Posted on Oct 23, 2022
She survived a mass shooting — then created a graphic novel to help others
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https://www.npr.org/2022/10/23/ [login to see] /mass-shooting-survivor-oregon-wrote-graphic-novel-memoir
It took Kindra Neely years to seek help.
Seven years ago, she survived the mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, where a gunman killed eight students and one professor, and injured eight more. She has now shared her experience in a debut graphic novel, Numb to This: Memoir of a Mass Shooting, hoping that it will help others.
"[This book] was something that I was kind of looking for right after the shooting had happened," Neely said. "I think for me, I really needed to know what was gonna happen to me in a few years. Like, what was expected or what should I look out for."
In the book, she recounts not only what happened that day, but also her journey working through the guilt and mental toll. She says she hopes other survivors of gun violence and trauma will see that moving forward is an uphill battle, but a doable one.
"I think just having the representation of what happens afterward is important for people because without it, you can get kind of stuck in the, 'I don't know what happens next; I don't know what to do,'" she said. "And that can kind of delay your whole life, really."
It took Kindra Neely years to seek help.
Seven years ago, she survived the mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, where a gunman killed eight students and one professor, and injured eight more. She has now shared her experience in a debut graphic novel, Numb to This: Memoir of a Mass Shooting, hoping that it will help others.
"[This book] was something that I was kind of looking for right after the shooting had happened," Neely said. "I think for me, I really needed to know what was gonna happen to me in a few years. Like, what was expected or what should I look out for."
In the book, she recounts not only what happened that day, but also her journey working through the guilt and mental toll. She says she hopes other survivors of gun violence and trauma will see that moving forward is an uphill battle, but a doable one.
"I think just having the representation of what happens afterward is important for people because without it, you can get kind of stuck in the, 'I don't know what happens next; I don't know what to do,'" she said. "And that can kind of delay your whole life, really."
She survived a mass shooting — then created a graphic novel to help others
Posted from npr.org
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Firearms and Guns
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Violence
Mental Health
Posted >1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Neely's method to share her story – a graphic novel – means the pages of her book are not only filled with her raw emotions but also with bright, descriptive images of her life before and after the shooting.
She said she started drawing as a hobby, but didn't consider it a career option until after college — and after the shooting.
"What I love about drawing is that it can do so many things for you mentally," she said. "When I'm doing things like comics, especially in the early production of them, it's more of a puzzle to solve because you're trying to tell a story the best way and how can you make the characters and background work for you."
It's also meditative for her; an activity that puts her in the moment, especially when drawing nature, and hopefully is one more step on her path to healing.'
..."Neely's method to share her story – a graphic novel – means the pages of her book are not only filled with her raw emotions but also with bright, descriptive images of her life before and after the shooting.
She said she started drawing as a hobby, but didn't consider it a career option until after college — and after the shooting.
"What I love about drawing is that it can do so many things for you mentally," she said. "When I'm doing things like comics, especially in the early production of them, it's more of a puzzle to solve because you're trying to tell a story the best way and how can you make the characters and background work for you."
It's also meditative for her; an activity that puts her in the moment, especially when drawing nature, and hopefully is one more step on her path to healing.'
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