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itsjmac's review against another edition
4.0
5⭐ - Highly recommended even if it's not your typical read. Seriously, find some time and read it.
4⭐ - Well written, taught me something, hit me in the feels, or just a fun read. Recommended if you're interested in the subject matter.
3⭐ - Meh. I can find value in it but not recommended unless you are super interested in the subject matter.
2⭐ - It was alright. I finished because of subject interest, worthy author, easy readability, interest in it's popularity, etc.
1⭐ - Either DNF or so bad I needed to warn others.
4⭐ - Well written, taught me something, hit me in the feels, or just a fun read. Recommended if you're interested in the subject matter.
3⭐ - Meh. I can find value in it but not recommended unless you are super interested in the subject matter.
2⭐ - It was alright. I finished because of subject interest, worthy author, easy readability, interest in it's popularity, etc.
1⭐ - Either DNF or so bad I needed to warn others.
howittcl's review against another edition
5.0
An eye-opening, candid, third person look at the tragedy that defined public school safety for years to come. This book is not only riveting, but it is expertly written and offers a very objective look at the events that led to the Columbine massacre, the depravity and mental illness of the two shooters, and the aftermath of large-scale tragedy. For someone who grew up around the Columbine massacre and felt the shockwaves a country away, this book was extremely enlightening. As an educator this book stirred more emotions than I thought possible. While this book will help readers understand the logistics of that fateful day, and it may help understand the foundation of the killers' reasons, it will still leave so many questions forever unanswered.
skwinslow's review against another edition
4.0
This book kind of took over my life for a couple of days. Like so many people my age, I remember the Columbine shootings quite vividly; I was a sophomore in college, taking my first education classes, and obviously we had a lot of discussion surrounding this topic.
Reading this book twelve years after the fact was a really interesting experience. I filter everything through the lens of motherhood now, of course, and I find myself reacting very differently than I probably did as a twenty-year-old. I remember taping news clippings in my journal back in college, and I'm almost afraid to look at what I wrote -- was I as hasty as the general public to vilify the parents, for example? (Probably not, since my focus was more on what it must have been like as a teacher or a student at the school.)
Anyway. This book seems to be a pretty solid work of journalism, devoid of the media's sensationalistic reporting that shaped the public's perception of this tragedy even long after many of the rumors surrounding it had been debunked. In short: everything we think we know about Columbine is pretty much false, and in our collective desperation to find an immediate cause or someone to blame, we created a pretty powerful mythology.
Columbine is fascinating, horrifying, disturbing, unsettling -- everything one would expect. At the same time, it's highly readable, and even though I have a weaker stomach for such things these days, I couldn't put it down.
Reading this book twelve years after the fact was a really interesting experience. I filter everything through the lens of motherhood now, of course, and I find myself reacting very differently than I probably did as a twenty-year-old. I remember taping news clippings in my journal back in college, and I'm almost afraid to look at what I wrote -- was I as hasty as the general public to vilify the parents, for example? (Probably not, since my focus was more on what it must have been like as a teacher or a student at the school.)
Anyway. This book seems to be a pretty solid work of journalism, devoid of the media's sensationalistic reporting that shaped the public's perception of this tragedy even long after many of the rumors surrounding it had been debunked. In short: everything we think we know about Columbine is pretty much false, and in our collective desperation to find an immediate cause or someone to blame, we created a pretty powerful mythology.
Columbine is fascinating, horrifying, disturbing, unsettling -- everything one would expect. At the same time, it's highly readable, and even though I have a weaker stomach for such things these days, I couldn't put it down.
movingthebookmark's review against another edition
5.0
This book was difficult to read, but only because of its disturbing content. I couldn't put it down, though. I found myself more and more interested about the lives of these two perpetrators and their victims. Heartbreaking. You'll be thinking about it long after you're finished.
nonathetiger349's review against another edition
3.0
Having not known much about the subject before, this is a HUGE deep dive into the Columbine murders that sheds light on the most important aspect: why. The book starts with a little background of the area, the school, the victims, and the killers; then goes almost minute by minute on what happened on April 20, 1999, followed by the fallout and the analysis of why this happened. It's gripping, emotional, and really delves into the events that led the killers to this moment and the aftershocks.
My one annoyance is how the writer would end some paragraphs or chapters on a huge cliffhanger, and then the next paragraph/chapter will be about something completely unrelated. For example (I'm paraphrasing here): "...Eric was having the time of his life. Dylan was miserable. / The police chief held a meeting..." I'd understand if the next chapter started out one way and then went into how and why Dylan was so miserable, but you have to go about 4 chapters without any mention of Dylan or his misery before it's mentioned again.
All in all, it's worth the read, especially if you want to find out exactly what happened. It seems like the definitive version of events and Dave Cullen did a ton of work and spent loads of time reading through police reports and interviewing victims.
My one annoyance is how the writer would end some paragraphs or chapters on a huge cliffhanger, and then the next paragraph/chapter will be about something completely unrelated. For example (I'm paraphrasing here): "...Eric was having the time of his life. Dylan was miserable. / The police chief held a meeting..." I'd understand if the next chapter started out one way and then went into how and why Dylan was so miserable, but you have to go about 4 chapters without any mention of Dylan or his misery before it's mentioned again.
All in all, it's worth the read, especially if you want to find out exactly what happened. It seems like the definitive version of events and Dave Cullen did a ton of work and spent loads of time reading through police reports and interviewing victims.
aj_styles_p1's review against another edition
4.0
Very well written analysis of the Columbine high school shooting. The author took a very objective approach when writing this. Not much opinions given from writer, just facts and possible motives.
sara_c_eggers's review against another edition
4.0
It quickly became apparent that this was not the narrative of the Columbine shooting with which most of us were familiar.
This Sunday, following another absolute tragedy in Aurora, Colorado on Friday, I joined in a prayer that the church would be there for the awkward kids, those who are bullied into a corner and commit senseless acts of revenge.
On Monday night, I was reading this book. Tuesday, I was finishing it. The assumption of awkwardness and bullying, violent video games and poor parenting skills as the root of this terror was peeled away.
My consumption of media analysis of the current tragedy is filtered through a series of questions, "How do they know this?" and, "Why is this phrase being repeated by every media outlet?" My pronunciation of psychopathy changed and consideration of it deepened.
I realize that this review is entirely focused on my experience with this book. Perhaps it is the subject matter that makes reading it such a personal event. The Columbine shooting was not the first violation of the security and sanctity of a school, but it engaged the nation for years. We prayed for its students for hours during the crisis, and remembered them with songs, "This was her time, this was her dance, lived every moment, left nothing to chance." As the book points out, the media intrusion at Columbine High was long-lasting and thorough.
There is a bit of shifting between timelines in this work, but it moved smoothly and was not difficult to follow. The material covered is gritty and factual. Cullen wrote with compassion and honesty, and without an agenda.
This Sunday, following another absolute tragedy in Aurora, Colorado on Friday, I joined in a prayer that the church would be there for the awkward kids, those who are bullied into a corner and commit senseless acts of revenge.
On Monday night, I was reading this book. Tuesday, I was finishing it. The assumption of awkwardness and bullying, violent video games and poor parenting skills as the root of this terror was peeled away.
My consumption of media analysis of the current tragedy is filtered through a series of questions, "How do they know this?" and, "Why is this phrase being repeated by every media outlet?" My pronunciation of psychopathy changed and consideration of it deepened.
I realize that this review is entirely focused on my experience with this book. Perhaps it is the subject matter that makes reading it such a personal event. The Columbine shooting was not the first violation of the security and sanctity of a school, but it engaged the nation for years. We prayed for its students for hours during the crisis, and remembered them with songs, "This was her time, this was her dance, lived every moment, left nothing to chance." As the book points out, the media intrusion at Columbine High was long-lasting and thorough.
There is a bit of shifting between timelines in this work, but it moved smoothly and was not difficult to follow. The material covered is gritty and factual. Cullen wrote with compassion and honesty, and without an agenda.
nickn77's review against another edition
5.0
I am embarrassed to admit that I am one of the sheeple that bought in to the media angle of the Columbine tragedy. I was convinced that Eric and Dylan were two social outcasts waging a Marilyn Manson fueled war on the popular teens of Columbine high. Once the media coverage for the events started to calm down I never reflected on what may have actually happened. Until now.[return][return]Dave Cullen paints a very different picture of the Columbine High School incident and the real story is far more painful to read than the version presented by the popular press. Dave Cullen's presentation of the events is factual, balanced, well written and simply strives to tell the truth of what happened on April 20th, 1999. If you too bought into the jock killing Trench Coat Mafia (TCM) depiction of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, do yourself a favor and read this book. Columbine is one of the most thought provoking books I have read in a very long time.
nicnac918's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.25