Numb to This: Memoir of a Mass Shooting by Kindra Neely is a book I will not tell you about how I felt about it as it had moments that I felt were stronger than others, but others were not as strong as they could have been. But that is just my opinion. Whatever your own experiences are will make this book what it is about. The illustrations are bold, simpler, and colorful. Triggers: suicidal thoughts, attempted suicide, school and mass shootings, some Islamophobia, mental health issues, and more. Or in other words, it has a lot to unpack.
As does Neely. Therefore, I will say that this memoir is not what I expected. I figured she would focus more on the actual events that are happening. Though we do get the event that Neely was directly involved in to a point. She does not “deep dive” or dwell on the who or whys of things, but focuses on herself and how the outside world reacts, or does not. I did not expect to have it mostly Kindra and showing how she was (or was not) dealing with her PTSD, feelings, hopelessness, trying to keep it together for friends, and figuring out what she wants to do with her life. It is a coming of age story with the backdrop of a traumatic situation that will shape the author for years to come.
The illustrations are also not what I expected. I know the cover is easier looking, simple, but I figured that the internal images would be more detailed. Things are actually fairly minimalist, and not missing anything, or even lacking color, but they are mostly background and do not always “add” to the story, but do not detract from it either. They are a good supporting cast.
Overall, I liked this book. Was it what I expected, again, no but it probably was a bit better.