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moopy_27's review against another edition
so heartbreaking, but so interesting to see the behind the scenes of the March For Our Lives movement.
laurenleyendolibros's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
4.0
terroreesa's review against another edition
2.0
i'm not really sure what i thought i was going to get from this book, but this was not what i thought.
i got a good sense of who some of the kids are, but the timeline was jumpy and a bit scattershot.
Columbine gave me such a clear idea of the community, the people involved, and how everyone began to rebuild.
i didn't really get that here. i understand Jackie Corin and the motivations/logistics of MFOL, but there wasn't a strong thru-narrative that tied everything together.
i appreciate everything that Cullen accomplished with this book. the MSD students really trusted him with their stories and it shows with the care he put into everything. i had never heard about the Spring Awakening story.
for me, the book just didn't coalesce. i LOVED Cullen's Columbine - i reread it once every few years - and i was looking forward to this one. i think maybe my expectations were just in a different direction.
i got a good sense of who some of the kids are, but the timeline was jumpy and a bit scattershot.
Columbine gave me such a clear idea of the community, the people involved, and how everyone began to rebuild.
i didn't really get that here. i understand Jackie Corin and the motivations/logistics of MFOL, but there wasn't a strong thru-narrative that tied everything together.
i appreciate everything that Cullen accomplished with this book. the MSD students really trusted him with their stories and it shows with the care he put into everything. i had never heard about the Spring Awakening story.
for me, the book just didn't coalesce. i LOVED Cullen's Columbine - i reread it once every few years - and i was looking forward to this one. i think maybe my expectations were just in a different direction.
betsythegremlin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
3.75
videosnyper's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.0
Dave Cullen's journalistic skills shine far brighter in Parkland: Birth of a Movement than in Columbine. My biggest gripe about Columbine was that Cullen attempted to juggle far too many aspects of the story at the same time, resulting in some shoddy sourcing (particularly in discussion of the shooters lives and personalities) and overall questionable decisions in the writing process. Parkland, however, is a straightforward and engrossing story from beginning to end. It's fast-paced yet informative at the same time, though the writing style can be somewhat dry. You would have to read more books on the topic in order to get a truly comprehensive understanding of the MSD shooting and March For Our Lives, but Cullen has created a great introductory reading to the topic.
emmyjames's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.75
drbooknerd's review against another edition
5.0
I received a copy of this uncorrected proof in a giveaway by Harper. I received this nearly a year ago, but to my Oregon address (where I hadn't been located at, at the time of the giveaway) and thus started it late and only just got the chance to make and dent in and finaly finish it, in the last few months.
Having witnessed / lived through the events of Parkland and it's aftermath as many of us have since the shooting, getting an in-depth look into the behidn the scenes, the struggles, the highs, the lows of what the kids affected by the Parkland shootings, was truly moving, touching and heart-wrenching. Additionally, as we all saw, their reaction and call to action, was amazing to see. This book dives deep into their motivations, the emotions they went through, the breakdowns and the steps they took each step of the way.
The author, Cullen, well known for his book on Columbine and it's aftermath, painstakingly used interviews, texts from the kids as well as parents through all the events that following the shootings, including the March itself, to give us a moving picture of this tragic event that mobilized these amazing kids to take action - to make us never forget the senseless tragedy that took place in Florida, as well as all those that preceded it. His intimate contact with the kids of MSD make this a must-read to truly understand what the kids went and are going through to this day. It will strike your heart and conscious deeply. In case the event has faded in your memory, this will bring it and it's effects on a person's psyche and mental health, roaring back.
I was coming of age when Columbine happened - this generation sadly has Parkland, but thankfully, out of tragedy and loss of life, these kids have brought some hope and change to the narrative.
The author also includes an extensive amount of notes (57 pages) that I would also recommend reading after you conclude the book. they really complete the picture.
Having witnessed / lived through the events of Parkland and it's aftermath as many of us have since the shooting, getting an in-depth look into the behidn the scenes, the struggles, the highs, the lows of what the kids affected by the Parkland shootings, was truly moving, touching and heart-wrenching. Additionally, as we all saw, their reaction and call to action, was amazing to see. This book dives deep into their motivations, the emotions they went through, the breakdowns and the steps they took each step of the way.
The author, Cullen, well known for his book on Columbine and it's aftermath, painstakingly used interviews, texts from the kids as well as parents through all the events that following the shootings, including the March itself, to give us a moving picture of this tragic event that mobilized these amazing kids to take action - to make us never forget the senseless tragedy that took place in Florida, as well as all those that preceded it. His intimate contact with the kids of MSD make this a must-read to truly understand what the kids went and are going through to this day. It will strike your heart and conscious deeply. In case the event has faded in your memory, this will bring it and it's effects on a person's psyche and mental health, roaring back.
I was coming of age when Columbine happened - this generation sadly has Parkland, but thankfully, out of tragedy and loss of life, these kids have brought some hope and change to the narrative.
The author also includes an extensive amount of notes (57 pages) that I would also recommend reading after you conclude the book. they really complete the picture.
iamshadow's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
brontejane's review against another edition
I am giving this 4 stars because the message is important. But sadly I cannot help but compare it to Columbine, and it doesn't live up to that. There was a part that I would have highlighted about arming teachers where a Columbine teacher talked about that would mean her having to shoot Dylan. Her perspective really touched me and made me think. So a good book with an important message, but just missing something.
postitsandpens's review against another edition
5.0
Another winner from Dave Cullen. This is a lot different than Columbine, because instead of focusing on the shooting and the shooter, he chose instead to focus on the aftermath, and the students who formed March for Our Lives and the subsequent movement. He uses a mix of public interviews, individual interviews, and research to talk about the "big names" like David and Emma, but he also focused on some of the lesser-known students as well. I also loved the inclusion of Joaquin Oliver's parents, as I wasn't aware of Tito Manny and his artwork, nor did I realize that part of March for Our Lives included a bus tour into deep Red states to discuss gun laws. It's amazing to see how motivated these teenagers were after such a tragedy, and one can only hope that in time things will change to make school shootings and public massacres a thing of the past.