"A disturbing, yet compelling legal thriller! Nothing short of brilliant!" — Reedsy Discovery

The Brushy Ridge Militia by Roger Chiocchi is disturbing, yet compelling. Even though it is fiction, it is brutally honest and gets to the heart of bullying and school shootings in America. From the time he started school, Adam McGuirk had been an outsider. In high school, he was cruelly and unmercifully harassed by members of the football team. Finally one day, he had all he could stand. The 18-year-old illegally bought an automated weapon and took his revenge. Twelve people were killed including the shooter and the school counselor. In the aftermath, but still grieving, the loved ones of the victims decided to channel their grief into constructive action. Everyone, including their Congressmen, offered their “thoughts and prayers” but nothing else. Nothing changed.

While the Second Amendment was thrown in their faces as a reason not to regulate guns, they started thinking about the Second Amendment in the same way that the founding fathers must have envisioned it. As their constitutional right, they formed a militia to fight for their loved ones.

This book was inspiring as a call to action. Every major change in society has come as a result of sacrifice, standing up to authority, and challenging the normal course of events by doing things that are not normal.

This story raises questions that we should all be asking. What is the root cause of the school shootings we have experienced in the United States? Do we need tougher gun laws? Do we need security officers with guns patrolling our schools? Are the parents or the schools at fault? Is the core problem mental illness?

I am giving the Brushy Ridge Militia a rating of 5 stars. It is well-written and professionally edited. The last few chapters are nothing short of brilliant. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is frustrated with our legislators who seem to be incapable of reaching across the aisle and getting things done for the people who elected them. I would not recommend it for children or teens under 18. The vivid and graphic descriptions of the shooting victims are too gruesome for a child.