About this item
Picking up where The Tipping Point leaves off, respected journalist Lee Daniel Kravetz's Strange Contagion is a provocative look at both the science and lived experience of social contagion.In 2009, tragedy struck the town of Palo Alto: A student from the local high school had died by suicide by stepping in front of an oncoming train. Grief-stricken, the community mourned what they thought was an isolated loss. Until, a few weeks later, it happened again. And again. And again. In six months, the high school lost five students to suicide at those train tracks. A recent transplant to the community and a new father himself, Lee Daniel Kravetz's experience as a science journalist kicked in: what was causing this tragedy? More important, how was it possible that a suicide cluster could develop in a community of concerned, aware, hyper-vigilant adults? The answer? Social contagion.
About the Author
Lee Daniel Kravetz has a master's degree in counseling psychology and is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. His writing focuses on hope, survivorship, and stories of resilience. Kravetz has held positions at the VA Palo Alto Healthcare System, The National Center for PTSD, and Stanford University Hospital. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism, and has written for print and television, including The New York Times, Psychology Today, and The Huffington Post, as well as Frontline, NOVA, and Sesame Street. He is a resident of the San Francisco Writers Grotto and a founding board member of the LitCamp Writers Conference. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and two children. For more information, visit www.leedanielkravetz.com.
