The End of Violence - by Gary Slutkin (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A leading epidemiologist and violence prevention expert "leads us down an entirely new path to a world beyond violence" (Nicholas Kristoff), with a bold new theory of how violence infects a society, and a hopeful vision for eradicating it with the same playbook used to combat contagious disease.

Violence is often described as a social issue, a moral failing, or an innate human instinct. But in fact, argues Dr. Gary Slutkin, violence is a contagion that infects a society like a disease.

This isn't a metaphor. In THE END OF VIOLENCE, Dr. Slutkin draws on the expertise gleaned from 40+ years on the frontlines fighting deadly epidemics to reveal that violence operates according to the same predictable logic as every other contagious disease, initially infecting a small number of carriers then spreading from host to host. When a shooting occurs in a neighborhood, it's not just a tragic event--it's patient zero in an outbreak.

Through compelling stories ranging from the streets of Chicago, to war-torn villages in the Ukraine and Syria, to mass shootings in suburban America, THE END OF VIOLENCE offers a hopeful alternative to the failed strategies of deterrence and incarceration: a proven public health approach that interrupts transmission, changes behavior, and inoculates against future infection. Whether giving water to a child with diarrhea or providing a safe interruption to a domestic abuser, these methods focus on curing rather than punishing, and can be used to protect ourselves, heal our communities, and end the global epidemic of violence during our lifetime.

Review Quotes

"Dr. Slutkin can predict violence and see it move from one person to another, like a contagion. And like disease transmission, he shows violence can be interrupted, and potentially cured. He gives hope to what has always felt like a hopeless issue."--Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Associate Chief of Neurosurgery at Grady Memorial Hospital, Chief Medical Correspondent For CNN

"Dr. Slutkin is revolutionizing the field entirely. This book does more than explain his discovery that violence is a communicable disease--it also offers extremely practical applications. The world needs this book now to change the tide of violence and build a world of peace."--Rima Salah, former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations

"Dr. Slutkin leads us down an entirely new path to a world beyond violence. This is an inspiring journey that leads us to see problems in a new light, and to tackle them in new ways."--Nicholas Kristof, Two- time Pulitzer Prize winning journalist New York Times Op-Ed Columnist

"Gary Slutkin is one of the most important thinkers and activists in the vital effort to understand and reduce violent crime....an invaluable contribution."--Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, author of The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined

"No more pressing challenge faces us today than the epidemic of violence. Surprisingly, there is a cure. In this all-important book, epidemiologist Gary Slutkin brings 25 years of deep experience and knowledge to show us how we can use the paradigm of public health to cure the world of this deadly epidemic. This book could not be more relevant or useful."--William Ury, New York Times bestselling Author of Getting to Yes, Co-founder of the Harvard Program on Negotiation and the International Negotiation Network with Jimmy Carter

"The End of Violence is a visionary work. A must-read, not only for practitioners but also for everyday people who care about their families, their futures, and those around them."--Dr. Susan L. Bissell, Founding Director, Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children, former Global Chief, Child Protection, UNICEF

About the Author

Dr. Gary Slutkin is a physician and epidemiologist and the CEO of Cure Violence an innovator in violence prevention. As Director of Intervention at the World Health Organization, Dr. Slutkin previously led efforts to combat epidemics of tuberculosis, cholera, and AIDS in over 25 countries. In 2000, Dr. Slutkin founded Cure Violence Global, which has applied epidemiological methods to stop the spread of violence in some of the most violent neighborhoods in the US. Dr. Slutkin has presented his solution-oriented understanding of the violence epidemic to the World Bank, the State Department, the World Health Organization, the Institute of Medicine, MIT, SaxeLab, Harvard Law School, and the National Intelligence Council.