“I wish this book would be irrelevant.
I wish this book would be unnecessary.
But The Unthinkable is alarmingly relevant
and desperately necessary.
I thought the words in this book would have to
reflect the ugliness of its topic.
I thought the point of view of its author would
have to be shattered and crazy.
But the author of The Unthinkable has a true gift for writing.
In fact, dare it be said, the author has written an
extraordinary book about—the Unthinkable.
The author’s perspective is, paradoxically,
both Shattered, as well as Whole.
It is therefore, in my view, genuinely Holy.
And the author is hardly crazy:
Her narration is personal, profound and gripping.
And her call to action is, in fact, a prescription for sanity.
I could not read this book.
I could not put it down.”
—Arthur Kurzweil
American Author, Educator, and Publisher
“When two seventeen-year-old thugs slew an ambitious young woman, Susan Schaffer, in her own home, the crime wasn’t just another story of gun violence in America. Susan’s mother, Lois, made sure of that! The Unthinkable is a detailed account of Susan’s life and a powerful narrative aimed at stopping “unthinkable” carnage. It is a profoundly brave and honest testimony that will move hearts and minds.”
—Rabbi Shaul Marshall Praver
Newtown, Connecticut
“The Unthinkable is our contemporary In Cold Blood story, for that is how Susie died, in cold blood. Lois Schaffer captures the anguish in the aftermath of losing a child to gun violence. A mother, trying to make sense of a violent death of a kind, compassionate daughter, where there is none. It is a story that too many mothers in America share. Ms. Schaffer summons the courage to tell it.”
—Hon. Michelle Schimel
New York Assemblywoman-Sixteenth District,
and Co-Chair of State Legislators Against Illegal Guns (SLAIG)
“This book is a powerful story about a tragic event that brought Lois’s family to its knees. It’s a story about gun violence at its worst. But, most importantly, it’s a story about resilience in the face of adversity. I hope that it will inspire all of us to follow Lois’s lead in a push to pursue real reform so that other families do not have to live the nightmare that hers has.”
—Kathleen M. Rice
Nassau County District Attorney
“What Lois Schaffer has captured in The Unthinkable is the appalling resonance of gun violence, which shattered lives through three generations of her family. The brutal murder of her daughter has given a heart-rending passion and eloquence to Lois’s voice in a book that calls out powerfully for an end to the gun culture that is fast becoming the most shameful manifestation of American exceptionalism.”
—Mitchell Rosenthal, MD
Founder, Phoenix House
© 2013 Spiral Power LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
The Unthinkable Life, Loss, and a Mother’s Mission to Ban Illegal Guns
Brown Books Publishing Group
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Dallas, Texas 75248
www.BrownBooks.com (972) 381-0009
A New Era in Publishing™
ISBN 978-1-61254-159-4
LCCN 2013950931
Printed in the United States
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For Susie,
“Her light will never go out.”
“You shall not murder.”
—Exodus 20:13
“What greater grief can there be for mortals than
to see their children dead?”
—Joan Didion
Author’s Note
My purpose for writing this book is twofold: first, to relate the devastating effect of gun violence on the life of my daughter, our family, and friends who loved her and by so doing to raise readers’ consciousness of the easy accessibility of guns and how they can end up in the wrong hands, either by accident or willful action, and second, to prevent tragedies such as our family experienced.
The primary focus of this book is to tell you about our daughter Susie who was brutally murdered, another victim of the scourge of the illegal possession of guns. The reader may ask why there isn’t more information about the two young thugs who committed the crime in order to show the contrast between integrity and depravity. Though it was clear the perpetrators were out to break into homes and steal, no other information about their lives or family background was made available to help us analyze the reasons for their perversity. This information was unobtainable.
Even if such information had been offered, I still would have chosen to emphasize instead the life of a caring individual, my daughter, whom I’ve described from varying points of view in order to give the reader a clear understanding of the tragic consequences of gun violence. Insight into the perpetrators’ personalities, family lives, and reasons for committing such a heinous crime became less important than a focus on guns, their easy accessibility, and their illegal possession which together cause instant, unwarranted destruction and heartbreaking human loss.
Acknowledgments
I offer my heartfelt thanks to the following people:
My mentors—the Honorable May W. Newburger, former supervisor of the Town of North Hempstead, and Evelyn Weinstein—in memoriam for their information and guidance.
Jean DeMesquita for sharing her political savvy.
Ruth Karter for her wisdom, advice, and listening with her keen mind and perception.
Debbie Heicklen who always found the time to help me with her illustrious computer skills.
Bobby Kurzweil for her encouragement and her shared passion to complete this work.
Muriel Weinstein, a first rate author whose advice and knowledge were invaluable.
Judy Cohen,