Award-winning Journalist John Quiñones Writes About the Tragedy of Uvalde and Its Community’s Activism and Resiliency
02 May 2024
Award-winning journalist and APB speaker John Quiñones’ newest book—One Year in Uvalde: A Story of Hope and Resilience—releases May 7. Quiñones co-wrote the book with María Elena Salinas. It is a narrative that builds on year-long ABC News reporting from Uvalde, Texas, chronicling how the community is forging on through grief with hope and activism in the shadow of tragedy.
Uvalde: 365 was a continuing ABC News series led by the network’s Investigative Unit. As part of the initiative, ABC News opened a local satellite news bureau in Uvalde, Texas, in the aftermath of the tragic mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, that hosted a rotating crew of correspondents, producers, writers and technical staff. Their gripping, vital reporting has been featured across all programs and platforms, from Good Morning America to World News Tonight with David Muir.
Quiñones and Salinas became immersed in the Uvalde community, as their field reporting brought them ever closer to the people of this Texas city. The pair, along with other ABC reporters and producers on the ground, documented the lives of victims’ families; covered local community events; followed city council, school board, and Texas Legislature meetings; and attended congressional hearings in Washington, D.C., where victims’ families have been advocating for gun reform.
One Year in Uvalde synthesizes this year-long story into a timely, humane, and important look at a community’s activism and resiliency, as it follows several families and residents while events continue to unfold in the community. The intimate, sensitive reporting of Quiñones, Salinas, and the ABC News team examines a specific time and place in American life, thereby highlighting challenges that we face as a nation.
The book has received high praise. “What happened in Uvalde didn’t just change that small town,” says Maria Hinojosa, Pulitzer prize winner and president of Futuro Media. “It changed our country. I understand why María Elena and John needed to be there, to be present and to write this powerful book. There are deep and profound lessons about what happened in Uvalde. Now more than ever we need journalists to be telling this story, and to not turn away.”
The authors will be making donations to the following charities that serve the Uvalde community: The Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation; The Uvalde Forever Fund of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country; the Uvalde High School Athletic Department.
A lifetime of “never taking no for an answer” took Quiñones from migrant farm work and poverty to more than 30 years at ABC News, the anchor desk at 20/20 and Primetime and seven national Emmy awards for his reporting over the years. Along the way, he broke through barriers, won the highest accolades and became a role model for many. As host and creator of What Would You Do?, the highly-rated, hidden camera ethical dilemma news magazine now on its 18th season, Quiñones has literally become “the face of doing the right thing” to millions of fans.
Known for truly connecting with audiences and leaving them uplifted and inspired, Quiñones delivers a powerful message of believing in one’s self, never giving up and always, always doing the right thing.