A review by wahistorian
One of Us: The Story of Anders Breivik and the Massacre in Norway by Åsne Seierstad

4.0

Asne Seierstad's account of the massacre of teens at a Labor party summer camp is gut-wrenching, but very timely, given the increasing number of mass shootings in the news. Seierstad's research reveals the background of the perpetrator, Anders Behring Breivik, but also the political circumstances in Norway that may have contributed to his incomprehensible slaughter of 77 teens. Rejected by nearly every group he tried to connect to, Breivik became the self-appointed savior of "Norway for Norwegians," directing his rage at immigrant Muslims, many of whom are also profiled in the book. Seierstad's aim is to describe each person's search for their role in a community--"one of us"--and how those identities can crash into one another with explosive results. It's an issue that will continue to be worthing thinking about as immigrants move around the world.