Description

The extraordinary true story of a family, a brutal shooting, and the year that would change their lives forever.

When Cylin Busby was nine years old, she was obsessed with Izod clothing, the Muppets, and her pet box turtle. Then, in the space of a night, everything changed. Her police officer father, John, was driving to work when someone leveled a shotgun at his window. The blasts that followed left John’s jaw on the passenger seat of his car—literally. Overnight, the Busbys went from being the "family next door" to one under 24-hour armed guard, with police escorts to school, and no contact with friends. Worse, the shooter was still on the loose, and it seemed only a matter of time before he’d come after John—or someone else in the family—again. With their lives unraveling around them, and few choices remaining for a future that could ever be secure, the Busby family left everything and everyone they had ever known…and simply disappeared.

As told by both father and daughter, this is a harrowing, and at times heartbreaking account of a shooting and its aftermath, even as it shows a young girl trying to make sense of the unthinkable, and the triumph of a family’s bravery in the face of crisis.

About the Author

CYLIN BUSBY is the author of several nonfiction articles as well as several fiction books for young readers. She is the former senior editor of Teen magazine and the author of numerous magazine articles. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and young son.

JOHN BUSBY is retired and lives with his wife of over forty years, Polly Busby. He continues to fight for the extension of the statute of limitations on assault of a police officer.

Praise for The Year We Disappeared: A Father - Daughter Memoir…

“No one with even a marginal interest in true crime writing should miss this page-turner, by turns shocking and almost unbearably sad.” –Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)

“A fascinating tale, making the costs of violence unequivocally clear. …John's hard-won conclusion about vengeance—violence needn't be perpetuated because it would only damage his family more--holds a striking lesson for everyone, not just teens.” –Chicago Sun Times

“This riveting story will stay with readers, particularly its message that John's anger and desire for revenge were the hardest wounds to heal." – Booklist

“The book flows seamlessly back and forth from father's to daughter's perspective, each jump between narrators providing further explanation and insight and pulling readers deeper into the story.” -- VOYA (Teen Reviewer)

“This true-crime story manages to be suspenseful and reflective at the same time, and it will draw both leisure and reluctant readers.” – VOYA

“A page-turner… Ultimately, a story of survival and triumph.” –SLJ