Description
Book SynopsisMass shootings have been on the rise in the United States since the early 2000s, but until the heartbreak of the 1 October 2017 Route 91 Harvest Music Festival, the citizens of Las Vegas had never experienced the violence and tragedy of this now all-too-frequent occurrence. That day, fifty-eight people were shot to death on site, while another two victims later died of their injuries. The 1 October incident physically wounded nearly 900 concert-goers, but psychologically impacted countless untold victims.
As individual and institutional response to urgent requests for help came in both during and after the 1 October catastrophe, those who call Las Vegas home struggled to cope with pain and grief. Now, editor Roberta Sabbath draws together a collection of personal essays, oral histories, interviews, scholarly writings, and commentaries to remember those whose lives were lost, and to honor survivors and their loved ones. Written five years after the tragedy, each contribution offers a unique story of healing, demonstrating the wide-ranging experiences and repercussions of the event. The essays in this collection represent a broad diversity of voices from political leaders, health professionals, first responders, community members, and incident survivors. This work is dedicated to those who lost their lives on 1 October 2017, to survivors and their loved ones, and to the caregivers—both individual and institutional—all of whom continue to keep Vegas Strong.
Trade Review"
Vegas Strong is thoughtful, touching, and a reminder of this absurdly violent era in which we live. It is a caring tribute to those who survived and honors those who died."—John L. Smith, Las Vegas journalist, author of
Saints, Sinners, and Sovereign Citizens: The Endless War Over the West's Public Lands"Sabbath has created an emotional collection of stories that touched my heart. This is a significant contribution to the history of 1 October."—Michelle Follette Turk, assistant visiting professor of history, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, author of
Gambling with Lives: A History of Occupational Health in Las VegasTable of Contents
- Cover Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Lives Lost
- Contents
- Preface
- Introduction
- Part One: Site
- 1. The Night That Forever Changed My Life: A Survivor's Story
- 2. The Night the Music Stopped: Snapshots from Oral Histories
- 3. This Was Not in the Manual: unlv Residence Hall Becomes Safe Haven
- 4. Transforming Platforms: Greek Chorus and Social Media
- 5. Shock, Heartbreak, and Remembrance: University Medical Center, fema, and the Healing Garden
- Part Two: Process
- 6. Searching for Light: A Diary of the First Twenty-two Hours
- 7. Las Vegas Healing Strategies: Mementos, Family, and Acts of Love and Kindness
- 8. Therapeutic Innovations, Outreach, and Lessons Learned: A Practical Guide for Community Response
- 9. "I like safe noise.": Working with Survivors, Vegas Strong Resiliency Center
- 10. Dealing with Death: New Models for Grieving Are Emerging
- 11. "O word, thou word, that I lack—": The Place of Poetic Mysticism in the Expression of Grief, Or How Language Succeeds in Failing Us
- Part Three: Stronger Together: Vegas Golden Knights—Celebrating Heroes, Helping Las Vegas Heal
- 12. 1 October Memorial Committee: Five Years After—Reflections from Within
- 13. The Las Vegas Community Healing Garden: Placemaking and the Death of "Sin City"
- 14. Preserving Community Grief: The Remembering 1 October Collection at the Clark County Museum
- 15. A Moment of Silence Is No Longer Enough: Working to Address the Plague of Gun Violence
- 16. Documenting and Reflecting on 1 October: A Selected Bibliography of Collections and Scholarship
- Contributors
- Index
