The Events of October

On a Sunday night during Homecoming weekend in 1999, Neenef Odah lured his ex-girlfriend, Maggie Wardle, to his dorm room at Kalamazoo College and killed her at close range with a shotgun before killing himself. In the wake of this tragedy, the community of the small, idyllic liberal arts college struggled to characterize the incident, which was even called the events of October in a campus memo. In this engaging and intimate examination of Maggie and Neenefs deaths, author and Kalamazoo College professor Gail Griffin attempts to answer the lingering question of how could this happen? to two seemingly normal students on such a close-knit campus. Griffin introduces readers to Maggie and Neenefa bright and athletic local girl and the quiet Iraqi-American computer studentand retraces their relationship from multiple perspectives, including those of their friends, teachers, and classmates. She examines the tension that built between Maggie and Neenef as his demands for more of her time and emotional support grew, eventually leading to their breakup. After the deaths take place, Griffin presents multiple reactions, including those of Maggies friends who were waiting for her to return from Neenefs room, the students who heard the shotgun blasts in the hallway of Neenefs dorm, the president who struggled to guide a grieving campus, and the facilities manager in charge of cleaning up the crime scene. Griffin also uses Maggie and Neenefs story to explore larger issues of intimate partner violence, gun accessibility, and depression and suicide on campus as she attempts to understand the lasting importance of their tragic deaths. Griffins use of source material, including college documents, official police reports, Neenefs suicide note, and an instant message record between perpetrator and victim, puts a very real face on issues of violence against women. Readers interested in true crime, gender studies, and the culture of colleges and universities will appreciate The Events of October.