The Hunting Accident: A True Story of Crime and Poetry
Illustrator
Landis Blair
Publisher
First Second
Publication Year
2017
ISBN
9781626726765
Pages
464 pages
Genre
biography
Format
graphic novel
Item Type
Nonfiction
Annotation
It was a hunting accident; that much Charlie is sure of. That's how his father, Matt Rizzo--a gentle intellectual who writes epic poems in Braille--had lost his vision. It's not until Charlie's troubled teenage years, when he's facing time for his petty crimes, that he learns the truth. Matt Rizzo was blinded by a shotgun blast to the face, but it was while participating in an armed robbery. Newly blind and without hope, Matt began his bleak new life at Stateville Prison. In this unlikely place, Matt's life and very soul were saved by one of America's most notorious killers, Nathan Leopold Jr., of the infamous Leopold and Loeb.
Grade Level
9-12
Diversity Topics
Family Relationships; Disability and Health; Family member death; Incarceration; Physical disability; death of a mother; father in prison; son in prison; blind; blind adult
Main Character
adult male
Race/Ethnicities
White
Family Formation
father
Awards
Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards, 2018, Finalist, Book of the Year
Keywords
secrets; Braille; poems; hunting accident; shotgun; Leopold and Loeb; armed robbery; organized crime; mentorship
Diversity Impact
direct
STARS Citation
Carlson, David L., "The Hunting Accident: A True Story of Crime and Poetry" (2017). Diverse Families. 2003.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/diversefamilies/2003