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ashley_cairns19's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
loomistj's review against another edition
5.0
Incredible, heart-breaking, horrific, and gripping.
Dave Cullen just did an amazing job telling everyone's stories with tenderness and care. This book will never let go of you and does a great job of giving answers on an event that can never be neatly wrapped up.
This is probably the hardest book I've ever read. I legit nearly couldn't read this in public or before bed.
My family lived only 15 miles away from Columbine when it happened and it always has held a special place in my heart.
Read this.
Dave Cullen just did an amazing job telling everyone's stories with tenderness and care. This book will never let go of you and does a great job of giving answers on an event that can never be neatly wrapped up.
This is probably the hardest book I've ever read. I legit nearly couldn't read this in public or before bed.
My family lived only 15 miles away from Columbine when it happened and it always has held a special place in my heart.
Read this.
birdgirl302's review against another edition
Interesting review of what actually happened at Columbine. Just happened to pick up another book before finishing. Obviously, it's a downer.
megorp's review against another edition
5.0
Oh. My god. This book was FANTASTIC. It's a little old and has been updated a few times, but I loved it. I don't remember the Columbine shooting happening (I was only 7), and I thought it was just a standard "we're mad at the world and we're going to shoot a few people to make a point". It was so much more than that and Dave Cullen does an awesome job of laying it all out and telling the backstory and whatnot. He was there as a journalist when it happened, so it's not like he's writing this removed from the situation. It did drag a little bit at times and the way the chapters were cut up was strange. There was also a lot of jumping back and forth in time, between people and places, etc. But overall, really, really good.
crzydjm's review against another edition
4.0
Very impressive amount of research in this one... Several long-held misconceptions of mine were corrected. Highly recommend it.
eclecticemily's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Summary: A nonfiction book about the Columbine school shooting. It goes over the shooting itself, the aftermath, as well as what lead up to it. This edition also includes a couple afterwords and epilogues that cover things after the book's original publication.
Favorite Quote: Distortion of time was rampant, particularly chronology. Witnesses recalled less once the killers approached them, not more. Terror stops the brain from forming new memories. A staggering number insisted they were the last ones out of the library—once they were out, it was over. Similarly, most of those injured, even superficially, believed they were the last ones hit. (pg. 287)
Review: This is a really thorough examination of what happened at Columbine. It strikes a good balance of telling about the victims but also giving enough information about the killers. It also tells a lot about mistakes along the way by news media and police that lead to the events or misconceptions around what happened. The only part I don't think 100% worked was that he stated in the intro that part of his goal in writing this was to undo some of the positive perception the killers have/had, but he still portrayed them as having a decent plan and portrayed Dylan pretty sympathetically, so I don't know that he was completely successful.
Favorite Quote: Distortion of time was rampant, particularly chronology. Witnesses recalled less once the killers approached them, not more. Terror stops the brain from forming new memories. A staggering number insisted they were the last ones out of the library—once they were out, it was over. Similarly, most of those injured, even superficially, believed they were the last ones hit. (pg. 287)
Review: This is a really thorough examination of what happened at Columbine. It strikes a good balance of telling about the victims but also giving enough information about the killers. It also tells a lot about mistakes along the way by news media and police that lead to the events or misconceptions around what happened. The only part I don't think 100% worked was that he stated in the intro that part of his goal in writing this was to undo some of the positive perception the killers have/had, but he still portrayed them as having a decent plan and portrayed Dylan pretty sympathetically, so I don't know that he was completely successful.
jbrugge's review against another edition
5.0
It is so hard to say that this is an excellent book because it might imply that it's merely a well told story, and it is so much more than that. It is heart wrenching, but it isn't trying to manipulate you. Cullen is telling the stories of the people involved, and letting the power of their stories come through loud and clear. It is a grisly story, but it is a real story, full of very real people, and you come away feeling better for having come to know them in even this small way.
persnickety9's review against another edition
3.0
I have mixed emotions about this book. The initial few chapters made me absolutely sick to my stomach. I considered not finishing it. After some quick research, though, I have found that this book may not be as accurate it was portrayed, and I do not agree with Cullen’s assertion that Harris was a psychopath and that Dylan was a hapless victim. After reading some of the transcripts of the Basement Tapes, as well as some of their journal entries, I unfortunately find Dylan as angry as Eric, if not more erratic. I think they were the yin to the other’s yang: Eric was composed, methodical, and also severely depressed from his constant moving and bullying; meanwhile, Dylan was young, erratic, and severely depressed from the bullying.
I don’t believe in this leader-follower narrative Cullen has relied on, especially after reading the transcripts. Dylan was reportedly excited and hollering during the shooting. Cullen omits many facts like these to drive his narrative as Eric as the leader.
I am also disheartened by how quickly he wrote off bullying when there are PLENTY of reports that bullying was common at Columbine. In particular, Harris was ridiculed for his clothing and chest anomaly, and Dylan was bullied for his stature and awkwardness. In the end, Cullen basically says that it wasn’t bullying, it was “conflict.”
What I found most disappointing was that Cullen eludes to other journalists and reports, only to admit in the last 20 pages of his 520 page book that he is the other journalist who wrote these reports! It seems sneaky and very one-sided. I wish he had truly gotten more evidence for his reasoning instead of citing himself and pretending other journalists felt the same. It feels fairly disingenuous.
Overall, I learned a lot more about the other victims, which was good. But I am disappointed in the book and often the flowery writing that made it feel less like a true case study and a series of magazine articles to keep 30 seconds of attention. Probably because that’s precisely what he did.
I don’t believe in this leader-follower narrative Cullen has relied on, especially after reading the transcripts. Dylan was reportedly excited and hollering during the shooting. Cullen omits many facts like these to drive his narrative as Eric as the leader.
I am also disheartened by how quickly he wrote off bullying when there are PLENTY of reports that bullying was common at Columbine. In particular, Harris was ridiculed for his clothing and chest anomaly, and Dylan was bullied for his stature and awkwardness. In the end, Cullen basically says that it wasn’t bullying, it was “conflict.”
What I found most disappointing was that Cullen eludes to other journalists and reports, only to admit in the last 20 pages of his 520 page book that he is the other journalist who wrote these reports! It seems sneaky and very one-sided. I wish he had truly gotten more evidence for his reasoning instead of citing himself and pretending other journalists felt the same. It feels fairly disingenuous.
Overall, I learned a lot more about the other victims, which was good. But I am disappointed in the book and often the flowery writing that made it feel less like a true case study and a series of magazine articles to keep 30 seconds of attention. Probably because that’s precisely what he did.