Some of these Chinese students have embraced the America of free inquiry enjoyed by Albert Einstein and Jonas Salk. Others have worshiped the Goddess of Democracy, rejoicing in the America of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and Abraham Lincoln.
Detail
Lu knew exactly whom he wanted to shoot and why. Goertz, Smith and Nicholson were professors who he felt had spurned him and favored his rival, Shan; Cleary was one of the university administrators who seemed to have ignored his written complaints.
Context that was may have been implied in the Fourth State of Matter
In the weeks before the murders, he emptied his bank accounts, mailing the money home to his sister in China with instructions to deposit it quickly. On the day of the crime, he left a letter inside a briefcase in the seminar room, photocopies of which he had mailed to the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times and Iowa news media, detailing his grievances against most of his victims.
Did not know that , only knew about letter to sister telling her about his suicide.
Lu walked upstairs to an empty classroom, Room 203, and took his own life.In 20 minutes, Lu had killed himself and five others and left one more person, Sioson, paralyzed for life.
Need to cross reference time.
On a freezing-cold afternoon, he strode a full three blocks along the southern edge of the campus to Jessup Hall, the drab gray-stone administration building, where he asked for T. Anne Cleary, the university’s associate vice president for academic affairs. Told she was unavailable, Lu grew angry, shouting and creating a stir until she appeared outside her office. He fired at Cleary, the bullet entering through her left nostril, then pivoted and fired again, striking Miya Rodolfo-Sioson, the 23-year-old Filipino-American student working as a temp outside Cleary’s office, in the mouth.
Detail
Robert A. Smith
Is this Bob? Need to cross reference.
former roommate, friend and rival
Did not know that, just knew they were fellow students
Prof. Christoph K. Goertz
Different feel to the friendlier address of "Chris"
INSIDE ROOM 309,a third-floor classroom in concrete-and-brick Van Allen Hall on the University of Iowa campus, Ken Nishikawa was standing at an old-fashioned blackboard. He was lecturing to a weekly graduate seminar in plasma physics when Dr. Lu Gang’s first shot rang out.
A different perspective of "The Fourth State of Matter." Gave more detail like Ken Nishikawa was the presenter.
Mostly they laughed about it, figuring the girl wasn’t ever in any real danger. It was just one of those stupid things that guys do when they’re tumbling in and out of love.
What the f*ck
According to him, the boy-hero and his girlfriend were having a spat. In a fit of anger, he locked her in the car and then set it ablaze. Almost immediately he had second thoughts, and so he smashed the passenger side window and hauled her out.
This reminds me of a case in my business law class
“The guy set the car on fire himself.”
Dun, dun, dun
yellow1962 Ford Falcon
Detail
I’m quoting him to recreate the sense of urgency that came across, but of course that’s a trick, a convention of the genre. It’s been years and I’m trusting my memory to give me the gist of what he said, the way a writer usually must in any memoir—and “hero story” were key words.
Break Fourth Wall
My editor was an old-fashioned newspaper man, the kind you might find in one of those old black-and-white films with fast snappy patter in which everyone is constantly saying things like, “Sweetheart—get me rewrite!”
Detail