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A Father's Fight: Taking on Alex Jones and Reclaiming the Truth About Sandy Hook
How one father, determined to reclaim his daughter’s memory, brought down Alex Jones.
On December 14, 2012, Robbie Parker’s daughter, Emilie, was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary in an unthinkable tragedy that changed both Robbie’s life and our country forever. By December 15, Alex Jones was live on air telling his listeners that the shooting was a hoax.
So begins Parker’s David and Goliath story, a story of hope and resilience in a time defined by hatred and division. A Father's Fight is a moving testament to the power of a father’s love and perseverance in the face of insurmountable grief.
Over the next decade, while Robbie and his family tried to grieve the loss of their daughter, Jones’s rabid fans harassed and accused them of being crisis actors. The hatred turned Robbie further and further inward; away from his wife, his daughters, and from himself; to a place of isolation where he thought he could hide. But four years after Sandy Hook and three thousand miles away from Newton, an Info War listener accosted Robbie. “How do you live with yourself? You liar,” he said before following Robbie for blocks. It became clear to Robbie that he could no longer avoid this horrible, terrifying reality.
Not long after, seventeen students were murdered by a gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. In a terrible twist of fate, Robbie knew one of the parents who had lost their child. They told Robbie they were already bombarded with hateful messages, making it impossible to grieve. It was then that Robbie realized he needed to stand up to Jones if he ever hoped to heal. To reclaim his daughter’s memory and himself he would need to take down one of the nation’s most influential bullies. With the help of the courageous group of Sandy Hook parents, fierce lawyers, and a community of supporters, he did just that.
A Father's Fight is more than a memoir. A Father's Fight is a stirring portrait of an unbreakable human spirit.
On December 14, 2012, Robbie Parker’s daughter, Emilie, was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary in an unthinkable tragedy that changed both Robbie’s life and our country forever. By December 15, Alex Jones was live on air telling his listeners that the shooting was a hoax.
So begins Parker’s David and Goliath story, a story of hope and resilience in a time defined by hatred and division. A Father's Fight is a moving testament to the power of a father’s love and perseverance in the face of insurmountable grief.
Over the next decade, while Robbie and his family tried to grieve the loss of their daughter, Jones’s rabid fans harassed and accused them of being crisis actors. The hatred turned Robbie further and further inward; away from his wife, his daughters, and from himself; to a place of isolation where he thought he could hide. But four years after Sandy Hook and three thousand miles away from Newton, an Info War listener accosted Robbie. “How do you live with yourself? You liar,” he said before following Robbie for blocks. It became clear to Robbie that he could no longer avoid this horrible, terrifying reality.
Not long after, seventeen students were murdered by a gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. In a terrible twist of fate, Robbie knew one of the parents who had lost their child. They told Robbie they were already bombarded with hateful messages, making it impossible to grieve. It was then that Robbie realized he needed to stand up to Jones if he ever hoped to heal. To reclaim his daughter’s memory and himself he would need to take down one of the nation’s most influential bullies. With the help of the courageous group of Sandy Hook parents, fierce lawyers, and a community of supporters, he did just that.
A Father's Fight is more than a memoir. A Father's Fight is a stirring portrait of an unbreakable human spirit.
250 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 19, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
December 15, 2024
Terrifying must-read book. After the tragic killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Alex Jones and his followers claimed it was a hoax. Incredibly painful for the families who lost loved ones.
December 1, 2024
I feel a little on the fence on rating this, however, this is a MUST read for anyone who remembers the tragedy at Sandy Hook. This was palpable to me. What Alex Jones’ propaganda machine put these families through is horrific. The author narrates this on audio and at certain points you can hear his voice almost crack. This is harrowing and so upsetting on so many levels.
December 14th is one of those days that is often reflective and heartbreaking for me. The dissemination of propaganda is dangerous and these families were so cruelly treated after the worst day of their lives. Thank you to the author, Robbie, for writing this. Remembering Emilie’s bright light!!
December 14th is one of those days that is often reflective and heartbreaking for me. The dissemination of propaganda is dangerous and these families were so cruelly treated after the worst day of their lives. Thank you to the author, Robbie, for writing this. Remembering Emilie’s bright light!!
April 2, 2025
This was a very tough book to read, due to the subject, but I’m glad I did. It was a rollercoaster ride of emotions to finish, but worth it. Robert Parker wrote this book as a tribute to his daughter Emilie, who was murdered in her school on December 14, 2012, along with nineteen other classmates. Instead of being able to grieve and mourn, the parents of these children had to face venom from people like Alex Jones and his followers, literally from the actual day of the shooting. Large portions of this book were about the battle that Sandy Hook parents faced, and had to fight, to show the world that the massacre was not “faked”, nor were their children “crisis actors.” These parents should have been allowed to grieve their babies’s deaths, without having to waste one second dealing with poisonous deniers.
The best parts of this book were when memories were related about Emilie, and some of her classmates. When I read a book like this, there is joy to be found in those precious details about them. So they won’t only be remembered for dying in their school that day, but for loving flowers, a lot. Or having beautiful blue eyes, and enjoying art, and for squealing about catching a ball at a baseball game…
Kudos to Robert Parker for putting his life and emotions on display, in order that his daughter and her classmates be remembered and honored positively and lovingly.
*12-14-12/May they never be forgotten.*
The best parts of this book were when memories were related about Emilie, and some of her classmates. When I read a book like this, there is joy to be found in those precious details about them. So they won’t only be remembered for dying in their school that day, but for loving flowers, a lot. Or having beautiful blue eyes, and enjoying art, and for squealing about catching a ball at a baseball game…
Kudos to Robert Parker for putting his life and emotions on display, in order that his daughter and her classmates be remembered and honored positively and lovingly.
*12-14-12/May they never be forgotten.*
January 11, 2025
Some books are really difficult to review because they shouldn’t be graded by the usual metrics. This isn’t the kind of book where you can reasonably talk about the quality of the writing or talent of the audiobook narration, because it wasn’t written by an aspiring author or narrated by a professional voice actor. This is a book written by a man with the intention of reclaiming the story of the worst tragedy of his life after it was co-opted and used for violent, self-serving purposes by one of the more odious toads American culture has produced.
I felt a little voyeuristic picking up this memoir until I reminded myself that Robbie Parker has already been denied privacy and dignity in the face of unimaginable loss and respecting his wish to tell his own story is probably the next best thing we can do for him as culture, since we collectively failed to protect him and the other Sandy Hook families over a decade ago.
If you’re worried about being able to make it through his story, there are no graphic or detailed descriptions of what actually happened that day at Sandy Hook. Everything is told from Robbie’s perspective with only happy memories of Emilie’s life and very limited commentary about the moments of her death. It’s a book about grief and justice, not about the shooting.
I’m glad I read this, especially after watching the documentary about the Jones trial. I hope the author gained whatever healing or reclamation he wanted out of writing it.
I felt a little voyeuristic picking up this memoir until I reminded myself that Robbie Parker has already been denied privacy and dignity in the face of unimaginable loss and respecting his wish to tell his own story is probably the next best thing we can do for him as culture, since we collectively failed to protect him and the other Sandy Hook families over a decade ago.
If you’re worried about being able to make it through his story, there are no graphic or detailed descriptions of what actually happened that day at Sandy Hook. Everything is told from Robbie’s perspective with only happy memories of Emilie’s life and very limited commentary about the moments of her death. It’s a book about grief and justice, not about the shooting.
I’m glad I read this, especially after watching the documentary about the Jones trial. I hope the author gained whatever healing or reclamation he wanted out of writing it.
December 19, 2024
WOW what a story. Not only are you battling unimaginable grief from losing your daughter, but then also protecting yourself, your family, and other victim families who are suffering through a brutal false testimony that the shooting never happened. Unimaginable story, but unfortunately true. So sad to listen to a father’s story but JUSTICE WAS FINALLY SERVED. Thank you @libro.fm for the audiobook!
December 11, 2024
An incredibly powerful and important record that EVERYONE should read.
November 13, 2024
Wow, this ended up being a one sitting read because it was so compelling that I couldn’t move on with my day until I finished it. Robbie’s willingness to tell this story with transparency and vulnerability is what makes this book so successful. His family was not allowed to grieve the most unimaginable loss of their daughter in the Sandy Hook school shooting because they were faced with such hate from A.J. and countless other conspiracy theorists. It’s a testament to Robbie’s character that he is still willing to open up to the world with this book. It’s a beautiful tribute to Emilie Parker, the Sandy Hook families, and trauma survivors everywhere.
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.
December 23, 2025
BOOK REVIEW- A Father’s Fight, by Robbie Parker (12.22.25)
A Father’s Fight is, on its face, a memoir of grief: a father trying to keep hold of his daughter Emilie’s life and memory after she was murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. But Parker’s real subject is what happened after the funerals—how a modern information ecosystem can take a family’s worst day and turn it into an endlessly monetized spectacle of cruelty.
From the opening chapters, Parker grounds the reader in the Parkers’ family background and community setting: an ordinary family, anchored in routine, relationships, and a faith community that—in the wake of the shooting—became a critical source of practical and emotional support. The book is at its best when it depicts the “kindness infrastructure” that appears after catastrophe: meals delivered without being asked for, quiet rides, people who do not insist on words when none are adequate, and the steady presence of fellow believers who show up consistently rather than dramatically. I was pleased and surprised to see mention of an old friend in church leadership that was on of the first to “show up” and provide critical support to the family.
That gentleness matters because Parker places it against one of the bleakest secondary harms in recent American life: the Alex Jones/InfoWars conspiracy machine that declared—almost immediately—that Sandy Hook was a hoax and that grieving parents were “crisis actors.” As Parker describes it, the injury here is not merely reputational. It is existential: to have strangers insist your murdered child never existed; to have your grief recast as performance; to have your family become a target for harassment; to lose the basic civic presumption that tragedies are real and that mourners are entitled to dignity. The book captures the cumulative, grinding nature of this abuse: the way it poisons daily life, turns ordinary errands into risk assessments, and forces families to live on a defensive perimeter they never asked for.
Parker’s narrative makes clear that the lawsuit against Jones was not primarily about money. It was about accountability—about creating a public record in a venue where evidence, procedure, and consequences still matter. The defamation cases produced historic judgments. In Connecticut, a jury awarded families $965 million in compensatory damages (with additional punitive damages litigation that was later modified on appeal), leaving Jones facing a total judgment on the order of ~$1.2 billion.
Parker also traces what the public often misses: the “aftermath phase,” where a verdict is not the end, but the beginning of enforcement, appeals, and bankruptcy maneuvering. Jones filed for bankruptcy after the verdicts, and litigation over collection and the InfoWars business continued. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up Jones’s challenge to the Sandy Hook defamation judgment, leaving the core outcome intact.
What elevates A Father’s Fight beyond a single case is its clarity about misinformation’s real-world mechanics. Parker shows how lies become “sticky” when they are profitable; how platforms reward outrage; how conspiracists weaponize uncertainty and grief; and how a cynical storyteller can turn other people’s pain into a revenue stream. The result is a powerful statement of the civic cost of disinformation: it does not merely confuse public debate—it can destroy individual lives in slow motion.
Parker also avoids a common trap: he does not romanticize suffering. Faith is present, but not as a shortcut. Community support is real, but not magical. The book’s emotional authority comes from its refusal to pretend that endurance is the same thing as healing. Instead, it argues—persuasively—that truth and accountability are forms of care, both for the dead and for the living.
A Father’s Fight is, on its face, a memoir of grief: a father trying to keep hold of his daughter Emilie’s life and memory after she was murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. But Parker’s real subject is what happened after the funerals—how a modern information ecosystem can take a family’s worst day and turn it into an endlessly monetized spectacle of cruelty.
From the opening chapters, Parker grounds the reader in the Parkers’ family background and community setting: an ordinary family, anchored in routine, relationships, and a faith community that—in the wake of the shooting—became a critical source of practical and emotional support. The book is at its best when it depicts the “kindness infrastructure” that appears after catastrophe: meals delivered without being asked for, quiet rides, people who do not insist on words when none are adequate, and the steady presence of fellow believers who show up consistently rather than dramatically. I was pleased and surprised to see mention of an old friend in church leadership that was on of the first to “show up” and provide critical support to the family.
That gentleness matters because Parker places it against one of the bleakest secondary harms in recent American life: the Alex Jones/InfoWars conspiracy machine that declared—almost immediately—that Sandy Hook was a hoax and that grieving parents were “crisis actors.” As Parker describes it, the injury here is not merely reputational. It is existential: to have strangers insist your murdered child never existed; to have your grief recast as performance; to have your family become a target for harassment; to lose the basic civic presumption that tragedies are real and that mourners are entitled to dignity. The book captures the cumulative, grinding nature of this abuse: the way it poisons daily life, turns ordinary errands into risk assessments, and forces families to live on a defensive perimeter they never asked for.
Parker’s narrative makes clear that the lawsuit against Jones was not primarily about money. It was about accountability—about creating a public record in a venue where evidence, procedure, and consequences still matter. The defamation cases produced historic judgments. In Connecticut, a jury awarded families $965 million in compensatory damages (with additional punitive damages litigation that was later modified on appeal), leaving Jones facing a total judgment on the order of ~$1.2 billion.
Parker also traces what the public often misses: the “aftermath phase,” where a verdict is not the end, but the beginning of enforcement, appeals, and bankruptcy maneuvering. Jones filed for bankruptcy after the verdicts, and litigation over collection and the InfoWars business continued. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up Jones’s challenge to the Sandy Hook defamation judgment, leaving the core outcome intact.
What elevates A Father’s Fight beyond a single case is its clarity about misinformation’s real-world mechanics. Parker shows how lies become “sticky” when they are profitable; how platforms reward outrage; how conspiracists weaponize uncertainty and grief; and how a cynical storyteller can turn other people’s pain into a revenue stream. The result is a powerful statement of the civic cost of disinformation: it does not merely confuse public debate—it can destroy individual lives in slow motion.
Parker also avoids a common trap: he does not romanticize suffering. Faith is present, but not as a shortcut. Community support is real, but not magical. The book’s emotional authority comes from its refusal to pretend that endurance is the same thing as healing. Instead, it argues—persuasively—that truth and accountability are forms of care, both for the dead and for the living.
May 9, 2025
Brutal and devastating and so, so necessary. I was 15 when Sandy Hook happened, and it’s the first school shooting I remember being old enough to really comprehend. The reality that such evil exists in the world — that there are people capable of walking into an elementary school and slaughtering children — made an undeniable impression on my teenage self. I especially remember Emilie Parker, given her family’s connections to Utah. So when I heard about Robbie Parker’s memoir, I had to know how he’s been coping since the tragic events of December 14, 2012 — how he and his family have survived the despicable, unthinkable act of violence that robbed them of their sweet daughter and sister.
And damn, does Robbie Parker lay it all out. From the initial shock and overwhelming grief, to the years of debilitating trauma responses that stole Parker’s ability to trust and connect with others, my heart broke and broke and broke again for these people who will forever carry the repercussions of that horrific day. The shooting alone would be crushing for anyone, but I seethed as Parker described the cruel, calculated ways that Alex Jones set his deranged followers on the Sandy Hook families. No one should ever be subjected to doxing, death threats, and verbal harassment, but to inflict all that and more on the families of murdered children? Unconscionable. Barbaric. Infuriating. Jones is a monster and a danger to society, while his followers are at best misguided and at worst as evil as he is. And I’m so, so glad that the Sandy Hook families successfully sued Jones for everything he’s worth, because it’s the very least of what he deserves after exploiting such unfathomable losses for profit.
If Jones is among the vilest specimens humanity can offer, the Parkers are among the greatest. I can only have tremendous respect for this family that has fought extraordinarily hard to protect the memory of a child who is still so deeply, dearly loved.
And damn, does Robbie Parker lay it all out. From the initial shock and overwhelming grief, to the years of debilitating trauma responses that stole Parker’s ability to trust and connect with others, my heart broke and broke and broke again for these people who will forever carry the repercussions of that horrific day. The shooting alone would be crushing for anyone, but I seethed as Parker described the cruel, calculated ways that Alex Jones set his deranged followers on the Sandy Hook families. No one should ever be subjected to doxing, death threats, and verbal harassment, but to inflict all that and more on the families of murdered children? Unconscionable. Barbaric. Infuriating. Jones is a monster and a danger to society, while his followers are at best misguided and at worst as evil as he is. And I’m so, so glad that the Sandy Hook families successfully sued Jones for everything he’s worth, because it’s the very least of what he deserves after exploiting such unfathomable losses for profit.
If Jones is among the vilest specimens humanity can offer, the Parkers are among the greatest. I can only have tremendous respect for this family that has fought extraordinarily hard to protect the memory of a child who is still so deeply, dearly loved.
November 15, 2024
Thank you for this ALC @librofm.
I just finished “A Father’s Fight” and oof, there are a lot of feelings that this book brought forward. As sad as the content was (I cried pretty much immediately), this is as important book to read on many levels. Hearing of the love that the Sandy Hook parents have for their children that are no longer here is humbling and gut wrenching. Having been a teacher and lead my students through active shooter drills, I can say with full confidence that it is scary and emotional. You’re torn between wanting to assume it will never happen in your school but also want to know how to keep your students safe in the event that it might. Lastly, the message that Robbie Parker brought forward of the dangers of misinformation and sharing of conspiracy theories surrounding the shooting was astounding and infuriating. The hate and vitriol that Alex Jones spread about these families brought malicious treatment to people already dealing with such tragedy. Until good people stand up to these bullies and demand civil discord, the hatred and blatant lies won’t stop. To have to defend your family and loss of a child to such ignorant people is beyond me, but I’m glad the story, the true story, has been told. Stories are what get us through, for the teller and the listener, and are what will remind us all of the humanity are connected through.
Sad, tough read, but an important one.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I just finished “A Father’s Fight” and oof, there are a lot of feelings that this book brought forward. As sad as the content was (I cried pretty much immediately), this is as important book to read on many levels. Hearing of the love that the Sandy Hook parents have for their children that are no longer here is humbling and gut wrenching. Having been a teacher and lead my students through active shooter drills, I can say with full confidence that it is scary and emotional. You’re torn between wanting to assume it will never happen in your school but also want to know how to keep your students safe in the event that it might. Lastly, the message that Robbie Parker brought forward of the dangers of misinformation and sharing of conspiracy theories surrounding the shooting was astounding and infuriating. The hate and vitriol that Alex Jones spread about these families brought malicious treatment to people already dealing with such tragedy. Until good people stand up to these bullies and demand civil discord, the hatred and blatant lies won’t stop. To have to defend your family and loss of a child to such ignorant people is beyond me, but I’m glad the story, the true story, has been told. Stories are what get us through, for the teller and the listener, and are what will remind us all of the humanity are connected through.
Sad, tough read, but an important one.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
November 17, 2024
A stunning portrait of a father's journey through grief, which is only made more difficult by Alex Jones and his destructive conspiracy theories.
Robbie Parker concisely and chronologically explains the trial process of the families of Sandy Hook victims against Alex Jones. He also takes readers through his own journey of accepting his daughter's death and learning to adjust in this new, unfamiliar world, rife with dangers towards him, his wife, and his two surviving daughters.
Robbie Parker concisely and chronologically explains the trial process of the families of Sandy Hook victims against Alex Jones. He also takes readers through his own journey of accepting his daughter's death and learning to adjust in this new, unfamiliar world, rife with dangers towards him, his wife, and his two surviving daughters.
Read
March 31, 2025Not sure how to write a review on something as gut wrenching as this. I will never forget Sandy Hook— I saw everything unfold on TV with a 3 week old newborn— and was both devastated and terrified about the world that existed for her. To experience the loss this author did, coupled with the conspiracy theories so many embraced, makes my opinion about the writing completely insignificant
November 15, 2024
Dreamscape Media for the #gifted audiobook
All opinions are my own
Most everyone is aware of the horror tale that is Sandy Hook. What some may not know is the public attack upon the families by conspiracists post December 12, 2012. Attacks so vile and debilitating to the families that a lawsuit was launched against one Alex Jones, the head of InfoWars, a money making machine, far right conspiracy-oriented talk show. Eventually, Jones was found liable for nearly 1 billion in damages.
All that is covered in A Father's Fight. But more than that, it is a glimpse into the heart and mind of the author (who also narrates the audiobook) and his way forward. Robert Parker wisely along with his wife, choses counseling as a way to process this unimaginable grief as protection for their family and marriage. Within the context of the current grief, his past trauma of childhood abuse surfaces and how he managed that is in direct conflict with being able to process this new horror.
Those looking for salacious tidbits will not find them in this book. This is a tale of personal growth through a horrific experience and how it impacted his own life and that of his immediate family and friends. Further, as Parker steps out of his comfort zone and into the public eye for the lawsuit, there is hope.
My hope for books such as these is informing the reading public that there are real people behind these way too often occurrences and to not be involved in the feeding frenzy afterwards that has become entertainment for many.
All opinions are my own
Most everyone is aware of the horror tale that is Sandy Hook. What some may not know is the public attack upon the families by conspiracists post December 12, 2012. Attacks so vile and debilitating to the families that a lawsuit was launched against one Alex Jones, the head of InfoWars, a money making machine, far right conspiracy-oriented talk show. Eventually, Jones was found liable for nearly 1 billion in damages.
All that is covered in A Father's Fight. But more than that, it is a glimpse into the heart and mind of the author (who also narrates the audiobook) and his way forward. Robert Parker wisely along with his wife, choses counseling as a way to process this unimaginable grief as protection for their family and marriage. Within the context of the current grief, his past trauma of childhood abuse surfaces and how he managed that is in direct conflict with being able to process this new horror.
Those looking for salacious tidbits will not find them in this book. This is a tale of personal growth through a horrific experience and how it impacted his own life and that of his immediate family and friends. Further, as Parker steps out of his comfort zone and into the public eye for the lawsuit, there is hope.
My hope for books such as these is informing the reading public that there are real people behind these way too often occurrences and to not be involved in the feeding frenzy afterwards that has become entertainment for many.
January 29, 2025
"In our desensitized society, with each shooting, the time for reflection and public mourning shrank."
a heart-shattering, first-person account of the lengths people will go and the mental gymnastics they will perform to put their guns over their fellow americans, exacerbating their suffering in the process.
sue alex jones for all his pathetic ass is worth. only until your child, niece or nephew, spouse, or loved one is killed will you fight for gun reform. just like only until earth is uninhabitable for you will you fight to reverse climate change. i apologize on behalf of my fellow americans that this is what we have sunk to.
as hard as this was to read for obvious reasons, Robby Parker wrote a novel that was well-written and that i consistently wanted to pick up. i hope that the Sandy Hook and Uvalde families affected by these horrific acts of gun violence get the reparations they deserve for the furtherance of hatred and threats at the hands/mouth of alex jones. let this be a reminder to the executives of social media platforms and the users that exploit them to tout lies and conspiracies that there are very real consequences for the suffering you inflict and violence you incite.
"Those that offered 'thoughts and prayers,' but no real action, seemed content to accept that it was either God's fault or God's will that these tragedies continued unimpeded — instead of using the tools or talents God may have given us to find the remedies on our own."
December 13, 2024
The author's daughter was one of the 20 students killed at the Sandy Hook shooting. Because of Alex Jones' rants on his Infowars program and because of that infowar listeners who believed what Jones said did not believe Parker about his daughter dying in the school shooting. They even sent letters and e-mails and berated Parker for telling such lies.
The Parker family even moved miles away from Connecticut yet the tormentors continued.
For almost 10 years Parker tried to handle his stress and mourning quietly until he was called to testify in a trial against Jones and subsequently became a party to the suit.
That the author lost a daughter at all is too much tragedy but they way he was treated by people who didn't even know him was just criminal.
WHAT is the matter with people. How did this country get to this point where truth is denied and lies are accepted?
The Parker family even moved miles away from Connecticut yet the tormentors continued.
For almost 10 years Parker tried to handle his stress and mourning quietly until he was called to testify in a trial against Jones and subsequently became a party to the suit.
That the author lost a daughter at all is too much tragedy but they way he was treated by people who didn't even know him was just criminal.
WHAT is the matter with people. How did this country get to this point where truth is denied and lies are accepted?
Read
October 14, 2025Was primarily interested to read this because the idea of these disgusting conspiracy theories and far right cult members is fascinating psychology to me. While this book definitely contains some of that, it’s a much more personal story about Robbie Parker and what he and his family experienced after losing their daughter to the Sandy Hook shooting. If you pick this one up, keep tissues handy. Not rating this one - you’re either interested or not.
December 17, 2024
Wow! Robbie's vulnerability and truth about this book makes it a compelling read. He lost his daughter, Emilie, in the Sandy Hook school shooting. If that wasn't bad enough, he was then bullied by Alex Jones.
I thought it was great that Robbie took on a big bully and won. I think everyone should read this book.
😊 Happy Reading 😊
#Goodreads #goodreadsgiveaway #robbieparker #afathersfight
I thought it was great that Robbie took on a big bully and won. I think everyone should read this book.
😊 Happy Reading 😊
#Goodreads #goodreadsgiveaway #robbieparker #afathersfight
February 15, 2025
Was this the most beautifully written memoir? Maybe not, but it was powerful and heart wrenching. In these days of conspiracy theories and misinformation - a story like this reminds me of the importance of fighting for truth and the damage that persistent bad actors can do when they harness lies for profit. Thank you Robbie Parker for sharing Emily’s story and for sharing your fight.
May 17, 2025
“i didn’t want to be a spokesperson, i wanted to be a father.”
i think for every person there are certain events that stick with you for whatever reason. there’s just something so horrifying, so saddening, that you can’t look away. with 9/11, i wasn’t even really cognizant, but with sandy hook i do have a few hazy memories. on december 14, 2012, i was in eighth grade. it was one of the rare days that my dad picked me up from school. as we were was driving home, i remember how we were both silent, the news on the radio detailing what happened at sandy hook the only sound in the car. i don’t think i truly appreciated until reading this book, how on that day, i actually got to finish out my school day safely and i got to see my dad again. i so wish the same could’ve happened for emilie parker.
a couple of years ago i read elizabeth williamson’s book about sandy hook and the subsequent proliferation of online conspiracy theories. it was an excellent book, and it was difficult to get through. but this book by robbie parker was even more affecting. i cried a couple of different times throughout. i think even with williamson’s excellent reporting, there was still a distance between author and subject, but no such distance exists here. robbie’s writing, listening to his voice on the audiobook, it forces you to confront not only the grief of losing a child, but the notion that there are people who so cruelly deny that loss happened and there are people who so callously profit off of it.
there are a lot of things about the fallout of sandy hook that make me upset and enraged, but i think right now i think i just want to say thank you to robbie for sharing so much of himself and of emilie in this book. robbie’s strength and resiliency, emilie’s kindness and light are things that i so deeply admire.
i think for every person there are certain events that stick with you for whatever reason. there’s just something so horrifying, so saddening, that you can’t look away. with 9/11, i wasn’t even really cognizant, but with sandy hook i do have a few hazy memories. on december 14, 2012, i was in eighth grade. it was one of the rare days that my dad picked me up from school. as we were was driving home, i remember how we were both silent, the news on the radio detailing what happened at sandy hook the only sound in the car. i don’t think i truly appreciated until reading this book, how on that day, i actually got to finish out my school day safely and i got to see my dad again. i so wish the same could’ve happened for emilie parker.
a couple of years ago i read elizabeth williamson’s book about sandy hook and the subsequent proliferation of online conspiracy theories. it was an excellent book, and it was difficult to get through. but this book by robbie parker was even more affecting. i cried a couple of different times throughout. i think even with williamson’s excellent reporting, there was still a distance between author and subject, but no such distance exists here. robbie’s writing, listening to his voice on the audiobook, it forces you to confront not only the grief of losing a child, but the notion that there are people who so cruelly deny that loss happened and there are people who so callously profit off of it.
there are a lot of things about the fallout of sandy hook that make me upset and enraged, but i think right now i think i just want to say thank you to robbie for sharing so much of himself and of emilie in this book. robbie’s strength and resiliency, emilie’s kindness and light are things that i so deeply admire.
December 1, 2024
a heartbreaking story- beautifully written by a father who loves his daughter lost at sandy hook!!
December 21, 2024
This is such a powerful read. I listened to the audiobook read by the author, Robbie Parker. I felt his emotions through every word. His voice broke a few times and it took my breath away at just how raw these emotions still are for him (understandably so).
Sadly, this book covers the heartless denials of the Sandy Hook tragedy made by Alex Jones (and others). I cringed through several conversations Robbie replayed for us readers.
This is somewhat of a blueprint on how to respond (or not) when such a tragedy occurs. This is an eye-opening account of what these families went through and their journey to put one foot in front of the other in the midst of public comment and opinion.
Sadly, this book covers the heartless denials of the Sandy Hook tragedy made by Alex Jones (and others). I cringed through several conversations Robbie replayed for us readers.
This is somewhat of a blueprint on how to respond (or not) when such a tragedy occurs. This is an eye-opening account of what these families went through and their journey to put one foot in front of the other in the midst of public comment and opinion.
December 24, 2024
Beautifully written. I really enjoyed this book. It was a hard read, especially with school-aged children. But just beautiful
May 1, 2025
So much in this book to think about and talk about . Very glad I read it ….
December 13, 2024
No words can describe what these families endured and the intense hate that followed after their child’s death for years afterward. I had no idea. Thank you for writing this book Robbie Parker.
January 4, 2025
I don’t know how I landed on this book, but I’m glad I did. Robby and his family’s story is simply unimaginable in some ways. I’m so glad he had the courage to share.
November 18, 2024
This story broke my heart into a million tiny pieces. I cannot imagine the pain that any parent goes through after losing their child. Especially those that were taken away from them in unimaginable ways. Robert Parker poured his heart and soul onto these pages as a form of healing in the aftermath of his daughter’s murder during the Sandy Hook School Massacre. When Parker was describing the day and how long it took to find out what was going on, I had tears streaming down my face. For the surviving families involved in mass shootings, I had no idea what they went through from being attacked online and in public and being told that their loved one never existed and that the shooting never happened. Why can’t the world just let these families grieve? I am glad Parker, and other families were able to sue Alex Jones, behind the conspiracy theories. I listened to the audiobook and Parker was his own narrator. He did a great job portraying heartbreak and his and his daughter, Emilie’s, story.
April 3, 2025
Wow. Get your tissues ready, because I cried through this entire book. As a parent myself, and as someone who has worked along side this wonderful kind hearted person in the NICU…this book hit me especially hard.
I am in awe of Robbie’s strength and vulnerability as he shares his story. No family should ever have to experience the loss of their child, but then to be repeatedly dragged through hell and fear for your families safety while trying to grieve… is unimaginable. This book is incredibly well written. I read the physical copy of the book, but learned from other reviews that Robbie narrated the audiobook himself.
This book is hard, but a must read. I read it in two sessions— the first two chapters, then the rest of the book in one sitting.
The last paragraph of the epilogue is especially powerful:
“As we continue to share our human experiences with one another, may we do so with greater compassion and empathy. Let’s challenge our own convictions and rethink our hardened beliefs so the mirage of our differences may disappear, allowing us to see each other more clearly. It is time we start new conversations that move us forward, forging relationships that will bring us together to receive the healing we all so desperately need. I sincerely hope that you, too, can connect with your power and your voice, however that may look for you. So you may fully embrace every joy life has to offer, creating your own connections wherever you can, then share them with everyone you encounter.”
I am in awe of Robbie’s strength and vulnerability as he shares his story. No family should ever have to experience the loss of their child, but then to be repeatedly dragged through hell and fear for your families safety while trying to grieve… is unimaginable. This book is incredibly well written. I read the physical copy of the book, but learned from other reviews that Robbie narrated the audiobook himself.
This book is hard, but a must read. I read it in two sessions— the first two chapters, then the rest of the book in one sitting.
The last paragraph of the epilogue is especially powerful:
“As we continue to share our human experiences with one another, may we do so with greater compassion and empathy. Let’s challenge our own convictions and rethink our hardened beliefs so the mirage of our differences may disappear, allowing us to see each other more clearly. It is time we start new conversations that move us forward, forging relationships that will bring us together to receive the healing we all so desperately need. I sincerely hope that you, too, can connect with your power and your voice, however that may look for you. So you may fully embrace every joy life has to offer, creating your own connections wherever you can, then share them with everyone you encounter.”
March 6, 2025
A beautiful and courageous memoir, chilling in its depiction of truth vs. falsehoods. It’s a timely reminder to choose carefully which voices we hear and the effort needed to discover truth. God bless all the families impacted by Alex Jones’s horrific lies.
December 25, 2024
This was another audio-book listen that I enjoyed; I think that this book can only be properly processed through listening to the author. While he remains neutral for a majority of the book, there are plenty of times where you can hear the emotion in his voice. You can hear how losing his daughter affected him. You can hear how Alex Jones affected him. You can hear how conspiracy theorists affected him.
The man who arguably was targeted by Alex Jones the most, at first did not want to partake in lawsuits against him; instead, wanting to stay away and draw little attention. When it came to be that Robbie Parker, the author, would be a witness on both sides anyways, he joined the fight against Alex Jones. No matter how far away the Parker family moved, they could not escape Jones and his fan base attacking them for being “crisis actors” and part of the “false flag operation.”
I appreciated how this book on Sandy Hook brought attention back to the families: how the shooting and how the fall out with Alex Jones affected them. Parker briefly touched on how people will assume he believes one thing or another when it comes to gun control, and how people think it’s okay to have that discussion with him not actually knowing where he stands.
While this book is primarily about Robbie Parker and his battle with Alex Jones, what struck me the most was their experience being told their daughter died. The families were out of the loop. They were asked for a description of the child, what they were wearing that day, without saying whether it was to identify an injured, dead, or missing kid. Eventually the governor came, and that is when the families learned their children were dead. A parent had to as the governor if he was trying to tell them their kids were dead, and according to the author, the governor looked back in shock assuming their already knew. In an instance, their governor became the person who had to carry the burden of telling these parents their children would not be returning home. This mishandling of this crucial, life altering piece of information is what hit me the hardest. The parents were about to go through the toughest thing they will probably ever endure, and they had to drag their answer. Those poor families were waiting for god knows how long to be told their kids were dead, when the local police already knew they were dead; they were just placing names with bodies. And it seems that even once that task was done, no message was delivered to the parents. They didn’t know why they were in that room. They didn’t know why that hadn’t been reunited with their kid yet, they didn’t know if they ever would, and they had to just sit there. I cannot begin to imagine how agonizing that must’ve been.
I applaud authors like Robbie Parker who give us a glimpse into their life, especially one that has been scrutinized, called fake, and doubted by conspiracy theorists.
The man who arguably was targeted by Alex Jones the most, at first did not want to partake in lawsuits against him; instead, wanting to stay away and draw little attention. When it came to be that Robbie Parker, the author, would be a witness on both sides anyways, he joined the fight against Alex Jones. No matter how far away the Parker family moved, they could not escape Jones and his fan base attacking them for being “crisis actors” and part of the “false flag operation.”
I appreciated how this book on Sandy Hook brought attention back to the families: how the shooting and how the fall out with Alex Jones affected them. Parker briefly touched on how people will assume he believes one thing or another when it comes to gun control, and how people think it’s okay to have that discussion with him not actually knowing where he stands.
While this book is primarily about Robbie Parker and his battle with Alex Jones, what struck me the most was their experience being told their daughter died. The families were out of the loop. They were asked for a description of the child, what they were wearing that day, without saying whether it was to identify an injured, dead, or missing kid. Eventually the governor came, and that is when the families learned their children were dead. A parent had to as the governor if he was trying to tell them their kids were dead, and according to the author, the governor looked back in shock assuming their already knew. In an instance, their governor became the person who had to carry the burden of telling these parents their children would not be returning home. This mishandling of this crucial, life altering piece of information is what hit me the hardest. The parents were about to go through the toughest thing they will probably ever endure, and they had to drag their answer. Those poor families were waiting for god knows how long to be told their kids were dead, when the local police already knew they were dead; they were just placing names with bodies. And it seems that even once that task was done, no message was delivered to the parents. They didn’t know why they were in that room. They didn’t know why that hadn’t been reunited with their kid yet, they didn’t know if they ever would, and they had to just sit there. I cannot begin to imagine how agonizing that must’ve been.
I applaud authors like Robbie Parker who give us a glimpse into their life, especially one that has been scrutinized, called fake, and doubted by conspiracy theorists.
November 7, 2024
This is a book that the reader has to go into with eyes wide open. I should preface this that I support gun control, I taught Pre-K the year that the Sandy Hook shooting occurred, and I have so much anger and sorrow about this shooting. I wanted to hear the victim's families tell their story, but I now have a 7 year old of my own, so this was particularly difficult to listen to. I honestly felt like I couldn't go on after listening to the first 20-30 minutes. I became very emotional, and felt very sad and sick after turning off the audiobook.
But, like the grieving memorial that Robbie Parker and his wife Alissa walked through at the new Sandy Hook Elementary school, I felt myself moving from sorrow, to lightness, winding through a path with my emotions. I think it takes an incredibly strong person to write about his daughter's murder and act as a guide through grief himself. After the initial sadness, there is anger over Alex Jones, then nostalgia over happy memories, and a journey through Robbie and his family's grieving process.
I don't think I am the intended audience for such a book. Yes, I am a mother, and the Sandy Hook shooting affected me deeply as a US citizen, voter, and teacher. But I have not walked this path myself. I do think that a parent who has lost their child will find this to be cathartic and reflective of some of their own grieving process.
While I don't think this book was written for me, a stranger who was deeply saddened and scared after the events of December 14th, I'm so glad I read it. It helps me learn what a grieving parent has gone through. It showed me how dangerous conspiracy theorists are and how victims can be revictimized. It also gave me a release valve as I struggled through the newest iterations of Alex Jones working their way into our government. I read this the week of the 2024 presidential election. The sorrow that Robbie and Alissa have had to bear helped me put my own frustrations and sadness in perspective. I have my children, safe, healthy, and whole. I am so very lucky. This book reminded me that my suffering is insignificant compared to the losses that others have experienced.
But, like the grieving memorial that Robbie Parker and his wife Alissa walked through at the new Sandy Hook Elementary school, I felt myself moving from sorrow, to lightness, winding through a path with my emotions. I think it takes an incredibly strong person to write about his daughter's murder and act as a guide through grief himself. After the initial sadness, there is anger over Alex Jones, then nostalgia over happy memories, and a journey through Robbie and his family's grieving process.
I don't think I am the intended audience for such a book. Yes, I am a mother, and the Sandy Hook shooting affected me deeply as a US citizen, voter, and teacher. But I have not walked this path myself. I do think that a parent who has lost their child will find this to be cathartic and reflective of some of their own grieving process.
While I don't think this book was written for me, a stranger who was deeply saddened and scared after the events of December 14th, I'm so glad I read it. It helps me learn what a grieving parent has gone through. It showed me how dangerous conspiracy theorists are and how victims can be revictimized. It also gave me a release valve as I struggled through the newest iterations of Alex Jones working their way into our government. I read this the week of the 2024 presidential election. The sorrow that Robbie and Alissa have had to bear helped me put my own frustrations and sadness in perspective. I have my children, safe, healthy, and whole. I am so very lucky. This book reminded me that my suffering is insignificant compared to the losses that others have experienced.
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