Can Reading One Book Change Your Life? 

By Susan Magestro

It was spectacular to see hundreds of teens at the Tucson Book Festival over  the last 2 years. It is one of the most well attended festivals in the nation. With  anticipation and excitement, some waited in line to get their books signed by  their favorite authors for over an hour. That book, that author, meant something  to them. The same lines were formed by adults for their favorite authors! 

Watching those scenes made men reminisce, because one book can change a  life. I know this emphatically, as it changed mine.  

When I was twelve years old, I read a book about a young woman returning to  her apartment, late at night in Kew Gardens, New York. It was considered a  relatively safe area until her assailant returned multiple times to ‘finish her off’, a  behavior not typical in assault. As horrifying as this crime was, what shook me  most were the allegations that thirty-nine people witnessed the attack and it was  initially reported, no one called the police. 

Later I would study what would be known as Bystander Shock Syndrome. I  struggled to understand how so many people could hear this woman screaming  for her life and do nothing. I didn’t realize how deeply this would affect my  future.  

As I moved through high school, I was selected as a teen correspondent for the  Arizona Republic Newspaper; sharing the perspective of local, national and  world events through the eyes of a teenager. My copy was due every Saturday  morning. 

Everyone around me believed my future would be as a writer. It was the field of  criminology that called out to me.  

Drawn toward advocacy and understanding human behavior at its most  extreme, I was mentored by extraordinary professionals, such as an attorney  general, an FBI Agent, investigators and others who helped shape the path  ahead. I followed open doors rather than a step by step plan, allowing my  career to evolve as the world changed.  

I never could have anticipated that one of my earliest and most enduring areas  of expertise would be parents afraid of their own children. Decades later, it  remains my number one callout. Nor could I have foreseen the enormity of  school shootings, an area that I have focused on since 1997. 

Soon after, I found myself presenting to packed audiences of professionals,  parents and communities, who wanted answers Many are angry. Many were  scared. 

This demand is what brought me back to writing. 

My first non-fiction book was born, Raging from Within: De-Escalating Angry  People. Written nearly ten years ago, it recaps mass shootings, systemic  trauma, Columbine, and George Floyd. They still Damian painfully relevant  today.  

That book opened the door to another deeply hidden issue affecting an  estimated eight million people in the United States. They are the children of  incarcerated parents. My book, Reunification of Incarcerated Parents and Their  Children addresses the trauma, stress and anger children experience when  visiting their parent in prison, because for them, life is forever changed. 

Then came Breaking The Cycle of Trauma: Through A Daughter’s Eyes, a book  rooted in love, loss and resilience. This love story outlines the walk along side  someone you love with a destructive mental health disorder until the day they  die, loving them and navigating the world with them until the day they die. I will  be narrating this book on Audible at the end of the month. 

Two recent events have now brought my life full circle. The first is my debut  fiction, a compelling psychological thriller, Priscilla Breen, Criminologist: The  Capture, which has just been released. Truth or Fiction, you can decide.  

Who do you think is capable of becoming a killer? 

Do you know anyone who cannot commit murder?  

You would be wrong! 

Things are not always what they seem!  

The second event was a fourteen year old from the other side of the country  read one of my books. She shard how this impacted her life. 

The book I read decades ago ago changed the trajectory of my life. Perhaps the  books you write will change a life in ways you never expect. 

Today, I proudly call myself an author and a criminologist. 

—

“When people are running away from rage and violence, Susan Magestro’s unique, thirty-five year career has evolved into one of running into chaos.

Susan Magestro; criminologist, interventionist, international presenter and university instructor is now returning to writing full time. As a former newspaper columnist and author, she is excited to be merging her two passions; the world of criminology and writing.

Susan has written five books. They center around incarcerated parents, de-escalating rage and explosive youth who become school shooters. She recently published a memoir ‘Breaking The Cycles of Trauma: Through A Daughter’s Eyes’ and is excited to launch her first psychological thriller in 2025; part of the Priscilla Breen:  Criminologist Series.

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing