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A review by cwalsh
Parkland: Birth of a Movement by Dave Cullen
3.0
I'm extremely conflicted on this book.
First, I want to acknowledge that the students that executed the March for Our Lives rally are truly inspirational. It served its purpose in the sense that it got so many people in the United States talking about such a critical issue. I cannot begin to tell you how much that I admire the fact that the students involved in this movement have been essentially running on empty in their quest to be heard, making their first remark to "get in touch with your local congressman" just hours after the tragedy occurred. To be so young and to be so focused in on the issue, to not have your feelings of sadness and despair cloud your vision, is really nothing short of incredible.
There are definitively a few things that I could pick apart, specifically some of the students' remarks during interviews, but I think that has a lot to do with the fact that they had just been a part of a tragedy and did not have the adequate time to recover and analyze what had just happened. Their hearts are definitely in the right place, but in terms of the way that they were portrayed in this book, I think their headstrong moments of tunnel vision don't always work to their benefit.
In terms of literary quality, I am completely floored that this is the same Dave Cullen who wrote Columbine. I know that the books are two different entities, but when I read Columbine, I was completely enthralled. This on the other hand is stale and dare I say even a bit sloppy. It's evident that Cullen didn't spend ten years writing this book like he did Columbine, and I think because of this speedy publication, the book suffered. I will say that Cullen does deserved to be praised due to the fact that he did not name the gunman once, further stressing that the issue here is so much larger than this one individual.
First, I want to acknowledge that the students that executed the March for Our Lives rally are truly inspirational. It served its purpose in the sense that it got so many people in the United States talking about such a critical issue. I cannot begin to tell you how much that I admire the fact that the students involved in this movement have been essentially running on empty in their quest to be heard, making their first remark to "get in touch with your local congressman" just hours after the tragedy occurred. To be so young and to be so focused in on the issue, to not have your feelings of sadness and despair cloud your vision, is really nothing short of incredible.
There are definitively a few things that I could pick apart, specifically some of the students' remarks during interviews, but I think that has a lot to do with the fact that they had just been a part of a tragedy and did not have the adequate time to recover and analyze what had just happened. Their hearts are definitely in the right place, but in terms of the way that they were portrayed in this book, I think their headstrong moments of tunnel vision don't always work to their benefit.
In terms of literary quality, I am completely floored that this is the same Dave Cullen who wrote Columbine. I know that the books are two different entities, but when I read Columbine, I was completely enthralled. This on the other hand is stale and dare I say even a bit sloppy. It's evident that Cullen didn't spend ten years writing this book like he did Columbine, and I think because of this speedy publication, the book suffered. I will say that Cullen does deserved to be praised due to the fact that he did not name the gunman once, further stressing that the issue here is so much larger than this one individual.