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A review by sandrareilly513
Columbine by Dave Cullen
5.0
I still remember April 20, 1999: one of my classes spent the 90-minute class period in the library on a project, but the rest of the school day was a blur and was very uneventful. When I got home, I turned on the TV in my mom's bedroom and was shocked by the breaking news unfolding on my screen -- a school shooting in Colorado that was still in progress. At this point, no one knew the shooters had already killed themselves -- in the library. I watched in horror, tears in my eyes that I couldn't pry from the screen, as Patrick Ireland struggled to force his paralyzed body out of the library window. I thought what I imagine so many other kids probably did -- "That could've been me." I subconsciously compared my day in the library to his, realizing how terribly different they were but also how terribly the same that they could have been. In the days, weeks, and months to follow, the world was told how tortured and "different" the perpetrators were -- they were bullied and ridiculed for being goth and for wearing trenchcoats. Even several thousands of miles away, our lives would never be the same. Assembly after assembly at school on bullying, acceptance, and avoiding conflict. Metal detectors sporadically placed for high school students to walk through. Sitting next to someone who "fit the profile", wondering if they would kill you or spare you when the time came. Even now, as a teacher-librarian, I have several " gameplans" to protect my students and my library staff should the worst occur. The American education system would never be the same.
Dave Cullen covers the events of Columbine so thoroughly, I had to take several breaks while reading. Not because it was boring or didn't keep my attention, but because there was so much information that almost every paragraph forced me to stop and absorb its contents. I stopped to cry more times than I can count. I stopped to read or retell a portion to my husband because I couldn't bear to process it on my own. I recommend reading with a friend or colleague...
I also recommend this as a required reading for any educational professional. As it turns out, the media got it wrong. Shocking, I know. We were fed stories of bullying, violent media influence, and parental issues. This couldn't have been further from the truth. Cullen uncovers undisclosed information to debunk several myths and to truly inform readers with a significant amount of textual evidence -- evidence that makes those enumerable assemblies a moot point. A heartbreaking, terrifying, disturbing, and humbling read.
Dave Cullen covers the events of Columbine so thoroughly, I had to take several breaks while reading. Not because it was boring or didn't keep my attention, but because there was so much information that almost every paragraph forced me to stop and absorb its contents. I stopped to cry more times than I can count. I stopped to read or retell a portion to my husband because I couldn't bear to process it on my own. I recommend reading with a friend or colleague...
I also recommend this as a required reading for any educational professional. As it turns out, the media got it wrong. Shocking, I know. We were fed stories of bullying, violent media influence, and parental issues. This couldn't have been further from the truth. Cullen uncovers undisclosed information to debunk several myths and to truly inform readers with a significant amount of textual evidence -- evidence that makes those enumerable assemblies a moot point. A heartbreaking, terrifying, disturbing, and humbling read.