Victim’s Mother Releases Memoir for Gun Violence Awareness Month
A Better Place Finding Peace in the Face of Tragedy
Last June, thousands of people across the country observed Gun Violence Awareness Monthby rallying together and wearing orange. As the epidemic of violence continues, the demand for gun safety and awareness is even higher this year. Since January, there have been over 3,000 deaths due to gun violence and 48 mass shootings in the United States. As the government and civilians struggle to find answers to prevent the next tragedy, there are still never enough empathetic words to say to a family broken up by gun violence.
Pati Poblete is one of the thousands of mothers who lost children to gun violence.
This is her story: On September 21, 2014, Pati Poblete’s beloved son Robby was killed by gun violence in broad daylight at a busy intersection in Vallejo, CA. He was 23 years old. Since then, Poblete has been on an incredible journey as she awaits the murder trial and weaves her path through this tragedy.
Poblete recounts this remarkable story of loss and redemption in her new memoir, A Better Place, which will be released on May 22 in advance of National Gun Violence Awareness Month. This release date is also symbolic as it marks the beginning of her son’s murder trial.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Poblete takes readers on a raw, heartbreaking journey from the scene of the crime, to a worldwide quest to understand Robby’s unfulfilled plans – all while trying to make sense of what has happened. Through her writing, she reveals how his death has changed her and how she used the horrifying experience to make sure her son’s legacy endures.
A documentary about Poblete’s story is now in the works. You can find a brief promo clip HERE.
Hundreds of self-help books are available on grief and loss, however, Poblete found no comfort in these “how to” guides after her son’s death.
“There is no “how to” when it comes to recovering from such a loss. It’s more helpful to know you are not alone by hearing other stories of loss and recovery…”
…says Poblete who hopes this memoir will provide comfort to others. “This is not a self-help guide, it is simply my story of how losing my son to gun violence shattered my world, my faith, my sense of community, and how I was able to rebuild my life through my son’s sense of adventure, fearlessness, and love for life.”
Poblete also found relief and healing by turning her grief into action. She began the Robby Poblete Foundation, an official not-for-profit gun buyback program whose efforts take unwanted and potentially dangerous guns out of circulation and provide vocational programs to individuals and communities affected by gun violence. This program has now expanded to three counties and it continues to grow.
Sadly, Pati Poblete is one of the thousands of people coping with gun violence today. Though her story is heartbreaking, it provides hope and inspiration to people showing that they too can heal and find peace after an insurmountable tragedy.
Poblete is on a mission to reduce gun violence by raising awareness. She has information on how people can help and how those affected can turn grief into action.
IN AN INTERVIEW OR ARTICLE, POBLETE CAN DISCUSS
- How people can help reduce gun violence and increase opportunities in American communities – especially for Gun Violence Awareness Month
- Insight and advice for the many people around the country currently suffering as a result of gun violence
- How parents can find redemption in the face of tragedy
- Her first-hand experience of the pain and aftermath resulting from the tragic death of her only son
ABOUT PATI POBLETE:
Pati Navalta Poblete is a longtime Bay Area journalist, serving as the Community Editor for the Vallejo Times-Herald, News Editor at the Alameda News Group, and Editorial Writer and Columnist for The San Francisco Chronicle, where she was nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize for her editorial series on the need for foster care reform in California. She later worked as the Asia Regional Director for an international organization that works with national governments and intergovernmental agencies on shaping sustainability policies. She is the author of “The Oracles: My Filipino Grandparents of America” (2006, Heyday Books), and the author of the upcoming book, A Better Place (Nothing But the Truth Publishing), to be released in May 2018.
You can watch her story HERE.
Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.
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