I review books for CHOICE, the review outlet of the Association of College and Research Libraries. I get about 200 words to tell librarians whether they should acquire a book and what kind of users might be attracted to it.

My review of Policing Gun Violence: Strategic Reforms for Controlling Our Most Pressing Crime Problem (Oxford University Press, 2023) is forthcoming in CHOICE in April 2024. See the text of the review below.

In Policing Gun Violence, Braga (Univ. of Pennsylvania) and Cook (emer., Duke Univ.) bring together their years of collective experience researching gun violence prevention. Coming on the heels of calls to defund the police following the murder of George Floyd by members of the Minneapolis Police Department in 2020, Braga and Cook defend the importance of law enforcement for “controlling our most pressing crime problem.” They concentrate on the “routine violence” that plagues low-income Black communities rather than the mass shootings and political violence that often hold Americans’ attention (p. 6). Chapters 1–4 establish the dimensions of the problem and policing as a possible solution. The following five chapters highlight success stories—hot spot policing (ch. 5) and focused deterrence strategies (ch. 6)—and areas where there is room for improvement—homicide clearance rates (ch. 7), police-involved shootings (ch. 8), and policing underground gun markets (ch. 9). The book concludes with a cautiously optimistic view toward the future. Overall, this is a comprehensive and practical guide to the central role played by police in combating everyday violence involving guns.

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