Patinkin, Daniel J.
WORK TITLE: The Trigger: Narratives of the American Shooter Daniel J. Patinkin
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| HEADING: | Patinkin, Daniel J. |
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| 377 | __ |a eng |
| 670 | __ |a Narratives of the american shooter, 2018: |b eCIP t.p. (Daniel J. Patinkin) data view screen (Chicago-born writer and businessman; his unique career has spanned the real estate, finance, education, and entertainment industries; BA in English and history from Indiana University and an MFA in producing from the University of Southern California; also the co-writer, with Chris Leben, of The Crippler) |
PERSONAL
Born in Chicago, IL.
EDUCATION:Indiana University, B.A.; University of Southern California, M.F.A.
ADDRESS
- Home - Chicago, IL.
CAREER
Businessman and writer. @properties, Chicago, IL, broker/consultant, 2002-04; Stillpoint Development, Chicago, IL, operations manager and financial analyst, 2004-06; Westrade, Chicago, IL, director of Westrade Equities, 2006-08; Manhattan Prep, GMAT instructor, 2007—; independent media producer, Los Angeles, CA, 2010-12; CASHét, VP of business development, 2012-14; Ovenly, New York, NY, director of finance, 2014-16; independent financial consultant, Los Angeles, CA, 2016—.
WRITINGS
- (With Chris Leben) The Crippler: Cage Fighting and My Life on the Edge, Skyhorse (New York, NY), 2015
- The Trigger: Narratives of the American Shooter, Arcade (New York, NY), 2018
Has written screenplays and television scripts.
SIDELIGHTS
A native of Chicago, Illinois, Daniel J. Patinkin is a writer and businessman. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and a master’s degree from the University of Southern California. Patinkin has work in financial departments of businesses, including @properties, Stillpoint Development, Westrade, CASHét, and Ovenly. He has also run an independent financial consultancy operation in Los Angeles, California and has served as a GMAT instructor for Manhattan Prep. Patinkin has written screenplays and television scripts.
The Crippler
Patinkin collaborated with Chris Leben, an ultimate fighting championship (UFC) and mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, on Leben’s memoir, The Crippler: Cage Fighting and My Life on the Edge. Leben discusses his turbulent childhood in Oregon. He grew up without a father, and his mother was more interested in feeding her addictions than her child. Leben spent a significant amount of time unsupervised and developed a dangerous temper. He also dealt with his addiction, like his mother. However, Leben developed his skills as a fighter and moved up within his sport. His career endured setbacks due to Leben’s drug habits, but he has maintained a strong fan base. Leben recalls the details of some of his most notable fights.
Writing on the MMA Junkie website, Trent Reinsmith suggested: “Leben readily admits that there are many incidents from his life that didn’t make the final cut for his memoir. While Leben and Patinkin may have good reason for excising these stories from the book, one can’t help but feel that if they were included, The Crippler would have been a much more fulfilling read. As it stands, Leben’s memoir is a good read. It’s Chris Leben, warts and all.” “Many readers, even those outside the MMA fanbase, will find this personal account of a flawed fighter meaningful,” asserted Jason L. Steagall in Library Journal.
The Trigger
In 2018, Patinkin released The Trigger: Narratives of the American Shooter. In this volume, he profiles six people who have shot someone. When she was fifteen years old, Brittany Aden shot her abusive father, who had threatened to kill her. She tried to get help and get out of his house, but agencies kept sending her back to him. John Frizzle, a Navy veteran suffering from mental health issues, shot his mother during a psychotic episode. Crack dealer, Lester Young, Jr., killed an addict, while Brandon Clancy, a college student, was responsible for an accidental discharge of his weapon. Chicago cop, Al O’Connor was imprisoned for shooting a suspect, and Marvin Gomez used his gun in self-defense.
Marianne Szegedy-Maszak, contributor to the Washington Post website, described The Trigger as “a provocative, sometimes maddening, occasionally riveting examination of the lives of six ordinary Americans who share the experience of having shot someone.” Szegedy-Maszak added: “Aside from providing a window into the lives of these ordinary people, Patinkin also paints a vivid picture of the unrelenting violence, dysfunction and sociology of our penal system.” Szegedy Mask concluded: “To his credit, Patinkin has told us six stories that no one else would. He acknowledges that he is in no way trying to overlook the central tragedy of the victims and their families, but he tries his best to force readers to realize that these shootings aren’t just random events, but a result of real troubles within the shooters and the society that produces, and generally ignores, them.” “His narratives, each complex in its own thorny way, humanize shooters for those who … have had no previous exposure to them,” suggested a Publishers Weekly reviewer. A critic in Kirkus Reviews commented: “In the absence of more thoroughgoing analysis, the social and cultural dynamics go essentially unexplored, limiting the value of this book to a set of testimonials.” The same critic described the book as “anecdotal more than analytical.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Internet Bookwatch, May, 2016, review of The Crippler: Cage Fighting and My Life on the Edge.
Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2018, review of The Trigger: Narratives of the American Shooter.
Library Journal, January 1, 2016, Jason L. Steagall, review of The Crippler, p. 110.
Publishers Weekly, April 9, 2018, review of The Trigger, p. 70.
ONLINE
MMA Junkie, https://mmajunkie.com/ (January 5, 2016), Trent Reinsmith, review of The Crippler.
Washington Post Online, https://www.washingtonpost.com/ (July 26, 2018), Marianne Szegedy-Maszak, review of The Trigger.
- The Crippler: Cage Fighting and My Life on the Edge Skyhorse (New York, NY), 2015
- The Trigger: Narratives of the American Shooter Arcade (New York, NY), 2018
- Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-patinkin-2520504/
Daniel Patinkin
Daniel Patinkin
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Daniel Patinkin
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500+ connectionsMy career has spanned the real estate, finance, entertainment, and education industries. Notably, I worked as the VP of Business Development for an entertainment finance firm and the Director of Finance for a major retail and commercial bakery business in New York City. I have published two nonfiction books.
Articles & activity
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These are the stories of the shooters.
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Daniel Patinkin
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I spent twenty months recruiting, interviewing, and writing about individuals who have shot someone in America. The result is my book, The T...
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See all articlesMy new book, THE TRIGGER: NARRATIVES OF THE AMERICAN SHOOTER was reviewe...
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Well thank you good sir!!! I hope you are well... I secretly track you on social media ;)Daniel commented
Ranked in the top-3 in its category on Amazon... The Kindle version of THE TRIG...Daniel shared this
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ExperienceDaniel Patinkin
Finance Consultant
Company Name Daniel Patinkin
Dates Employed Apr 2016 – Present Employment Duration 2 yrs 5 mos
Location Los Angeles, CAAdvised small businesses on financial management and business development.
Independent Author
Author
Company Name Independent Author
Dates Employed Jan 2016 – Present Employment Duration 2 yrs 8 mos
Location Los Angeles, CAPatinkin is author of THE CRIPPLER: CAGE FIGHTING AND MY LIFE ON THE EDGE. Released worldwide in January 2016 by Skyhorse Publishing, it is the acclaimed autobiography of UFC legend and wildman, Chris Leben. Patinkin's second book on gun violence in America is due for release in 2017.
Manhattan Prep
GMAT Instructor
Company Name Manhattan Prep
Dates Employed Nov 2007 – Present Employment Duration 10 yrs 10 mosTaught thousands of MBA candidates.
Ovenly
Director of Finance
Company Name Ovenly
Dates Employed Sep 2014 – Feb 2016 Employment Duration 1 yr 6 mos
Location Brooklyn, NYOversaw all financial, business development, and accounting operations. Grew annualized revenues from $1.6 million to $3.5 million over the span of 16 months.
CASHét
VP of Business Development
Company Name CASHét
Dates Employed Jun 2012 – Aug 2014 Employment Duration 2 yrs 3 mos
Location Los Angeles, CAManaged relationships with major TV and film studios and production companies. Transformed this startup into the industry leader in just two years.
Independent Contractor
Media Producer
Company Name Independent Contractor
Dates Employed May 2010 – May 2012 Employment Duration 2 yrs 1 mo
Location Los Angeles, CACreated promotional videos, corporate videos and documentary and narrative films.
Managed all aspects of projects: production, post-production, finance, sales.
Westrade, LLC
Director of Westrade Equities
Company Name Westrade, LLC
Dates Employed 2006 – 2008 Employment Duration 2 yrs
Location Chicago, ILDeveloped quantitative trading platforms utilizing Visual Basic and advanced MS Excel automation. Executed up to $4 million in securities trades daily.
Stillpoint Development
Operations Manager and Financial Analyst
Company Name Stillpoint Development
Dates Employed Aug 2004 – Sep 2006 Employment Duration 2 yrs 2 mos
Location Chicago, ILOversaw business systems: financial, risk management, technology, and legal.
@properties
Broker/Consultant
Company Name @properties
Dates Employed May 2002 – Aug 2004 Employment Duration 2 yrs 4 mos
Location Chicago, ILFacilitated over $12 million in commercial and residential real estate transactions.
Education
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University BloomingtonDegree Name Bachelor's degree
Field Of Study English and History
University of Southern California
University of Southern CaliforniaDegree Name MFA
Field Of Study Film and TV Producing
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-patinkin-2520504/
- IMDB - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3885262/
Daniel J. Patinkin
Biography
Mini Bio (1)Screenwriter and author Daniel J. Patinkin is an MFA graduate of the USC - Peter Stark Producing Program. He has published two notable books: THE CRIPPLER, released by Skyhorse Publishing in 2016; and THE TRIGGER, to be released by Arcade Publishing in June 2018. In addition he has written, directed and/or produced four short films, and has written three feature films and a TV pilot. Born and raised in Chicago, Patinkin now resides in Los Angeles.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Daniel J. Patinkin
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2013 True Blues (Documentary) (executive producer) / (producer) (post-production)
2011 Play to Win (Short) (producer)
2010/III Sweetheart (Short) (producer - as Daniel Patinkin)
2010 The Bare Show (Short) (co-producer - as Daniel Patinkin)
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Mi Madre, My Father (Short) (completed)
2011 Play to Win (Short)
2010/III Sweetheart (Short) (as Daniel Patinkin)
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2013 True Blues (Documentary) (post-production)
2010/III Sweetheart (Short) (as Daniel Patinkin)
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2008 Mary Wollstonecraft of Sector Seventeen (Short)
Zomosa's Guard (as Daniel Patinkin)
QUOTED: "In the absence of more thoroughgoing analysis, the social and cultural dynamics go essentially unexplored, limiting the value of this book to a set of testimonials."
"anecdotal more than analytical."
Patinkin, Daniel J.: THE TRIGGER
Kirkus Reviews.
(May 15, 2018): From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Patinkin, Daniel J. THE TRIGGER Arcade (Adult Nonfiction) $24.99 7, 3 ISBN: 978-1-62872-919-1
A curious exercise in the annals of gun violence, highlighting the life stories of six who turned to the gun for a solution.
When he conceived of this project, writes Chicago-based businessman and educator Patinkin (co- author: The Crippler, 2016), he wanted to "investigate unfamiliar life stories and thereby illuminate complicated social and cultural dynamics." He has partially succeeded in doing so, having turned up widely diverse stories ranging from a drug dealer to a calculating murderer to police officers who have killed in the pursuit of their work. There are not many commonalities apart from the fact that it is too easy to procure and use a gun in America--especially at moments when one is at the end of his or her tether. Early on Patinkin writes that this is not a sociological or political treatise, and that is surely the case; in most instances the shooter talks, and Patinkin constructs a narrative around it: "They talked about crazy Darryl and how Lester's gunshot must have scared the shit out of that cracker. It definitely was a weird situation"; "To solve all of his problems, and to collect the entirety of the life insurance benefit, he would have to murder not just his father, but his entire family"; "This internal inquisition played out for seconds that seemed like hours while Al kept his Sig Sauer 9mm leveled." Patinkin does layer the stories he has collected with observations on larger themes. For example, he takes a brief look at the Black Lives Matter movement in connection with his account of an officer-involved shooting. But in the absence of more thoroughgoing analysis, the social and cultural dynamics go essentially unexplored, limiting the value of this book to a set of testimonials from which one might frame an argument for, or even against, enhanced gun control.
Anecdotal more than analytical but of some interest to students of crime and punishment. Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
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"Patinkin, Daniel J.: THE TRIGGER." Kirkus Reviews, 15 May 2018. Book Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A538293895/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=2c57a900. Accessed 12 Aug. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A538293895
QUOTED: "His narratives, each complex in its own thorny way, humanize shooters for those who ... have had no previous exposure to them."
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The Trigger: Narratives of the American Shooter
Publishers Weekly.
265.15 (Apr. 9, 2018): p70. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Trigger: Narratives of the American Shooter Daniel J. Patinkin. Arcade, $24.99 (336p)
ISBN 978-1-62872-919-1
In a timely book, screenwriter and businessman Patinkin (The Crippler: Cage Fighting and My Life on the Edge) tells stories of six very different Americans who have shot and in some cases killed people. They include a Chicago cop who killed a gun-wielding civilian who had shot a fellow patrolman, a teenage girl who shot her abusive father as he slept, and a military veteran who gravely wounded a family member while having delusions. Chapters on each include their histories, how they got access to guns, and the role of class and race in their stories. Patinkin offers no solutions and no generalizations, and includes no mass shooters--he selected his subjects for their "compelling" stories and for maximum variation in circumstances and regions. His decision to focus on shooters and not victims may strike some as morally questionable; the author writes: "we must endeavor to understand [the] actions and motivations" of the "sentient, emotional human being who ... pulled the trigger ... if we are to improve the situation in America." (He also plans to donate a portion of the book's proceeds to victim-centered charities.) His narratives, each complex in its own thorny way, humanize shooters for those who, like Patinkin before he embarked on this project, have had no previous exposure to them as people. (June)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Trigger: Narratives of the American Shooter." Publishers Weekly, 9 Apr. 2018, p. 70. Book
Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A535100005/GPS?u=schlager& sid=GPS&xid=856952a6. Accessed 12 Aug. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A535100005
QUOTED: "Many readers, even those outside the MMA fanbase, will find this personal account of a flawed fighter meaningful."
3 of 6 8/12/18, 10:46 PM
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Leben, Chris with Daniel J. Patinkin.
The Crippler: Cage Fighting and My
Life on the Edge
Jason L. Steagall
Library Journal.
141.1 (Jan. 1, 2016): p110+. From Book Review Index Plus.
COPYRIGHT 2016 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
Leben, Chris with Daniel J. Patinkin. The Crippler: Cage Fighting and My Life on the Edge. Skyhorse. Jan. 2016. 288p. ISBN 9781634505666. $24.99; ebk. ISBN 9781510701359. MEMOIR
For more than ten years, ultimate fighting championship (UFC) fighter Leben (b. 1980) was a fan favorite, known as the trash-talking, heavy-drinking kid from Oregon who could knock out opponents with his devastating left hand. However, his life was often messy, plagued by partying and poor decision making. Leben, with first-time author Patinkin, reflects on all aspects of his experience in this entertaining, poignant, and sometimes sad memoir. The brutal honesty about his shortcomings makes for a frustrating yet empathetic story. For example, the author describes his fatherless childhood in Portland, when he was underfed and often left to fend for himself since his mother was an addict, and goes on to relay the many addictions (and relationships) he's endured. Leben was twice suspended by the UFC (for violating its drug policy and spent time in jail on numerous occasions). Readers unfamiliar with mixed martial arts (MMA) might be confused by descriptions of the author's fights, but this is a small factor in an overall enjoyable book. VERDICT Many readers, even those outside the MMA fanbase, will find this personal account of a flawed fighter meaningful.--Jason L. Steagall, Gateway Technical Coll. Lib., Elkhorn, WI
Steagall, Jason L.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Steagall, Jason L. "Leben, Chris with Daniel J. Patinkin. The Crippler: Cage Fighting and My
Life on the Edge." Library Journal, 1 Jan. 2016, p. 110+. Book Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A438950054/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=25e9673e. Accessed 12 Aug. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A438950054
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The Crippler
Internet Bookwatch.
(May 2016): From Book Review Index Plus.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Crippler." Internet Bookwatch, May 2016. Book Review Index Plus,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A455284537/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=ad9e0cef. Accessed 12 Aug. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A455284537
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- MMA Junkie
https://mmajunkie.com/2016/01/as-detailed-in-new-book-chris-leben-did-plenty-of-living-and-nearly-some-dying
Word count: 954QUOTED: "Leben readily admits that there are many incidents from his life that didn’t make the final cut for his memoir. While Leben and Patinkin may have good reason for excising these stories from the book, one can’t help but feel that if they were included, The Crippler would have been a much more fulfilling read. As it stands, Leben’s memoir is a good read. It’s Chris Leben, warts and all."
As detailed in new book, Chris Leben did plenty of living – and nearly some dying
By: Trent Reinsmith | January 5, 2016 10:30 am
chris-leben-book
Chris Leben’s run with the UFC began with the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” It ended in January 2014 when he retired from MMA. Before, during and after his tenure with the UFC, “The Crippler” did a lot of living, and on a few occasions, he came close to doing some dying.
Shortly after leaving MMA, Leben sat down with Daniel J. Patinkin and began to reveal the intimate details of his life. Eighteen months of conversations later, a memoir was born, the aptly entitled, “The Crippler: Cage Fighting and My Life on the Edge” (Skyhorse Publishing, 272 pages).
In the introduction, Leben wonders what would make someone want to pick up a copy of “The Crippler” over titles by more well known MMA figures such as Ronda Rousey or Georges St-Pierre. Leben’s conclusion is simple: “None of them are me.”
And you know what? It’s hard to argue with him on that point.
One of the most appealing things about Leben during his lengthy UFC run was how he would provide unfiltered access to whatever was running through his head at any given moment.
If there was something tumultuous going on in Leben’s life, he would talk about it in plain terms, baring his soul and not caring one bit about the repercussions. As a member of the UFC, Leben worried little about projecting an image that was friendly to corporate sponsors. He was unapologetically himself.
Those who are familiar with Leben and his exploits will find numerous incidents in this memoir that won’t be new to them. Yes, there is talk of his upbringing in “Felony Flats” in Portland, Ore., including the infamous rancid deer-meat story, his time in the “TUF” house and his time as a used-car salesman while AWOL from the Army.
There are many mentions of his tempestuous relationships with the women in his life, and of his struggles with drugs and alcohol, all while trying to compete at an elite level in the UFC.
While some, but not all, of the subject matter may be familiar, the memoir format gives Leben more room to stretch out and dig further into his life story. With more time to discuss each piece of his life and provide insight into some subjects he had not touched upon previously, such as a mystery training partner, the end of his career and his struggles with the medication he was on to treat his OxyContin use, Leben’s memoir has enough freshness to make you want to keep reading.
Chris LebenChris Leben
Throughout “The Crippler,” Patinkin does an excellent job of capturing Leben’s voice. In very short order, the readere will find themselves hearing Leben’s raspy voice in their head as they read his memoir.
There are a lot of ugly stories in this book, and Leben knows that.
“What you read here might disgust you, shock you, terrify you,” he writes. But before you start thinking this is just one huge downer of a book, you have to realize why this book exists.
Leben didn’t get involved in this project to tell a cautionary tale in which all the sudden the protagonist learns a lesson and comes out a bigger and better person. No, Leben worked on this memoir to tell his story and let the chips fall where they may.
There are points in “The Crippler” where the reader won’t know whether to feel pity or embarrassment for Leben, such as when he wakes up in his Las Vegas hotel room in a pool of vomit, just days before his August 2005 fight with Patrick Cote.
By no means is “The Crippler” all doom and gloom or tales of outrageous and often illegal exploits. There are moments in this memoir that provide insight into the complicated person Leben is. One of those moments is when Leben reveals how he feels he is well equipped to be both a coach and a mentor, a feeling that stemmed from a recently developed personal philosophy closely aligned with Buddhism.
If there is one drawback to “The Crippler,” it’s something that Leben brings up in the introduction. Leben readily admits that there are many incidents from his life that didn’t make the final cut for his memoir. While Leben and Patinkin may have good reason for excising these stories from the book, one can’t help but feel that if they were included, “The Crippler” would have been a much more fulfilling read.
As it stands, Leben’s memoir is a good read. It’s Chris Leben, warts and all, and if those stories that were left out of “The Crippler” appear in a second memoir, well, that’s something we can all look forward to.
For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
- Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/guns--from-the-perspective-of-murderers-who-have-used-them/2018/07/26/bd2fe9ac-8904-11e8-a345-a1bf7847b375_story.html?utm_term=.1fc8f9211e56
Word count: 1450QUOTED: "a provocative, sometimes maddening, occasionally riveting examination of the lives of six ordinary Americans who share the experience of having shot someone."
"Aside from providing a window into the lives of these ordinary people, Patinkin also paints a vivid picture of the unrelenting violence, dysfunction and sociology of our penal system."
"To his credit, Patinkin has told us six stories that no one else would. He acknowledges that he is in no way trying to overlook the central tragedy of the victims and their families, but he tries his best to force readers to realize that these shootings aren’t just random events, but a result of real troubles within the shooters and the society that produces, and generally ignores, them."Guns — from the perspective of shooters who have used them in crimes
by Marianne Szegedy-Maszak July 26Marianne Szegedy-Maszak is a senior editor in the Washington bureau of Mother Jones and the author of “I Kiss Your Hands Many Times: Hearts, Souls, and Wars in Hungary.”
‘In America, we shoot each other.”
Thus ends “The Trigger: Narratives of the American Shooter” by author and businessman Daniel J. Patinkin—a provocative, sometimes maddening, occasionally riveting examination of the lives of six ordinary Americans who share the experience of having shot someone. Patinkin writes that he had “four guiding principles” in selecting the people he profiles: geographical diversity, dissimilar personal narratives, minimal overlap in the circumstance of the shootings and a desire for “the stories to be as compelling, as eye-opening, and as robust as possible.” With a former crack dealer, a Navy veteran, a police officer, an abused young woman, a hardworking Hispanic man and a high school football star, he may have succeeded.
(Arcade)
These are not the Adam Lanzas or the Dylann Roofs, the Nikolas Cruzes or the Stephen Paddocks — mass shooters who opened fire on crowds of innocents, claimed scores of lives and commanded overwhelming attention. Attempting to understand the shooter’s troubled mind has become as much a part of the ritual that accompanies these horrific acts as the requisite “thoughts and prayers” sentiments; the candlelight vigils; the images of the forever-traumatized, grief-stricken loved ones; and the ineffectual political posturing. Recently, the FBI released a long-awaited study attempting to tease out what, if anything, these men — and they are usually men — have in common. The researchers concluded that mass shooters tend to go to familiar places, are often nursing a grudge so they target a particular person, typically are not mentally ill and use legally purchased weapons.
In terms of horror and headlines, mass shooters may own the narrative, but in terms of sheer numbers, they don’t. Only 346 of the 15,629 people who were killed by guns in 2017 — and these numbers do not include death by suicide — were victims of mass shooters. Instead, the roughly 43 victims of gun violence every day were killed by the kind of people profiled by Patinkin. Young, sometimes traumatized or mentally ill, in many cases inebriated or stoned, mostly male, living in places where access to guns does not require much effort, these are the lives that intersected, often impulsively, at exactly the wrong time with another’s. Each story is self-contained but also illuminates broader issues surrounding gun violence.
One recurring theme is how often important signals, which in retrospect seem inevitable cues to future tragedy, are ignored by counselors, police departments, schools, social welfare officials and military authorities. Brittany Aden, the only woman in the collection, was sadistically abused by her father and at the age of 15 was forced to answer the question of kill or be killed. Constantly begging for some intervention, she was just as constantly returned to the home of her abuser until she felt she had no other choice.
John Frizzle served in the Navy despite escalating evidence of serious mental illness. Consigned to maintenance work on a destroyer, he quietly nurtured a grandiose and heroic plan to assassinate Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi, while at the same time visiting the hangar deck of the ship and contemplating suicide. He had been seen by military psychiatrists and spent time in a psychiatric hospital, but with little effect. After his dishonorable discharge following a string of petty crimes, in a state of inebriation and fixated on a mythical insurance policy that would solve all his problems, he shot his mother in the head (she survived). With both Aden and Frizzle, one can’t help but wonder what difference some meaningful intervention might have made.
In every case, the easy access to lethal weapons was often the difference between a murder and a bad encounter. For Lester Young Jr. from Hilton Head, S.C., the often-profitable crack epidemic of the ’80s and ’90s demanded the presence of a small arsenal. The only son of a close, working-class black family, his already rebellious life completely fell apart after his mother died when he was in high school. Unable to recover from the shock, Young opted to earn big, risky money as a drug dealer, a life that inevitably led to extreme violence, culminating in the murder of one of his customers on Christmas Eve.
Then there was Brandon Clancy, a star athlete and stellar student, who had just completed his freshman year at San Bernardino Valley College, which he attended with plans to be drafted after a year or two to play football for a top NCAA team. Guns were a part of the Clancy family life, and Brandon returned to school after winter break with a vintage sawed-off shotgun from his grandfather. San Bernadino was not the idyllic college campus of his dreams, and he had been unnerved by a few encounters with local tough guys. “He wanted to be able to brandish an intimidating weapon if it came down to it.” It “came down to it” after a night of drinking with some buddies at a club, a stupid encounter on the road and a gun that went off unexpectedly.
Everyone — except Alphonsus “Al” O’Connor, a Chicago police officer who killed a suspect in the line of duty — goes to trial and to prison. In another case, Marvin Gomez had led an exemplary life until he shot someone whom he truly believed had threatened him. Instead of joining most others in accepting a plea deal, he went to trial. The jury did not agree with his insistence that his was a justifiable homicide and found him guilty, and he was sentenced during his appeal. He eventually spent 2 1/2 harrowing years in prison before his sentence was overturned. Nonetheless, his ability to find work and reclaim what was once his life became nearly impossible, even more so with the shocking ending of his story.
Aside from providing a window into the lives of these ordinary people, Patinkin also paints a vivid picture of the unrelenting violence, dysfunction and sociology of our penal system. Frequently, religious faith and practice becomes the only means to survive.
Patinkin writes about these lives with bracing empathy, and he clearly engaged the trust of his subjects, whose perspective on their crimes is filled with horror and regret. But often the familiar good-kid-gone-bad trope skirts away from more rigorous questioning. Why would the otherwise great Brandon want a sawed-off shotgun at all?
Often the sheer drama of the narratives makes it easy to ignore some of the writing, with cringe-worthy purple moments such as: “The shame gurgled in Lester’s throat like a vile backwash.” More complicated is the re-creation of dialogue Patinkin could not possibly have heard. Exchanges in prison, with lawyers, between parents and children, victims and perpetrators may make for an energetic narrative, but at best they complicate and at worst undermine the credibility of the stories. It only adds to the list of cringe-worthy moments, such as Patinkin’s efforts to reconstruct the Irish brogue of O’Connor’s then-wife: “ ‘I figured ye could do wit one of deez, Alfie,’ she said sweetly, smiling.”
To his credit, Patinkin has told us six stories that no one else would. He acknowledges that he is in no way trying to overlook the central tragedy of the victims and their families, but he tries his best to force readers to realize that these shootings aren’t just random events, but a result of real troubles within the shooters and the society that produces, and generally ignores, them.
The Trigger
Narratives of the American ShooterBy Daniel J. Patinkin
Arcade. 304 pp. $24.99