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A review by lizanneinkan
Columbine by Dave Cullen
4.0
Moving from past to present, from perpetrators to victims to families to criminologists and psychologists, from interviews to video footage to police documents to newspaper sources to studies to journals, this book offers a comprehensive look at the Columbine shootings and all involved parties.
One of the most thoroughly covered aspects was the diff bw the story as initially reported and the facts. As students both huddled under desks in the school and watched coverage on their phones, myths took hold. Reportage contributed to a false narrative as those at the scene conflated what they had experienced w what they were watching. The Cassie Bernal story is just one example. Cullen untangles layers of what was perceived v what is documented to re-cast the event.
Interspersing writings, interviews, etc w Harris and Kleybold throughout is key. Cullen begins w their actions and builds a sense of each young man’s evolution by presenting them at diff points.
The afterward is a sloppy mess, esp in comparison to the orderly progression of the rest of the book. It was good to read updates and to see some justice served after the CYA perpetuated by the sheriff’s dept, but there is just too much of Cullen’s personal difficulties and a wild array of last stab diagnoses. This does not, however, diminish the investigative journalism that precedes it.
One of the most thoroughly covered aspects was the diff bw the story as initially reported and the facts. As students both huddled under desks in the school and watched coverage on their phones, myths took hold. Reportage contributed to a false narrative as those at the scene conflated what they had experienced w what they were watching. The Cassie Bernal story is just one example. Cullen untangles layers of what was perceived v what is documented to re-cast the event.
Interspersing writings, interviews, etc w Harris and Kleybold throughout is key. Cullen begins w their actions and builds a sense of each young man’s evolution by presenting them at diff points.
The afterward is a sloppy mess, esp in comparison to the orderly progression of the rest of the book. It was good to read updates and to see some justice served after the CYA perpetuated by the sheriff’s dept, but there is just too much of Cullen’s personal difficulties and a wild array of last stab diagnoses. This does not, however, diminish the investigative journalism that precedes it.