Treating Violence

An Emergency Room Doctor Takes On a Deadly American Epidemic

De: Robert Gore

Narrado por: Ron Butler

Duración: 6 h y 40 m

Resumen del Editor

The inspiring story of a Black doctor deeply affected by the violence in his childhood that plagued his Brooklyn community who was determined to be a force for change and dedicated himself to addressing trauma and violence as public health issues

Rob Gore first encountered violence when he was beaten and robbed as a 10-year old; it was treated as an inevitable fact of life, but after another brush with violence as a teen, he began to reject that prevalent attitude. As he matured and became a doctor, he grew in his determination to find treatments for what he saw not as an unavoidable fact for most people living in vulnerable, underserved neighborhoods especially, but as a public health issue that could be addressed by early intervention and solid support, beginning in the medical community. He also became deeply involved in efforts to diversify the entire field of medicine, starting with the “front lines” in the Emergency Department.

Seeing his brother Angel and close friend Willis fall prey to the epidemic of violence with profound—and in Willis’s case—deadly consequences, Rob began seriously researching the issue and went on to found an organization which is one of the models for successful approaches to reducing violence and protecting victims, who are disproportionately BIPOC, living in impoverished neighborhoods, or members of the LGBTQ+ community. Here he provides not only statistics, but stories of what he witnessed in NYC neighborhoods, in Atlanta, Chicago, Buffalo and even in medical work in Haiti and Kenya. His work with the Kings Against Violence Initiate (KAVI) and allied organizations is a blueprint for treating violence not as a police matter, but as a public health crisis, which can and should be addressed and substantially reduced. The people he introduces us to here are not merely victims, but often advocates, paving the way for eliminating the epidemic of violence in our country.

©2024 Robert Gore (P)2024 Beacon Press

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A vibrant and educational consideration of a devastating urban and global public problem by a CNN Hero.”—Booklist, Starred Review

“A frank, powerful argument for public health initiatives addressing violence.”—Kirkus Reviews

“‘The mission begins with the recognition that violence is a public health problem,’ writes physician Rob Gore in his at times harrowing, but always inspiring, book Treating Violence. Gore argues that the violence plaguing impoverished urban communities—where the residents tend to be Black or Brown—can be managed, like a disease, with thoughtful intervention. Dr. Gore has dedicated much of his life to that task, and his powerful story is its own kind of intervention in that it offers readers hope for a safer, more caring world.”—Theresa Brown, RN, author of The Shift and Healing