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jonelley64's review against another edition
2.0
Almost everything I wanted from this book was in the epilogue! But I should admit that I just listened to the "Columbine" episode of the podcast "You're Wrong About" a month or two ago. So all of the debunking part of the book was very familiar to me and not as interesting as it probably could have been otherwise. I also felt like I could have done with about half as much description of Eric Harris's psychopathic delusions of grandeur, but I think the epilogue helped me understand a little bit more why the author spent so much time on this. I think Dave Cullen has some very personal and understandable reasons for wanting to make it crystal clear beyond all doubt that Eric and Dylan were not victims of bullying who snapped. It's just... If you're open to accept that the bullying interpretation is a myth, it feels like Cullen is beating you over the head with it. And if you're not, then you're not.
cskot's review against another edition
4.0
It was interesting to get the background on what really happened rather than what the majority is believe/what we were told in '99.
pwelch96's review against another edition
4.0
I have never gone to school in a pre-Columbine world. There has always been an underlying fear there that this could really happen to anyone, anywhere. My anxious brain never let me be safe at school because I always knew there was only so much those walls could do to prevent me and my friends from being shot. This book made me reflect a lot on my experience as a teenager growing up in the mass shooting hysteria. The tragedies always seem to grow and become more horrible to the point where I don’t even know how to absorb them anymore.
But this story of Columbine, the tragedy that made us as a country doubt the safety of the everyday mundaneness of our lives, revealed so much more than just a journalistic report on the massacre. I found myself sympathizing greatly with the parents of the murderers. Dave Cullen did not make them the villains. He emphasized the complexity of their experiences, how they also lost a child on that day but they have to live forever with the knowledge that the child they raised was able to cause so much pain. He also made me think about the roll media played in turning the tragedy into a way to milk money and power out of intense emotion. How much good did the coverage of the tragedy actually do, or did it just prolong the pain?
The insight on the police investigation was also sobering. These people did not ever really do their jobs. They lied and covered up vital information about national tragedy to avoid back lash. There were times when my blood boiled thinking about all the things that may have been different if things were taken seriously. If it wasn’t “boys will be boys” until those boys turn into murderers.
Overall, this book is a provocative work of emotional journalism. I came out of it knowing not only more about Columbine itself, but also of the root of the conversation and fears we still have as students to this day.
But this story of Columbine, the tragedy that made us as a country doubt the safety of the everyday mundaneness of our lives, revealed so much more than just a journalistic report on the massacre. I found myself sympathizing greatly with the parents of the murderers. Dave Cullen did not make them the villains. He emphasized the complexity of their experiences, how they also lost a child on that day but they have to live forever with the knowledge that the child they raised was able to cause so much pain. He also made me think about the roll media played in turning the tragedy into a way to milk money and power out of intense emotion. How much good did the coverage of the tragedy actually do, or did it just prolong the pain?
The insight on the police investigation was also sobering. These people did not ever really do their jobs. They lied and covered up vital information about national tragedy to avoid back lash. There were times when my blood boiled thinking about all the things that may have been different if things were taken seriously. If it wasn’t “boys will be boys” until those boys turn into murderers.
Overall, this book is a provocative work of emotional journalism. I came out of it knowing not only more about Columbine itself, but also of the root of the conversation and fears we still have as students to this day.
qtpieash3's review against another edition
5.0
First off, I was smack on the middle of this book when the Newtown, CT shooting happened which made this book all the more unsettling.
Cullen did an amazing job tying together the events of the day - which I honestly don't remember that well even though I was a freshman in high school. The chapters alternated which I appreciated because honestly, this book is a lot to take in and the shifting POVs kept me as the reader from getting absolutely bogged down in the sadness.
Cullen was unrelenting in his pursuit of what happened, especially with regards to Harris and Klebold. Contrary to the media portrayals, they weren't outcasts, weren't goths, and weren't in the Trench Coat Mafia. They had lots of friends, worked at a local pizza joint, Klebold went to the prom, Harris had bedded a 23 year old at 17, etc. Both kept journals and made the infamous but unreleased Basement Tapes which gave authorities amazing insight into their planning (which was extensive) and their thought processes. Klebold was severely depressed but also quite shy and prone to violent outbursts. Harris was posthumously classified as a true psychopath; he lacked normal human emotions such as empathy and remorse. His journal entries are chilling and focus on killing everyone he deems inferior to him.
The boys (which hit me over and over as I read this book - they were so young) planned on suicide/death by cop all along. Also, Columbine was a failed a bombing; the shooting rampage was supposed to occur as the students who survived the bombing fled the school. As for the why, the boys had been preoccupied with violence and macabre writings, but the shift from fantasy to action seems to have occurred when they were arrested in January 1998 for breaking into a van and stealing electronic equipment. To avoid felony charges and possible prison time, they both entered into a youth diversionary program that entailed counseling and community service. Harris graduated early due to his exemplary behavior; the releasing authority wrote a glowing report about his intelligence and bright future. Ultimately, the boys weren't targeting anyone - they wanted to terrorize others and do it on a large scale. Their high school was the perfect venue in their minds.
The parents of the killers maintained a very low profile but I can't even imagine what they've endured. The evidence points to the fact their parents were largely clueless about the boys' plans and thought they were normal teens until their arrests. On the one hand, it's hard not to lay at least some of the blame at their feet, but on the other, their kids were growing up and becoming more autonomous - they made their own choices. They lost children that day, too and are dealing with an unimaginable load of guilt. Additionally, Harris' psychopathy made it easy for him to hoodwink most of the people in his life.
A great, if difficult read. Props to Cullen for pulling together a well-written and compassionate account of 4.20.1999.
Cullen did an amazing job tying together the events of the day - which I honestly don't remember that well even though I was a freshman in high school. The chapters alternated which I appreciated because honestly, this book is a lot to take in and the shifting POVs kept me as the reader from getting absolutely bogged down in the sadness.
Cullen was unrelenting in his pursuit of what happened, especially with regards to Harris and Klebold. Contrary to the media portrayals, they weren't outcasts, weren't goths, and weren't in the Trench Coat Mafia. They had lots of friends, worked at a local pizza joint, Klebold went to the prom, Harris had bedded a 23 year old at 17, etc. Both kept journals and made the infamous but unreleased Basement Tapes which gave authorities amazing insight into their planning (which was extensive) and their thought processes. Klebold was severely depressed but also quite shy and prone to violent outbursts. Harris was posthumously classified as a true psychopath; he lacked normal human emotions such as empathy and remorse. His journal entries are chilling and focus on killing everyone he deems inferior to him.
The boys (which hit me over and over as I read this book - they were so young) planned on suicide/death by cop all along. Also, Columbine was a failed a bombing; the shooting rampage was supposed to occur as the students who survived the bombing fled the school. As for the why, the boys had been preoccupied with violence and macabre writings, but the shift from fantasy to action seems to have occurred when they were arrested in January 1998 for breaking into a van and stealing electronic equipment. To avoid felony charges and possible prison time, they both entered into a youth diversionary program that entailed counseling and community service. Harris graduated early due to his exemplary behavior; the releasing authority wrote a glowing report about his intelligence and bright future. Ultimately, the boys weren't targeting anyone - they wanted to terrorize others and do it on a large scale. Their high school was the perfect venue in their minds.
The parents of the killers maintained a very low profile but I can't even imagine what they've endured. The evidence points to the fact their parents were largely clueless about the boys' plans and thought they were normal teens until their arrests. On the one hand, it's hard not to lay at least some of the blame at their feet, but on the other, their kids were growing up and becoming more autonomous - they made their own choices. They lost children that day, too and are dealing with an unimaginable load of guilt. Additionally, Harris' psychopathy made it easy for him to hoodwink most of the people in his life.
A great, if difficult read. Props to Cullen for pulling together a well-written and compassionate account of 4.20.1999.
magup's review against another edition
2.0
I appreciate the research that went into telling the story behind the sensationalism and caricature-flogging of the initial news reporting. But overall I didn't trust Cullen's reporting either, because he seemed so determined to portray Dylan Klebold as another hapless victim of Eric Harris. I can't make that leap with him. Interesting how parents can simultaneously know that something is wrong (so that, for example they are keeping a journal of the sociopathic behavior their child is exhibiting, their response, and the responses of others) but at the same time so grossly underestimate the scale of the problem. I guess that's in part because the estimates were being made pre-Columbine.
niciy's review against another edition
5.0
An amazing piece of journalism from start to finish. Answered many questions I had and even some I didn't have.
jozi_girl's review against another edition
4.0
For most of us the word Columbine represents only one thing – school shooters. And for a long time this also held true for the survivors of the aftermath.
Huge amounts of untruths and myths surrounded the motives of the shooters for a very long time. This book strives to debunk all of this and set the record straight.
This was one of the most in-depth researched, if heart wrenching, accounts of an event I knew very little about. The author did an excellent job in maintaining neutrality and respect for the people involved without sacrificing clarity of his report.
Highly recommended.
Huge amounts of untruths and myths surrounded the motives of the shooters for a very long time. This book strives to debunk all of this and set the record straight.
This was one of the most in-depth researched, if heart wrenching, accounts of an event I knew very little about. The author did an excellent job in maintaining neutrality and respect for the people involved without sacrificing clarity of his report.
Highly recommended.