How a Parkland Dad and 9/11 Brother Faced Tragedy

"Don't tell me there's no such thing as gun violence. It happened in Parkland." Fred Guttenberg

2020 Nautilus Silver Winner
2021 Chanticleer Hearten Awards First Place Winner

Life changed forever on Valentine's Day 2018 for Fred Guttenberg and his family. What should have been a day of love turned into a nightmare. Seventeen people died at Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Fourteen-year-old Jaime Guttenberg was the second to last victim.

"Fred Guttenberg is a hero." Lawrence O'Donnell. That Jaime and so many of her fellow students were struck down in cold blood galvanized many to action, including Jaime's father Fred now a gun safety activist dedicated to passing common sense gun safety legislation.

Fred was already struggling with deep personal loss. Four months earlier his brother Michael died of 9/11 induced pancreatic cancer. He had been exposed to too much dust and chemicals at Ground Zero. Michael battled heroically for nearly five years and then died at age fifty.

Find the Helpers has a special meaning to the Guttenberg's. It was a beloved family wisdom learned from watching Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. In the midst of tragedy, "always look for the helpers. There will always be helpers. Because if you look for the helpers, you'll know there's hope." Fred Rogers, 1999

Healing from grief. Discover the story of Fred Guttenberg's activist's journey since Jaime's death and how he has been able to get through the worst of times thanks to the kindness and compassion of others. Good things happen to good people at the hands of other good people and the world is filled with them. They include everyone from amazing gun violence survivors Fred has met to former VP Joe Biden, who spent time talking to him about finding mission and purpose in learning to grieve.

If you enjoyed Eyes to the Wind, Haben, or The Beauty in Breaking, you'll love Find the Helpers!

Social Media Influence

Twitter: 300,000 followers

Fred has amassed approximately 8,200 press spots since February 15, 2018, the day after his daughter, Jaime, was murdered. Many of these spots are a result of "shares" from his social media activity. He was also featured at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

Friends of Fred

• VP Joe Biden and his team
• Michael Bloomberg and his team
• Speaker Pelosi and Christine Pelosi
• Congressman Ted Deutch
• Congressman Eric Swalwell
• Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz
• Members of the House and Senate
• Maria Shriver
• Alyssa Milano
• Tara Strong
• Debra Messing
• Eric McCormick
• Rosanne Arquette
• Patricia Arquette
• Bradley Whitford
• Tom Hanks
• Ellen Show
• Jimmy Kimmel Show
• Richard Schiff
• Chelsea Handler
• Howard Stern Show
• Anthony Scramucci
• David Semas
• Valerie Jarret
• Judd Apatow
• Shannon Watts (Mom's Demand)
• All of the gun safety groups (Everytown, Brady, Gifforts, Newtown, Guns Down, March For Our Lives, and others)
• Stephanie Miller on Sirrius
• Neal Katyal
• Joel Rubin
• Richard Lewis, Jessica Kirson, Jim Breuer, Alonzo Bodden - comedians
• Tom Arnold
• Rosie O'Donnell
• Ed Stack, CEO of Dicks Sporting Goods
• Randy Rainbow, YouTube star

Media Who Will Cover the Book Launch

• MSNBC. Fred has direct relationships with Mika and Joe, Stephanie Ruhle, Andrea Mitchell, Ari Velshi, Lawrence O'Donnell and Joy Reid. He has a primary contact with MSNBC who can book him on anything.
• CNN. Fred has direct relationships with Jake Tapper, Alisyn Camerota, Brook Baldwin, Poppy Harlow. He also has been asked multiple times for Anderson Cooper, but schedules have never aligned.
• PBS - Newshour with Judy Woodruff
• NPR
• NBC News
• Marie Claire
• BBC
• Buzz Feed (Remy Schmidt)
• Mother Jones (Kara Voight)
• Democracy Now
• HBO Real Sports
• Now This
• Jewish Telegraphic Agency
• LA Times
• Miami Herald
• Sun Sentinel (Tribune Company)
• Washington Post
• NY Times
• Newsweek
• Time Magazine
• Politico
• Reuters
• Rolling Stone
• Showtime show The Circus
• The Hill
• USA Today
• The Young Turks Damage Report

About the Author
Fred Guttenberg began his public life after the murder of his beautiful fourteen-year-old daughter Jaime in the Parkland, Florida, school shooting on Feb 14, 2018. The day after the murder, Fred decided to attend a public vigil. While there, the mayor asked him to speak. His words shook a nation and he has not stopped since. Only four months prior to the murder of his daughter, Fred's brother Michael passed away in October 2017 from cancer related to his service in 9/11 in New York City. He was one of the original first responders at the World Trade Center with a team of doctors who got trapped in the WTC as it collapsed. Amazingly, the room that they hid out in did not collapse and Michael and his team of physicians spent sixteen days at ground zero taking care of others. Following his involvement in these two distinctly American tragedies, Fred has traveled the country talking about both events but also talking about perspective, perseverance, and resilience. He discusses pivotal moments in our lives and how we respond to those moments, using his speech to inspire others. Prior to these events, Fred Guttenberg's professional life included over a decade in sales and management with Johnson & Johnson, followed by almost fifteen years as an entrepreneur, having built a business including nineteen Dunkin Donuts. Fred and his wife Jennifer now spend time challenging elected officials to do more. They began a nonprofit organization dedicated to Jaime's life called "Orange Ribbons for Jaime." He has been a regular on TV news programs and myriad online and print media. The nonprofit is now his full-time mission. Bradley Whitford is an American film and television actor. He has played White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman on the NBC television drama The West Wing, Danny Tripp on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Dan Stark in the Fox police buddy-comedy The Good Guys, Timothy Carter, a character who was believed to be Red John in the CBS series The Mentalist, and antagonist Eric Gordon in the film Billy Madison. Whitford was nominated for three consecutive Emmy Awards from 2001 to 2003 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role on The West Wing, winning the award in 2001. This role has also garnered him three consecutive Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role. He received a second Emmy Award in 2015 for his role in Transparent. In addition to acting, Whiford is also a political writer and activist. He lives and works in Los Angeles.


Book Information
ISBN 9781642505351
Author Fred Guttenberg
Format Hardback
Page Count 198
Imprint Mango Media
Publisher Mango Media