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anawest's review against another edition
2.75
Cullen's depictions of the victims and families were moving and strong, but his psychological examination of the perpetrators involved a lot of pop psychology and wild overreaches presented as fact in a way that I find dangerous.
kristyrenee118's review against another edition
5.0
I found this fascinating on a number of levels. I was a freshman in high school on April 20, 1999, went to grad school in Denver, and am now a mental health professional. I remember vividly the news reports as well as the panic afterwards when schools were terrified of copycats, and my own school took a threat extremely seriously. I remember the DC-area news outlets comparing Littleton to Rockville, MD and then realizing how true that was once I moved to Colorado and got to know the area. I remember being active in my church youth group during the time and hearing all about Cassie Bernall's martyrdom, and then hearing that the incident didn't happen as was reported after all. This book was extremely well-researched and engaging, particularly as someone who was in high school at the time of the massacre, and I was fascinated by all the backstory on Klebold and Harris.
I listened to the audiobook version. At first the narrator seemed overly dramatic, like he was reading a really long voice over for a movie trailer, but I think that's just how his voice is.
I listened to the audiobook version. At first the narrator seemed overly dramatic, like he was reading a really long voice over for a movie trailer, but I think that's just how his voice is.
booked2themoon's review against another edition
4.0
The book wasn’t what I expected but still had a lot of really interesting parts and gives a very detailed perspective on the entire tragic event.
jane1812's review against another edition
4.0
A powerful account of Columbine. Details of before, during and the aftermath of that brutal day.
comealongphil's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
jentastic76's review against another edition
5.0
This book is riveting. I worked at a small town news station when Columbine happened. I vividly remember the situation unfolding on CNN. I remember watching Patrick throwing himself out of the window live on TV. I unfortunately also remember reporting the trench coat mafia and jock shooting theories in the reports. The author does a great job of leading up to the shootings and then covering the aftermath. He's fair and balanced and has dome exhaustive research on everyone involved in the case. He covers all of the students and family of those who were shot and lets you know that many go onto have great lives and many others still feel the aftershocks in many different ways. You won't be able to get through it without crying but it's also inspirational and thoughful.
paige_pell's review against another edition
4.0
It's fascinating to discover how much of what we collectively "know" about Columbine are echoes of media stories that were purely theory or conjecture at the time. I feel this is a really balanced exploration of the tragedy. A worthwhile read.
enby_egg's review against another edition
3.0
A lot of the verbiage in this book felt unnecessary or even a bit insulting. Cullen often describes women based on how attractive he perceived them to be... which was off-putting. Nevertheless, the story itself was strong and often hard to read at times.
jijica88's review against another edition
4.0
Extremely chilling. Incredibly interesting. Gave me nightmares.
wynn22's review against another edition
5.0
I was born only a few days after the Columbine tragedy. For years, I didn't realize the gravitas of the horror that was Columbine. It wasn't until maybe middle school I understood. Well, at least the partial story. I knew it was a very horrifying day for the nation. But like many of the people at this town, I asked Why? Why would these two kids decide to kill people?
Columbine by Dave Cullen answers this question and more. We learn more about the psyche of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold—what motivated them, what threw them over the edge. We learn about the victims, the deceased and living, and their families—what happened, how they recovered. We learn of events leading up to, during, and after the massacre. All of it is tied seamlessly together to form a narrative that is engaging, horrifying, and informative.
Eric and Dylan are very fascinating. Both came from normal households with normal parents and led normal lives. They were like any other teenager. But both had darkness within them—Dylan had anger issues and was dealing with depression, while Eric was a full-blown psychopath. I wonder whether these two could've been helped if someone had noticed sooner. As the book states, there is no cure for psychopathy, but things can be done to prevent something like what occurred at Columbine. I don't know what to think of them. They murdered some and affected many, yes, but surely something could've been done to prevent all of this.
I found Jefferson County's "cover-up" scandal ridiculous. The police should've handled things in a much more efficient and professional manner. Hiding evidence is not tolerated by anyone. Some of the parents' attitudes after Columbine was appalling too. Brian Rohrbough's actions stand out the most: tearing down two of the fifteen crosses set up for the deceased, cutting down two trees dedicated to the fifteen killed (one of which was actually a victim's, not the killer's), and submitting an absurd text for his deceased son's memorial block.
However, what touched me the most, by far, was how willing the victims and families were to forgive. Not just toward Eric and Dylan, but the parents, the school, everyone. Forgiveness is a difficult thing to do, but it's an honorable thing to do. I'm not surprised that people like Rohrbough are steadfast in their unwillingness to forgive; but those who have a compassionate heart, they are amazing.
I won't get into all the controversies and scandals that took place after the massacre. It's hard to say what is true and what isn't. It's up to personal research and evaluation to determine your stance on everything. All I know for sure is that fifteen people died that day. Thirteen at the hands of two kids who needed help. There were many victims, both directly and indirectly affected by the tragedy. Some would recover sooner than others; some would take a little longer. But standing at the end are those who lived. Who survived. There will be many bumps on the road ahead—murders and tragedies included—but the important thing to remember is to stay strong, forgive but never forget, and carry on.
Columbine by Dave Cullen answers this question and more. We learn more about the psyche of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold—what motivated them, what threw them over the edge. We learn about the victims, the deceased and living, and their families—what happened, how they recovered. We learn of events leading up to, during, and after the massacre. All of it is tied seamlessly together to form a narrative that is engaging, horrifying, and informative.
Eric and Dylan are very fascinating. Both came from normal households with normal parents and led normal lives. They were like any other teenager. But both had darkness within them—Dylan had anger issues and was dealing with depression, while Eric was a full-blown psychopath. I wonder whether these two could've been helped if someone had noticed sooner. As the book states, there is no cure for psychopathy, but things can be done to prevent something like what occurred at Columbine. I don't know what to think of them. They murdered some and affected many, yes, but surely something could've been done to prevent all of this.
Outwardly, Eric and Dylan looked like normal young boys about to graduate. They were testing authority, testing their sexual prowess—a little frustrated with the dumbasses they had to deal with, a little full of themselves. Nothing unusual for high school.
I found Jefferson County's "cover-up" scandal ridiculous. The police should've handled things in a much more efficient and professional manner. Hiding evidence is not tolerated by anyone. Some of the parents' attitudes after Columbine was appalling too. Brian Rohrbough's actions stand out the most: tearing down two of the fifteen crosses set up for the deceased, cutting down two trees dedicated to the fifteen killed (one of which was actually a victim's, not the killer's), and submitting an absurd text for his deceased son's memorial block.
Brian submitted an angry rant blaming Columbine on a godless school system in a nation that legalized abortion where authorities lied and covered up their crimes.
However, what touched me the most, by far, was how willing the victims and families were to forgive. Not just toward Eric and Dylan, but the parents, the school, everyone. Forgiveness is a difficult thing to do, but it's an honorable thing to do. I'm not surprised that people like Rohrbough are steadfast in their unwillingness to forgive; but those who have a compassionate heart, they are amazing.
The hardest part for Val was forgiving them for killing her close friend Lauren Townsend. It was hard to forgive on someone else's behalf. But today, Val feels no ill will toward Eric and Dylan. She'd forgiven their parents even earlier. "Very early on, I understood, I sympathized," she said. "They lost a kid. Eric and Dylan were somebody's kids."
I won't get into all the controversies and scandals that took place after the massacre. It's hard to say what is true and what isn't. It's up to personal research and evaluation to determine your stance on everything. All I know for sure is that fifteen people died that day. Thirteen at the hands of two kids who needed help. There were many victims, both directly and indirectly affected by the tragedy. Some would recover sooner than others; some would take a little longer. But standing at the end are those who lived. Who survived. There will be many bumps on the road ahead—murders and tragedies included—but the important thing to remember is to stay strong, forgive but never forget, and carry on.
Thirteen doves were released. Seconds later, two hundred more fluttered free—an arbitrary number, to signify everyone else. They scattered up in all directions. For a moment, they seemed to fill the entire sky. Then they found one another and coalesced into a single flock, a massive white cloud weaving from left to right and back again, against the clear blue sky.