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How to Be Safe
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
FORMER TEACHER HAD MOTIVE. Recently suspended for a so-called outburst, high school English teacher Anna Crawford is stewing over the injustice at home when she is shocked to see herself named on television as a suspect in a shooting at the school where she works. Though she is quickly exonerated, and the actual teenage murderer identified, her life is nevertheless held up for relentless scrutiny and judgment as this quiet town descends into media mania. Gun sales skyrocket, victims are transformed into martyrs, and the rules of public mourning are ruthlessly enforced. Anna decides to wholeheartedly reject the culpability she's somehow been assigned, and the rampant sexism that comes with it, both in person and online. A piercing feminist howl written in trenchant prose, How to Be Safe is a compulsively readable, darkly funny expose of the hypocrisy that ensues when illusions of peace are shattered.
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review
ImperfectCJ
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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Panpan

When I was in college, I knew a young man who was majoring in Women's Studies. He educated women students about the female experience and how they weren't as feminist as he was. If he wrote a novel, I imagine it would be like How to Be Safe. McAllister's female narrator doesn't sound like a woman to me, and the primary purpose of the novel seems to be as a vehicle for McAllister's opinions about gun violence and other issues. I didn't enjoy it.

GingerAntics I just adore when men mensplain womanhood and feminism. 🙄 Way to be a massive feminist. 2y
ImperfectCJ @GingerAntics He was otherwise a really nice guy, but when he got on this topic, I needed to avoid him for all of our wellbeing. This was in the 90s, before the term "mansplaining" had been coined (but of course not before it happened). 2y
GingerAntics @ImperfectCJ I wonder what they used to call it back then? Just “this guy is a real jerk?” 2y
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ImperfectCJ @GingerAntics Pretty much. If we weren't internalizing it, it was at least an eye roll and a significant glance shared with any other woman in the room. 2y
GingerAntics @ImperfectCJ oh to have a time machine and go back and gift the long suffering women of the 50s and 60s with the term “mansplaining.” I feel like this would be a real gift to humanity. 😏 2y
ImperfectCJ @GingerAntics Indeed! There are SO many things the women of the 50s and 60s could use. 2y
GingerAntics @ImperfectCJ right? How would things be different if we could go back and give them these things, then sit back and watch the world change a little more for the better. 2y
ImperfectCJ @GingerAntics But I don't know...if we give them some of these things before women are even legally allowed to have their own credit cards, I'm not sure much would be able to change quickly. I mean, I think about all the progress made during WWII then the backlash as soon as the war was over. It might not speed things up as much as we'd like to imagine. 2y
GingerAntics @ImperfectCJ that is a fair point 2y
44 likes9 comments
review
Ruthiella
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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Pickpick

Book no. 4 for #AwesomeAugust readathon and no. 12 for #14Books14Weeks2021.

This is less a story about a school shooting and more a slightly surreal indictment of gun violence in the US and our conflicted attempts to deal with it. Sarcastic wit abounds. McAllister is probably preaching to the choir, but that doesn‘t make his points any less valid.

I am a fan of the author‘s podcast Bookfight as well.

Andrew65 Doing great 👏👏👏 3y
Billypar I haven't read this yet, but Bookfight is one of my favorite podcasts. I should check out their creative work at some point. 3y
Ruthiella @Billypar I‘ve also read Tom‘s debut. This second book is stronger but in both, his sense of humor is evident. The joking banter on the podcast is one of my favorite things. I‘ve not read anything by Mike, but if he publishes something, I‘d likely buy it. 3y
48 likes3 comments
quote
jessinikkip
How to Be Safe: A Novel | Tom McAllister

"The truck had injured ten and killed six. On the news, they called it a bloodbath. The average body holds 8 pints of blood and the average bathtub holds 40 gallons. For something to rightly be called a bloodbath, then 320 pints of blood need to be spilled, or forty whole humans worth. The truck attack barely qualified. It was more like a blood sink."

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jessinikkip
How to Be Safe: A Novel | Tom McAllister
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"The pepperoni is unctuous and too round too obviously manufactured too hot too crispy too indifferent. Pepperoni is made from dead animals, he reminds himself. They died for you. Like Christ except at least pepperoni serves a function."

magyklyXdelish Who knew a paragraph about pepperoni could be so intriguing 😂 4y
readordierachel 😆😆 4y
36 likes2 comments
review
onebigshoe
How to Be Safe: A Novel | Tom McAllister
Pickpick

Clearly not a book for everyone as it addresses the hot button subject of gun violence. And, despite what others have written, it is a satire and quite funny. It took a lot of guts to find humor in such an awful topic, so I tip my hat to McAllister for mostly pulling it off. No happy ending here, but how could there be given the subject matter?

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MrBook
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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😂😂😂👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Good thing I have a screened-in porch with a couple ceiling fans. 😎 #LitsyHumor

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Billypar
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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#gimmeshelter #MayMovieMadness
I think the Stones song was written about Vietnam and violence in general during that era, but the lyrics could apply to school shootings. HTBS occurs in the aftermath of a school shooting: I haven't read any other novels or nonfiction on the subject, so I'm curious to try one. Tough to even consider in a time like this when we've just had another one in the U.S., but maybe that means I should read it sooner.

Cinfhen I‘ve previously stacked this book, but don‘t remember hearing much about it. Thanks for the reminder 5y
45 likes2 comments
review
BarbaraBB
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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Pickpick

All those guns and mass shootings in the States... This book is called a satire but I found it pretty depressing.

The narrator is a woman who gets a bit paranoid after a school shooting in her hometown. She doesn‘t know how to feel safe anymore in a world where violence is responded to with more violence or the threat of it.

#ReadingUSA2019 Pennsylvania

(Pic: Rainy Amsterdam)

squirrelbrain It sounds rather depressing.... 🙁 5y
Tanisha_A :( Does sound depressing (for the reason it feels real too)! 5y
Kaye 🌟I can‘t read books about mass shootings like that. A bit too much for me. 5y
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BarbaraBB @Tanisha_A @squirrelbrain It is. I really wonder why it‘s called satire! 5y
BarbaraBB @kaye It is less about the shooting than about the aftermath but it‘s still pretty tough! 5y
Kaye I‘m not sure why I can read True Crime and it doesn‘t bother me as much. Maybe because, most times, you can make sense of why one person kills another. I can‘t make sense of a stranger walking into a large group of people he doesn‘t know and decides to take out as many as possible. Just too hard to wrap my head around. 5y
jessinikkip This sounds good although Im not sure in these days if Id agree with calling it satire. Stacking 5y
Librarybelle It sounds like it would be a tough read, satire or not...great review! 5y
hilded Sounds heavy, but interesting though. 5y
83 likes6 stack adds9 comments
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BarbaraBB
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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So true!

Suet624 Soooo true. 5y
batsy Spot on. 5y
CarolynM 😡 5y
jveezer Much more anxious of white men than any others... 5y
60 likes4 comments
review
Redwritinghood
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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Mehso-so

This was a satirical critique of the current gun and social media culture. What freedoms are we willing to give up to ensure our safety or get a popular online presence? While I thought the concept was great, I wasn‘t overly impressed with the execution-this read like a long monologue about gun violence and the ridiculous lengths people go to on social media. For the audiobook, I don‘t like the narrator. 2.5⭐️ #Hoopla #TOB

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ReadingEnvy
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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Pickpick

Anna is a professor who is mistakenly accused of a mass shooting and this sends her down a path riddled by PTSD, invasive media, and gun-hoarding end-times cults. Anna is incredibly unlikeable, probably smells bad, and she doesn't seem to understand how to move through life. What she would prefer to understand is how to be safe. Can anyone be safe if our only answers involve guns? The novel asks this question and more, but in a pithy way.

Ruthiella I will definitely read this one. I bought it because like you I listen to The Bookfight Podcast. Glad you liked it and it‘s short too! 5y
ReadingEnvy @Ruthiella I picked this one over others in hoopla because of the shortness. But really it‘s the right length for what it is. 5y
Reggie This sounds intense. 5y
ReadingEnvy It is! But the shortness helps 5y
55 likes2 stack adds4 comments
blurb
Well-ReadNeck
How to Be Safe: A Novel | Tom McAllister
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My #LibraryHaul from last Friday. Spent the rainy weekend with a couple of books from this pile 💕

LauraBeth Nice haul! It was definitely a good day for reading on Saturday! 5y
123 likes1 comment
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ReadingEnvy
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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Centique I was audio wrapping today too (except an author interview rather than a book!) 5y
61 likes1 comment
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Mindyrecycles
How to Be Safe: A Novel | Tom McAllister
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This novel is set in the aftermath of a school shooting and the author doesn‘t hold back on social commentary. #tob2019

58 likes2 stack adds
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mauveandrosysky
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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Pickpick

This sharp, dry, darkly hilarious satire about the aftermath of a school shooting says so much about contemporary America—from our disturbing gun culture to toxic masculinity to the increasing reality of never feeling safe. It‘s not happy, optimistic or redemptive, but neither is our current reality. It‘ll resonate with anyone who is fed up with gun violence and the meaningless thoughts and prayers that follow.

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mauveandrosysky
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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vivastory This quote completely sold me. Stacked! 6y
18 likes1 stack add1 comment
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mauveandrosysky
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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Same.

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whatsthEStorey
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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Pickpick

This book should not be compared with We Need To Talk About Kevin. Despite being set in the aftermath of a school shooting, this is a different kind of book entirely, as should be evidenced by the above quote. A scathing and, at times, bitingly funny commentary on gun control, toxic masculinity, and sexism, I kept wanting to scream, YESSS, girl! And then I remembered the author is a man! Tom McAllister, you get me. 💘

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Skyler
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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Oh boy, I don‘t know about this one. Maybe it‘s because of Friday‘s shooting or the fact that the narrator is annoying or something else entirely that I just can‘t pin down, but I‘m not feeling this one, about the aftermath of a school shooting told by a teacher who had (wrongfully) been accused of having some involvement in it.

But anyway, here‘s a pic of my super cute boy Monty, who is keeping me company during my evening reading. #dogsoflitsy

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kstadt929
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
Panpan

This one was rough. It was not what I expected from the description and I almost bailed so many times! The story was very choppy jumping around between different topics in a chapter including Anna‘s childhood, her life choices, the victims of the school shooting and sections about how to be safe. I never really got into it and it was a rough read for me.

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kstadt929
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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I feel like this quote accurately describes this whole book. It is such a downer and I‘m having a hard time making it to the end.

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kstadt929
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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Starting this one tonight with my new SLOTH bookmark! 😍

blondie I have some of those too! They're the cutest bookmarks ever 😊💜💜 6y
CoffeeNBooks I just put those bookmarks in my Amazon cart yesterday! I love sloths! 6y
JoScho Did you hear anything about the house yet? 6y
kstadt929 @JoScho The primary buyer was notified on Friday that they had to remove their home sale contingency from their offer (we think within 48 hours)or they‘d lose the primary spot. They didn‘t sign the form acknowledging they received the notification until Sunday! So they basically got 2 extra days by doing that. We found out last night they removed their home sale contingency, so we will stay a secondary offer, but most likely won‘t get the house 😭 6y
JoScho Ugh! I‘m sorry 😐 6y
11 likes1 stack add5 comments
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peacegypsy
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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Oops—starting this one instead. Sometimes those silly library book due dates switch things up! 😉 I‘m a little hesitant to read about a school shooting—reading about that once is too much—so we‘ll see if I persevere. Sweet dreams to all! 😇

52 likes1 stack add
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mrozzz
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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Pickpick

I was moved by the intensity & breadth of topics covered, starting with a mass school shooting, the effects of which reverberate for Anna Crawford, a former teacher of the school who is initially a person of interest but quickly dismissed. Through her unemployment she also rails for/against privacy rights as the gov‘t tries to catch criminals, mental health (several suicides take place & Anna has frequent breakdowns), and poor treatment of women.

ofbooksandme The cover is beautiful 6y
Billypar Great review! I know Tom McAllister probably wants to be known for his books more than his podcast, but I love Bookfight! - it's so good. 6y
mrozzz Thanks! And Bookfight! I had no idea this author did that podcast. Need to get back into listening now 😄 @Billypar 6y
mrozzz @ofbooksandme it sure is! 6y
136 likes10 stack adds4 comments
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Kate.Braithwaite
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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Totally gripped!!

60 likes2 stack adds
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Skeebies05
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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Ummmm this book is a little heavy handed. This may be why I don‘t read too many men. This is utter nonsense masquerading as being “literary”. There are a few passages like this.

MelAnn I‘m thinking that‘s not love, that‘s something else! Obsession, lust, confusion .. take your pick - but it‘s not love! 6y
Skeebies05 And they are referring to their brother. I‘m really close to bailing. 6y
Jess Did you bail? I‘m listening to this and am thinking of bailing half way through for the same reason. Let me know if it got better. 6y
Skeebies05 @Jess Yeah- it had to go. Man, I loved the premise but I couldn‘t get past the writing. 6y
23 likes4 comments
blurb
Skeebies05
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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It is April 3 and I have yet to find a book that I LOVED this year. . . ( new books). Here are my newest attempts. Wish me luck.

DogEaredBooks 🤞🍀🤞🍀 6y
27 likes1 comment
review
TheJOMOreader
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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Pickpick

A book couldn‘t be more timely. A stark commentary on the state of our nation that is also darkly funny, wise, and an uncomfortable mirror for today.

16 likes1 stack add
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shutupsmalls
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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Helloknitty
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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I‘m 13% done with How to Be Safe, and already it‘s amazing. This passage, y‘all.

2 likes1 stack add
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shutupsmalls
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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Pickpick

Wow. This one is fantastic.

6 likes1 stack add
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shutupsmalls
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister

Everyone wanted me to get better, which meant they wanted me to stop being sad, but being sad was the only thing I needed. The real problem is when people flinch from the sadness and hide. Men see a sad woman and they want to fix her, but in fixing her they flatten her emotional life under the weight of meaningless platitudes.

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shutupsmalls
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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diovival 🤬 6y
4 likes2 comments
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Liberty
How to Be Safe | Tom McAllister
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Today‘s book mail: Pitched as “We Need to Talk About Kevin meets Dept. of Speculation.” YES PLEASE.

UrsulaMonarch Wow, great pitch!! 6y
Suet624 Really???? Wow!!! 6y
Cinfhen Sold & stacked!!!! 6y
sparklemotion This sounds really interesting! 6y
142 likes22 stack adds4 comments