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4.32 AVERAGE
4.32 AVERAGE
Such an excellent read. Combines facts with engaging storytelling. Will have you questioning everything you thought you knew.
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Obviously this was emotionally challenging to read. There is never any satisfaction regarding an event like this, even knowing the information can’t get you close to understanding.
The essays about the martyrdom myth, how it came to be, and the chain reaction of impacts on the surviving witnesses stood out to me. I felt like that whole thing has so many layers and the author had empathy and honesty for all involved with perpetuating that particular myth.
The timeline was so disjointed - I would have preferred something more chronological.
The author spent 10 years gathering information to create this book, which was so necessary. At the same time there were some details included that were so irrelevant I felt like they distracted from the issue at hand.
The essays about the martyrdom myth, how it came to be, and the chain reaction of impacts on the surviving witnesses stood out to me. I felt like that whole thing has so many layers and the author had empathy and honesty for all involved with perpetuating that particular myth.
The timeline was so disjointed - I would have preferred something more chronological.
The author spent 10 years gathering information to create this book, which was so necessary. At the same time there were some details included that were so irrelevant I felt like they distracted from the issue at hand.
Enjoyed the investigative aspect of the details of the event. Much of what was shared soon after the event was misinformation that fed what the public wanted the narrative to be. These boys were selfish and incompetent. Access to guns and the fact that they were privileged kids from the suburbs are the two primary reasons why 13 people died. The psychopathic behavior of Eric Harris was obvious to anyone watching and not making excuses. Dylan was just a poor selfish pawn. The descriptions of the bullets tearing into the flesh, organs and bones of the victims should be enough to demand action by politicians to limit gun access but it won't because folks that support lax gun laws have no shame until the violence impacts them directly.
dark
informative
medium-paced
I had heard this was the definitive story and was the result of 10 years of research, but I wouldn't call it "definitive" or "comprehensive". Still, it was well written and definitely well-researched, I was just expecting much much more. GREAT bibliography though, and I will be supplementing by reading some of those cited works as well.
I was home sick from work on April 20, 1999 and watched in horror as the events at Columbine unfolded on live television. I have been interested in the story ever since and was amazed by how many facts about the story I had wrong based on the initial media reports.
Dave Cullen does an amazing job of taking you back in time and giving you a glimpse into the lives of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, as well as the victims, survivors and families affected by this tragedy. I was shocked to find out that Eric and Dylan were not the poor, picked upon nerds that they were portrayed as, but rather the bullies themselves. I have always laid a certain amount of blame on their parents but after reading the book and discovering that Eric was a true psychopath who had the ability to fool everyone around him, I can see how signs were missed.
A lot of the blame in the book rightfully falls on the Sherrifs Dept. and their lack of follow through on the many complaints about Eric Harris, including information on pipe bombs that he was building. This is a tragedy that could have been prevented.
I was worried that this book would leave me scared to send my kids to school but it actually had the opposite affect. There are many lonely kids who will decide at some point to take a gun to school, but hopefully there are very few psychopaths who would try to cause the destruction that Eric and Dylan unleashed on Columbine.
Dave Cullen does an amazing job of taking you back in time and giving you a glimpse into the lives of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, as well as the victims, survivors and families affected by this tragedy. I was shocked to find out that Eric and Dylan were not the poor, picked upon nerds that they were portrayed as, but rather the bullies themselves. I have always laid a certain amount of blame on their parents but after reading the book and discovering that Eric was a true psychopath who had the ability to fool everyone around him, I can see how signs were missed.
A lot of the blame in the book rightfully falls on the Sherrifs Dept. and their lack of follow through on the many complaints about Eric Harris, including information on pipe bombs that he was building. This is a tragedy that could have been prevented.
I was worried that this book would leave me scared to send my kids to school but it actually had the opposite affect. There are many lonely kids who will decide at some point to take a gun to school, but hopefully there are very few psychopaths who would try to cause the destruction that Eric and Dylan unleashed on Columbine.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I've read Rachel's Tears, and I still consider that the best Columbine Book, but that just focuses on her. This is the best book about the event in general I've ever read. I already knew alot about it, and am always correcting people when they repeat the long debunked myths about the tragedy, but I learned so much more in this book than all my previous research combined! It's the most in-depth look into it, and it's obvious Dave Cullen took his ten years of investigating seriously.
I highly recommend this book to both people who know alot about it, and those who don't know anything about it.
I highly recommend this book to both people who know alot about it, and those who don't know anything about it.
I obviously didn't 'like' the story or the reason for the book itself but the content was laid out really well and there is tons of data to back it up so I believe that this is as close to the truth as we will probably ever know. It also wasn't boring or like reading a report so my interest remained high. I cannot imagine the pain that the families and the community suffered and I hope I never know.