is that Loughner did not commit the crimes for political reasons, but due to insanity colored and shaped by cultural dysfunction. I found it a very powerful and sobering look at Arizona and its political history, and perhaps the most complete look at the incident at Safeway.

This was a Goodreads First Reads copy received from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very moving book by someone who grew up in Tucson, who knew Gabby Giffords as a young person and worked on her campaign. The author doesn't spend time talking about Jared Loughner, but looks at the context of Tucson, the city in which the shooting took place. As someone who lived here during the shooting, I personally found that our lack of comprehension of Loughner was used to avoid hard thinking about our city and state, and why all the elements in play on the ground here that led to the shooting were here in the first place and were left to play out the way they did with no one intervening. I found Zoellner's analysis of the Tucson community far ranging and astute. I have lived in Tucson for six years and I found this to be the first usefully honest and truly comprehending look at Tucson that I have come across.

[Davelowusa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had an almost visceral reaction to reading this book. The places, the people, the discourses... I know them intimately.

Zoellner does an excellent job of setting the historical and discusive contexts of the Gabby Giffords shooting. While many would like to relegate the shooter Jared Loughner's actions to the actions of a lone maniac (thus absolving politicians and all others of any complicity), Zoellner argues that we must look deeper. He takes the Foucaultian lens that discourses speak and act through people, rather than people speaking and acting through discourses. Zoellner then looks quite deeply and multi-perspectivally into what Arizona's historical discourses have amounted to. A lot of violence, solitude, alienation, hatred, and superficiality. Scary stuff.

[Sharron · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a free copy of this book thru goodreads.com*

The author is a journalist and friend of Giffords. The book isn't just about Giffords, Loughner, and the shooting; it delves into Arizona's history and current culture. Some of the historical parts are a little dry and it seems a little scattered at times (I don't think the part about Sheriff Joe really fit in), but overall it's an enlightening piece.

The end sums it up extremely well, that so many factors; the depressed housing, isolationist communities, bankrupt state, lax gun laws, etc. all fueled an event that had nothing to do with any of the victims, including Ms. Giffords.

[Guy McArthur · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at the culture, history, and politics of Tucson and Arizona, and what role they may have played in triggering the psychotic shooting rampage of January 8, 2011. For instance, Arizona is cited as being a place with abnormally low social interaction; people rarely even see their neighbors. The book does go a little far afield in the second half—sections on megalomaniac Joe Arpaio (a profile of Pima County sheriff Dupnik would have been more apt), the hard-hit by the foreclosure crisis suburb of Maricopa were not well connected to the rest of the book—but were still interesting. The author is a long-time friend of Gabby's which it all the more poignant.

[Pat Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hadn't really followed Gabrielle Gifford's career, but I liked her energy and enthusiasm. There was no doubt that she was a very bright woman who was thoroughly committed to her role as congresswoman and to her constituents. I may not have agreed with her politics, but I could not deny her ability to connect with the public. It wasn't surprising that she would consent to participating in 'Congress On Your Corner' at the Safeway in Tucson. This book thoroughly examines what led up to the shooting of the congresswoman and six others. It is a tragic tale, to say the least, and once again it reminds us of our failed mental health system.

[Ellison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This begins with the shooting of the congresswoman then goes into the history of Arizona becoming a state. Shares the author's history in AZ, the Congresswoman's history (they were friends), and the shooter's history. Enough for a magazine article.

From there it goes into a history of mental illness, history of talk radio, assassins, Sheriff Joe, migrant workers, GUNS and the USE of GUNS, and Johnny come lately politicians.

Then it goes back to the Congresswoman. Occasional insight, swearing.

[Linda Hufstedler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Zoellner managed to tell a story of an horrific event in greater detail than I had heard or read before. He gave attention to the background of the the major characters and helped the reader to gain an insight into the deranged mind of the shooter. He showed a tenderness toward his friend, Gabby, as only a friend could feel. I found the parts describing the loss of backyard neighbors thought provoking. I have recommended this book to others.

[Michael Downs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling cry from the heart, this poignant book mixes an intimate personal story with painstaking journalism, and in doing so draws meaning from a terrifying attempt at political assassination. A SAFEWAY IN ARIZONA reveals the life-and-death consequences of alienation in an asphalt desert, and it makes a simple, forceful appeal: give a damn about your neighbor.

[Abc]

I won this book in a giveaway. Thank you.