One of Us

The Story of a Massacre in Norway and Its Aftermath

On July 22, 2011, Anders Behring Breivik carried out a devastating attack in Norway, killing seventy-seven people—first with a bomb in central Oslo, then in a mass shooting at a youth camp on the island of Utøya. In One of Us, journalist Åsne Seierstad reconstructs that day and its aftermath, asking how a privileged young man became Europe’s most notorious terrorist—and how a peaceful nation reckoned with unimaginable violence.

Through meticulous reporting, Seierstad traces Breivik’s life from childhood to radicalization, examining the beliefs and failures that shaped his descent into extremism. She also brings intimate care to the lives of the victims, capturing their ambitions, friendships, and final hours. The narrative culminates in Breivik’s public trial, as Norway grappled with questions of justice, responsibility, and the systems that allowed such devastation to unfold.

At once a psychological portrait, a true-crime investigation, and a compassionate national reckoning, One of Us is a powerful account of how a society confronts violence from within.