Numb to This: Memoir of a Mass Shooting By Kindra Neely
Numb to This: Memoir of a Mass Shooting
Reviewed by Susan Anderson, Aida Charco, Julia Fernandez, Kaylee Fero, Viridiana Garcia
Review:
Numb to This: Memoir of a Mass Shooting by Kindra Neely depicts the author’s experience surviving the 2015 Umpqua Community College shooting in Roseburg, Oregon, which left 10 dead and 8 injured. Neely walks the audience through as she recounts the full experience: being at the site first-hand, her troubles coping with the ensuing trauma, and how she proceeds to advocate for reform following the event. Kindra Neely, originally from Texas, was seemingly desensitized to firearm violence. Vaguely believing that guns were a remnant of her past, Neely did not believe that she would be involved in a mass shooting in Oregon. Upon completing community college and enrolling at the Savannah College of Art and Design, Kindra Neely struggles to cope with the shooting anniversaries. In harrowing detail, through immersive illustrations, Neely explores themes of trauma, depression, suicidality, friendships, and media presence, all on her journey toward finding inner peace. Numb to This: Memoir of a Mass Shooting depicts a relevant, traumatic topic, one that relates to all adolescents in the United States through a medium that digital natives will comprehend. By combining relevant issues with the increasingly popular concept of "visual literacy" explored in the Keyword Children's Literature, readers can better comprehend the concepts presented in graphic novels.
The Keyword Graphic Novel by Charles Hatfield is relevant to this context. Hatfield's Keyword entry is an eye-opening exploration of how society has unfairly treated graphic novels. It delves deep into the subject, exposing the biases and misconceptions that have led to the undervaluing of this art form. Shunned away as a juvenile medium, while also paradoxically being plagued with censorship, “Deemed trivial on the one hand, dangerous on the other, comics have had to run a tight gauntlet culturally, and this has everything to do with values and concerns vested in an idealized childhood,” (Hatfield 92), graphic novels, or simply “comics,” are more relevant than ever now, due to the rise of smart devices completing for our student’s attention spans. This stigma around graphic novels harms students' education as traditional novels wilt, “This consensus has come just in time to align with other trends in our culture, including abiding concerns about children’s putative illiteracy, the hyping of ‘new’' visual literacies, and growing anxiety among publishers about the decline in traditional book reading. Together these factors have legitimized comics as a new focus of publishing in general and children’s publishing in particular,” (Hatfield 93). In addition to traditional novels, graphic novels offer a unique way to engage adolescents and develop their interpretive skills through visual art. Graphic novels provide an authentic connection that students can appreciate while actively pushing away censorship rhetoric. Adolescents require a safe space for discussing conflicting topics instead of being sheltered from them.
Kindra Neely's work demonstrates the characteristics a modern young adult novel requires. One example where Numb to This: Memoir of a Mass Shooting’s unique visual display can be observed is on page 118. While trying to combat her PTSD, Neely's suicidal thoughts develop into an attempt.
Amongst the features that distinguish this page, the most immediate is the muffler that emits carbon monoxide, staining the other panels. The vapor itself has the unique characteristic of being purple. Each panel features close-up shots, but not of anyone’s face. One could make the connection that the combination of all the aforementioned visual elements highlights the disconnect between someone’s suicide and their life. The page exudes hopelessness; the only glimmer of hope is a vague message from Neely's phone.
A similar disconnect appears on pages 196 and 197.
This exhaustive and miserable cycle contains various detailed visual elements. Besides the first three panels, the other five feature wider shots, with more of an emphasis on Neely’s surroundings. This is to showcase the grandiosity of her mental breakdown. The second and sixth panels depict jagged, uncomfortable shapes, representing the sudden and drastic grip trauma can have on someone. The third and fourth panels showcase wavy shapes, implying that after anger and before depression, there’s this state of overwhelming fog that correlates with nausea. Deciphering the elements of the featured panels would significantly enhance the digital natives' visual interpretation skills. Censorship of a comic, especially one that contains topics depicting suicide, depression, and PTSD would only make for more stigmatization, and students will not know that their struggle is being heard. Whether or not a student will relate to the subsequent ensuing trauma from a mass shooting, mass shootings are a deadly phenomenon in the United States that will always linger in the minds of Americans. It is not necessary for the depiction of a breakdown to relate to Neely's struggle; it could apply to any response. Just the portrayal of it resonates with young adults; the words are brought to life with visuals that beckon exploration. There is peace in knowing that such a struggle was illustrated and de-stigmatized. Exploring videos and images on a smart device may not automatically equip teenagers with the ability to comprehend the underlying visual components of a comic. However, the foundation of this skill has already been unconsciously developed. In a world where books are replaced by digital content, graphic novels may effectively lure young people back to reading.
Biography:
Kindra Neely is an artist and writer born and raised in Texas. She now resides in Southern Oregon and continues her passion for Art. Kindra attended a local community college in Oregon called Umpqua Community College. While in community college, she took her first drawing class, which sparked her passion and love for Art. Her art journey flourished with the support and encouragement of a fantastic community. Kindra eventually graduated from Umpqua Community College with an associate of arts degree. After community college, she moved to attend Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta, Georgia. By 2019, Kindra received her BA in Sequential Art.
She is the author of the 2022 memoir Numb to This, which shares her experience as a survivor of the Mass Shooting at Umpqua Community College. Throughout the graphic novel, Kindra shares her experience as a mass shooting survivor and obstacles of anxiety, guilt, and PTSD. The graphic novel is recognized in multiple library recommendations, including Chicago Public Library’s Best of Best 2022 List. As it continues to be recognized by various communities, Kindra continues to share her personal story in hopes that other survivors of gun violence and trauma will overcome their arduous journey in moving forward in life. Even though it may be a tough battle, it’s achievable.
Kinda Neely
Instructional Resources:
Interview with Kindra Neely: An eight-minute interview between NPR’s Juana Summers and author and illustrator of Numb To This: Memoir of Mass Shooting, Kindra Neely.
Author Spotlight: Kindra Neely: Getting to know Kendra Neely, and the thought process behind the creation and execution of some of the illustrations in her book, Numb to This: Memoir of a Mass Shooting.
UCC-Shooting-Response-Oregon: Umpqua Community College’s response to the mass shooting on October 1, 2015, and how they plan to ensure the safety of their students going forward and help aid in the recovery of all those who were affected by the incident.
UCC Shooting Anniversary: An article about how UCC plans to honor all of the students and staff who were lost on the anniversary of the shooting on October 1, 2015.
A Guide to Using Graphic Novels A guide for educators explaining the value of using graphic novels in the classroom, and how to evaluate learning progress through their unique format.
Ted Talk with Gene Luen Yang Gene Luen Yang, author and illustrator of American Born Chinese, opens up about his passion for cartoons, his path as an educator, and where the two coincided. Discusses the uses of graphic novels in the classroom and the opportunities they present for students like himself.
Graphic Novel Terms and Concepts A guide to terms and concepts frequently seen and used in graphic novels. Provides definitions and examples of key terms to the understanding of any graphic novel.
Resources on Discussing School Shootings The San Diego County Office of Education published page providing resources for handling the discussion of school shootings for educators to students. With FAQs, tips, and methods of discussion, teachers can be well-equipped to handle this conversation.
Engaging with Difficult Topics This page provides teachers with different modes of communication, and ways to facilitate conversations on difficult topics within the classroom setting. Also touches on guidelines and ground rules to establish within these discussions.
Instructional Activity:
Lesson Objectives:
- Students will learn how to effectively read and analyze images within graphic novels.
- Students will practice what they’ve learned about interpreting and analyzing images within graphic novels and create three individual panels of their own based off of research on a real-world event.
- Students will learn how to conduct research using both primary and secondary sources.
California Common Core Standards:
English Language Arts Standards > Literacy: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.
Resources and Preparation:
Materials: Reading Pictures in Graphic Novels Handout
Text: Numb to This by Kindra Neely
Instructional Plan:
This assignment can be done in one to two days, depending on how much time your students may need to complete both parts of the assignment. The following lesson plan breaks the assignment up between two days.
Day 1: On day one, the teacher will pass out the Reading Pictures in Graphic Novels handout to the entirety of the class. This can be done in one of two ways, teachers can either gather their students into groups of 2-3 and have them work together to complete the assignment, or the assignment can be done individually. On day one, students are required to complete exercises one and two of the assignment. This portion of the assignment requires students to analyze six panels total from Kindra Neels’s graphic novel, Numb To This: Memoir of Mass Shooting. Each exercise consists of three cohesive panels. Students must first analyze each panel individually and then come to a conclusion as to how the three panels in each exercise work together to create a story. It’s advised that they use fact, opinion, and reasonable judgment to gear their answers. Further explanation of these ideas is explained in the handout.
Day 2: On day two, students will complete the second half of the assignment. The second half of the assignment requires that students conduct research of their own using primary and secondary sources on a real-world event and create three panels of their own based off of the event they chose to conduct their research on. They then must provide a brief description of what’s happening in each of their individual panels and how all three of their panels work together to create a story.
Reading Pictures in Graphic Novels Handout
