Dunblane: Never Forget

by Mick North

Mick North's daughter Sophie was one of the Primary One children killed in the massacre at Dunblane Primary School on March 13, 1996. This is a personalized account of his life before and after the tragedy, and includes a critical assessment of the events that led to the slayings and those that have followed in its wake. The book shows how, after a public event of such magnitude, the victims' families not only have to go through their personal grieving process but also have to fight hard to ensure that others don't take over the agenda. The title reflects North's concerns about the attitude of some who want this appalling massacre to be forgotten.

Genres: Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2000

Reviews

[Izzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first learnt about the horror that happened on 13th March 1996 in Dunblane when I was in my teens. Thomas Hamilton never should've been allowed to inflict the devastation he did that dark spring day and many failures led to the murder of innocent children and their very brave teacher.

Mick's book is absolutely devastating and I could feel his grief through his words. Until now, Sophie North was just a name I had read in the list of the children killed in the massacre but the book really allowed me to learn a bit about who she was. The parents of the Dunblane victims should be immensely proud of themselves for turning their grief into something positive and bringing about the changes to gun laws that protect myself and all other UK citizens. I'm extremely grateful for their selfless sacrifices in the hardest of times, which in turn enabled myself and many other children to be protected at school in the years following the massacre.

I will definitely be keeping this book and passing it onto my children and grandchildren when they're old enough to read it. If we don't talk about these thing, there is a real chance thy could happen again.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is heartbreaking, and you cannot start to imagine, how this man could recover. It is very well written, and delves into the mistakes made by the professionals on the day of this tragedy and before and after. It made me cry, it also made me smile. It made me angry too. I actually read it when it first came out, then again recently. It still had the same effect.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book! I knew of the Dunblane tragedy, but never knew how poorly the parents and families were treated from the onset by the authorities, community etc. At times I had to put the book down as I couldn't see through the tears. Excellently written by Sophies father.

[Emma Slaughter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not overly emotional, but honest and raw.