The Mural
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The Mural

The Mural


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About the Book

Based on the murder of nineteen children and two teachers in the Robb Elementary School shooting, The Mural explores themes of violent radicalism, generational trauma, cancel culture, and the healing power of art through the experiences of a muralist and his lover. He shot Granny in the face then murdered nineteen children and two teachers at Grape Valley Elementary School in far West Texas. So begins The Mural, Pulitzer-nominated war correspondent and author Sid Balman’s fictional account of the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that shook the US to its core. The Mural is told from the perspective of Jasper Losoya, an artist from the fictional West Texas town of Grape Valley who is commissioned, along with others, to paint commemorative murals of the victims of a recent mass shooting in the town square. When he initially receives news of the tragedy, Losoya is at work restoring an ancient mural in Pompeii with his assistant, Coraline Larkin, a young Irish woman who lost her hearing and her father in a Belfast bombing when they receive news of the mass murder. Once he sets to work on the mural, Losoya’s art sparks a controversy over censorship and cancel culture that lands in the US Supreme Court, dividing a “half-mast nation” as it lurches from one trauma to another. Penned by the author of the award-winning Seventh Flag trilogy, The Mural is an unforgettable journey through the modern American West—and a cautionary tale for the entire nation.

About the Author :
Sid Balman Jr. is a Pulitzer-nominated national security correspondent and awarded author who has covered wars in the Persian Gulf, Somalia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Kosovo, and has traveled extensively with two American presidents and four secretaries of state on overseas diplomatic missions. He has received numerous awards for the best-selling novels in his Seventh Flag Trilogy. He is currently a Writer In Residence at Sul Ross State University, as well as a working journalist and magazine contributor. A fourth-generation Texan, Balman lives in Alpine, Texas, and has two children and a dog.

Review :
“A gut punch. A beautiful, essential work. There is healing in grief, and art in tragedy, but ultimately this vital and visceral novel is a meditation on the impact of a radical extremism that—as Balman warns—has already gained a foothold in America. Balman's experience as a war correspondent bleeds into his stark, often explosive prose. His descriptions are painful and true. There are times you will want to look away. Don’t!”—James Wade, two-time Spur Award–winning author of Narrow the Road “The variety and complexity of Balman’s characters are testament to the many facets of the people who make up the state of Texas and America as a whole. . . . The Mural celebrates freedom of speech, artistic expression, and the power of love . . .”—Journal of the American Studies Association of Texas “Boldly tackles sensitive subject matter. Deeply impactful, yet complex and nuanced.”—Writers League of Texas  


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Product Details
  • ISBN-13: 9781684633524
  • Publisher: She Writes Press
  • Publisher Imprint: SparkPress
  • ISBN-10: 1684633524
  • Publisher Date: 17 Feb 2026


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