CRAIG GARNETT has owned the Uvalde Leader-News, the local newspaper, since 1989. He moved to Uvalde in 1982 to begin work with the Leader-News, where his weekly editorials and columns have won dozens of awards from the Texas Press Association and South Texas Press Association. Garnett received the 2023 Tom and Pat Gish Award for courage, integrity, and tenacity in rural journalism for his coverage of the 2022 Uvalde school shooting.

"An essential, up-close view of the tragedy in Uvalde."--Publisher's Weekly--Publisher's Weekly

"It's incredibly challenging to write about a tragedy, but Craig Garnett has done so admirably--with empathy, nuance, care, and, when warranted, outrage. So much of the coverage of what happened in Uvalde has focused on institutional failures. Garnett addresses these, but he also finds surprising moments of great tenderness and humanity, even in the face of great grief. This is the story of the Robb Elementary victims, but also so much more: we are let into a mother's political awakening, a father's desperate search for his child, and a community reeling in the aftermath. It's a book that could only have been written from the heart of the tragedy. At a time when journalism is in crisis, Garnett demonstrates why local news sources are so vital to the communities they serve."--Rachel Monroe, author of Savage Appetites: True Stories of Women, Crime, and Obsession--Rachel Monroe

"Bearing witness to the impacts of mass violence on the human spirit is a harrowing task. Doing so while in grief is unimaginable. Craig Garnett and the Leader News team did just that and more in the aftermath of the mass school shooting at Robb Elementary. Garnett captures powerfully the enduring quest by Uvalde families to honor the nineteen students and two teachers killed at Robb, to seek the truth, to care for survivors, and to seek healing for themselves and the city. Uvalde's Darkest Hour is written with the respect and care that Uvalde families deserve. This book provides urgent lessons for journalists, leaders, communities impacted by mass violence, and for those pursuing a world free of violence. Uvalde's Darkest Hour will leave readers inspired to do their part to ensure a more just future."--Monica Muñoz Martinez, Uvalde native, MacArthur Fellow, and author of The Injustice Never Leaves You: Anti-Mexican Violence in Texas--Monica Muñoz Martinez

It's the nature of journalism for reporters covering a war, a natural disaster, or a tragic event, to parachute in, stay long enough to get the story, and then move on to the next assignment. When an unimaginable tragedy tore apart his small town, journalist Craig Garnett stayed. This superb book is the product of a seasoned journalist's thorough and readable reporting combined with his deep knowledge and affection for his community. For years to come, Uvalde's Darkest Hour will be an invaluable resource for researchers--for all Americans--seeking to understand the mass-shooting phenomenon that afflicts this nation today."--Joe Holley, author of Sutherland Springs: God, Guns, and Hope in a Texas Town--Joe Holley

Publisher: Texas A&M University Press

Pub date: 2024-12-03

Length: 232 pages