4 out of 4 stars
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What will you do if someone tells you that you have only one week to live? Final Notice by Van Fleisher is a thought-provoking science fiction novel that describes the positive and negative consequences of gun ownership. Concurrently, it introduces readers with a high-tech sports watch (VT2) that not only monitors the complex health issues but also generates a prior warning of death (final notice) for its users. So, people can tie up their legal and personal affairs. It is the apparent purpose of this watch; but is it rightly used?
The plot switches between two topics and discusses the need and impact of civilian gun ownership. The book vividly displays the requirements and apprehensions of elderly people in the USA. Moreover, the author provides a thorough analysis accompanied by facts and figures that depicts the rising trend among senior citizens who are looking for possessing a gun to secure themselves and their family. Trudi and Vince are among one such couple, who increasingly become convinced that processing a gun remains an ultimate solution to thwart any unpleasant incident, especially from law-breaking youth side. The author presents many cases in which the people misused the NRA discount packages and that resulted in mass killing. These further raises the question about whether the guns should be imparted to old people with deteriorating mental health conditions or it is good for their safety. On the other side, we follow a team of doctors led by Vijay Patel ( a shrewd mathematician and a skilled athlete) has developed a high-tech sports watch that includes a unique quality to predict the death time of its users by monitoring and analyzing their internal health conditions. It was a brilliant invention from a commercial point of view, but did it achieve its objectives without posing any harm to people? The author excellently examines this invention by putting forward different case studies that showed the pros and cons of this novel device.
The book effectively contributes to the burning issue of gun control policy that has a significant impact on maintaining peace in society. The author maintains that racial discrimination and religious intolerance has further hyped the severity of the issue. Furthermore, he (the author) skillfully uses the characterization to signify the depth of the issue that how these guns or controversial technological advancement are affecting the lives of people. Here, the question is that who can be held responsible for the mass shooting in schools and public places? The NRA, that always advocates for gun ownership and presents it as an unavoidable necessity; the government, that couldn’t develop laws for the safety of its citizens; or a gun-owner, who places the other people’s life on risk by just one reckless act. The author critically evaluates many questions for its readers.
The most appealing thing for me was the author’s advocacy for gun control and his demand for the legitimate use of this dangerous weapon. I endorse the author’s views on this matter and support the limited and lawful use of this weapon after giving proper education to its users. We cannot revoke such erroneous incidents associated with this weapon unless we educate gun owners and develop strict laws to curtail its misuse. Additionally, I liked the engaging narrative of the author that made a dry topic interesting. He discussed the whole issue by adding different citations and cases that make the reading engrossing. The inclusion of a unique-featured watch with its unpredictable consequences kept me guessing throughout the story.
In conclusion, this book is a marvelous blend of technology and mystery. For me, there was nothing to dislike. The author very timely chose this issue in the wake of growing gunshot incidents in elderly and youth. It makes it imperative for the US policymakers to revamp their gun safety laws and provide a more secure environment for its citizens. In general, we should spend more money on providing better education and health facilities instead of purchasing guns. This book is mainly set in the US context; however, I believe that it is equally important for the lawmakers of other countries to curb the extremist acts of individual and mass killing. The book is professionally edited. So, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. This book will appeal to the advocates of firearms regulation. However, it may annoy to the supporters of gun ownership. Now, it is the readers’ discretion, in which group they want to place themselves.
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Final Notice
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