Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This book was heavy, really REALLY heavy. And it was incredibly difficult to read. It hurt to read it. And it should. It was eye opening and necessary and a book that should be on everyone’s bookshelf. I cried, I felt sick to my stomach, and I was devastated by much of what I read. It will stay with me for a very long time.

This book helped me to really understand the generational trauma brought on by gun violence and policing. I really enjoyed how the author made me feel uncomfortable at times in order to really empathize with the black community. I would have liked for there to be more actions and solutions for these issues however the emotional aspect of the book definitely made it better. This book will stay with me for a longtime and I will be recommending it to other readers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Trymaine Lee and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book.

A good contribution to the conversation about guns and gun violence that we need to be having in this country. As a teacher I have long wanted gun control to be stricter and this book made me question even more why we haven’t been able to make the country safer for kids.

A Thousand ways to die, by Trymaine Lee, weaves history, recent events, and his family history into a powerful and compelling account of how violence, especially as related to guns, affects individual Black lives and Black communities as a whole.

I know some readers may have a hard time connecting his personal stories to the history and/or stories he has covered as a journalist, but if you can read and follow the connections he explicitly makes, you will appreciate how every layer of storytelling builds upon what came before. For instance, he tells us about visiting Africa and weaves the story of how guns were trafficked alongside slaves with the intention to increase the slave trade. No comment is casual and, if you read carefully, they all connect.

I think part of the power is from Lee's ability to help the reader feel what those involved felt. From those who had few if any opportunities to get ahead and resorted to violence to those who were victims of violence. And before anyone has any kneejerk reactions, acknowledging that how society is set up, intentionally, leaves little room for the majority to feel there is hope isn't the same thing as condoning violent action. If you aren't willing to openly look at root causes of issues, then you're not really interested in working toward solutions that benefit everyone involved. And we are all involved, these are our fellow human beings.

I would highly recommend this to readers who want both a micro and a macro look at how guns, directly and indirectly, are a root cause of much of not only the violence but the systemic issues confronting Black communities.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

This book started off scattered. He was going to Africa, then he talked about slavery and slave revolts. Then Reconstruction, Jim Crow. Throughout it all he would casually mention guns.

Then when he began to talk about his own life and reporting, the story got interesting. Not being morbid but the author has seen a lot of death. He has seen a lot of what other humans can do to other humans.

I liked all of his stories and cried when certain people died, espeically the New Orleans stories.

However, the title does not adequately explain that this is basically an autobiographical book. Further he focused more on gun violence than anything else.

This is a great read for an autobiography, but if you want in depth reporting on how black people die, this is not it.

To be fully transparent, I’m not Black, but one of my personal goals this year has been to read more nonfiction by BIPOC authors, especially books that speak to social justice and lived experiences that differ from my own. A Thousand Ways to Die by Trymaine Lee was heavier than I expected, but in hindsight, how could it not be?

This book is devastating, eye opening, and necessary. It dives deep into the generational trauma and systemic violence that has haunted Black communities in America for centuries, particularly through the lens of gun violence, policing, and structural neglect. Trymaine Lee blends his personal experiences with powerful reporting in a way that is both intimate and devastating. His storytelling is lyrical and raw, never shying away from hard truths.

One of the central threads is New Orleans, as he focuses on the before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina, and the trauma, neglect, and resilience of its Black population. Trymaine Lee’s writing captures the heartbreak of what happened, but also the pride and perseverance that still burns bright in that city.

There are tough themes throughout, especially when it comes to subjects like domestic abuse and death, and while I typically avoid books that go into those topics because they can be so hard on the mind, I’m glad I stuck with this one. It made me uncomfortable at times, but in a way that pushed me to reflect, learn, and sit with the realities that too many people face.

Flipping between memoir and social critique, Trymaine Lee shows how deeply personal and systemic trauma intersect. It’s not just about one man’s story, but it’s about the long shadow cast by history, from slavery to modern day media narratives. The book isn’t just sad though. It’s filled with love, for his daughter Nola, for community, for family, and for the potential of a better, more just future.

If I had any critique, it’s that I would’ve liked a bit more exploration of actionable solutions, and some chapters felt a little unbalanced in terms of pacing. But the emotional weight and honesty of the writing more than made up for that.

I do believe that A Thousand Ways to Die is essential reading, especially for those of us who want to listen, learn, and be better allies. It doesn’t sugarcoat anything, and it shouldn’t. This book will stay with me for a long time.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for emotional impact and powerful storytelling.

Thank you to NetGalley, Trymaine Lee, and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press for the digital copy of this book and audiobook; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

If you’ve been following Bargain Sleuth Reviews for any length of time, you may have noticed a shift in some of my reading. I still love cozy mysteries and historical fiction. I promise to get back to Nancy Drew reviews. However, my interests have shifted. I am trying to read more BIPOC fiction and non-fiction books. A Thousand Ways to Die is just such a book.

Trymaine Lee, a Pulitzer Prize winner, has written a deliberately thoughtful piece. It provides a revealing look at the historically grounded systemic racism in the United States. This work is interwoven with his memoir of his own life. This reflection on his own life is a reflective look at his own experiences with racism and gun violence.

This book is a lot heavier than I thought it would be. The gun violence and generational trauma of the Black experience in the United States must be talked about more. This is necessary, no matter how uncomfortable it may make you if you’re an American. The book contains domestic abuse themes. I normally try to avoid these themes. However, I also found it necessary to read about them.

One of the big themes is New Orleans and how Hurricane Katrina all went down. He makes his point with heartbreak and resilience of the Black population in NOLA. This trauma-filled book was tough to get through, yet I found it necessary.

Pulitzer Prize and Emmy Award–winning journalist Trymaine Lee first came onto my radar through his vital reporting in The 1619 Project. So when I had the opportunity to request an advanced reader’s copy of his debut book A Thousand Ways to Die, I didn’t hesitate.

This book left a mark on me.

Lee unpacks the painful truths about America’s gun industry. He writes about where weapons are manufactured, how they end up in our neighborhoods, and the cracks in the system that allow violence to flourish. What elevates this book beyond statistics and case studies is Lee’s deep humanity. As a Black journalist, he doesn’t simply report stories. It's abundantly clear that he builds relationships with the people behind them, many of whom are navigating unimaginable grief.

In one of the most harrowing passages, Lee recalls interviewing an elder in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. As she struggled to speak through tears, describing her escape from a flooding attic and the dead baby she saw floating in the water, Lee writes that he couldn’t stop his own tears from falling. That moment gutted me.

As a therapist serving my community, I understand the toll that vicarious trauma takes. Lee’s honesty about how this work has shaped—and shaken—him is courageous. It means even more to me that Lee writes from the vantage point of Black manhood and Black fatherhood. His love for his daughter is a central through line in the narrative.

Lee writes not just about gun violence’s impact on the Black community, but about how it lives in his body, his lineage, and his daily reality as a father. And in prose that is both lyrical and clear-eyed, he reminds us what bearing witness really looks like:

“I’d collected strips of construction paper for a grim kaleidoscope that contorted American life and death. And I remember all the hues, vividly.”

This book is not easy—but it is essential. Trymaine Lee doesn’t just tell us the truth. He invites us to hold it, mourn it, and push forward anyway, armed with memory, integrity, and love.

A beautiful and important work that show cases so much. I was heartbroken at parts but also furious. A truly emotive author.

This was a beautiful book. I knew of the Author's work and his namesake initially boasted interest for me, followed closely by the cover and title. As a NOLA native, his chapters on the inner horrors post Katrina was much more eye opening than expected. Trymaine gives added voice to those hardened and silenced through violence and racism. Although in moments I felt a bit whip lashed when he kept jumping in between stories, the point was made well enough and the heart break for the truth is open and honest.