Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters

Written by Peter Langman, PhD

Narrated by Matthew Josdal

Ten years after the school massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado, school shootings are a new and alarming epidemic. While sociologists have attributed the trigger of violence to peer pressure, such as bullying and social isolation, prominent psychologist Peter Langman, argues here that psychological causes are responsible.



Drawing on twenty years of clinical experience, Langman offers surprising reasons for why some teens become violent. Langman divides shooters into three categories, and he discusses the role of personality, trauma, and psychosis among school shooters.



From examining the material evidence of notorious school shooters at Columbine and Virginia Tech to addressing the mental states of the violent youths he treats, Langman shows how to identify early signs of homicide-prone youth and what preventive measures educators, parents, and communities can take to protect themselves from the tragedy.



Contains mature themes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Nov 6, 2018
• ISBN: 9781541449053

Peter Langman, PhD

Peter Langman is the Clinical Director of psychology at KidsPeace, an organization that helps kids overcome emotional crises. Winner of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association's 2008 Psychology in the Media Award, he has over 20 years of experience treating at-risk youth, specializing in kids with homicidal tendencies. He has appeared on CBS, BBC, and CBC. He is the author of a number of works on mental health.

Reviews for Why Kids Kill

[Saul Trow · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Whether you are looking for more information on famous school shooters, or are interested in their possible motives and mindsets, there are few books better than this!

[Jacob Ewald · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Thorough. Engaging. And frankly, a great book to read if you want to depoliticize your thinking on school shootings.

[Caroline Page · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

First of all, I was not a fan of the narrator. It was like he was trying to sound very dramatic.

The book was OK. Seemed very repetitive at times. I can’t count of the amount of times the author uses the words “Thus” and “Nonetheless”

[matthew marcon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

very interesting and insightful too. I think all teachers should read this book

[Ille Galise · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Chilling and informative. Interesting analysis of how the mind of a school shooter works

[Lauren Horne · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Honestly I can't stand how the narrator acts like he's reading some kind of ~spooky campfire story~ the entire time. It feels disrespectful to the subject matter, which I thought was supposed to be taken seriously and had some scientific grounding.

[Becki · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fascinating insights into the psychology of school shooters. It was hard to listen to some of the quotes from the dairies of Eric Harris because the words were so hateful, disturbing and disgusting. The insights the author drew from them were interesting. It highlights the different types of disturbed individuals and possible ways for their behavior. The whys is the reason I read this book. The author delivers. So I recommend reading