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A review by rennegade
Columbine by Dave Cullen
5.0
It took me ages to finish this book for a couple of reasons. This is not a light and fluffy read, and I had to put it down for weeks at a time.
Columbine was one of those moments for me. Everyone has them - JFK's assassination, the Challenger disaster, 9/11. I remember where I was when I heard about the Columbine shooting. I was getting ready to finish up my 5th grade year and make my way through the mess that is middle school. At the time, I was slowly getting into the culture that was blamed for Columbine ('goths', Marilyn Manson-esque music, black clothing, video games, etc.). My parents panicked at the thought of me going down that same rabbit hole. We all watched as the news reported on two terribly bullied boys who finally snapped and took down their bullies.
...except that isn't what happened at all. I am shocked that the 'bullied goth kids' theory has been so persistent when this book clearly shows that it did not happen that way. One boy was depressed, suicidal, and easily led (Dylan), and the other one was a psychopath (Eric). Eric was not a depressed and angry kid looking to lash out at the big, bad bullies; he had an insatiable thirst to kill and maim. He wanted to be remembered for killing as many people as possible. He had an unquenchable lust for blood because he considered himself higher than mere mortal and felt these lesser beings deserved to die.
I was also taken aback by just how badly the police screwed up the investigation. One of their classmates had called the cops on Eric multiple time for making threats on his life and for talking openly about weapons and building bombs. Eric's website, which the police said has been taken down and was inaccessible, was on file with the police. They had every possible thing that they needed to prevent this, and they just ignored the GIANT FLASHING WARNING SIGNS and let this atrocity happen. Afterwards, they did everything that they could to cover up their horrendous mistakes.
This book made me angry. How could they have messed up so horribly? At the very least, the life of Dave Sanders could have been saved. They let that poor man slowly bleed to death over the course of several hours because of crappy, sloppy protocol.
Dave Cullen did a fantastic job with this book. There were loads of interviews with victims, family, FBI agents, and others close to the tragedy that brought more truth to the massacre than I've ever seen.
Columbine was one of those moments for me. Everyone has them - JFK's assassination, the Challenger disaster, 9/11. I remember where I was when I heard about the Columbine shooting. I was getting ready to finish up my 5th grade year and make my way through the mess that is middle school. At the time, I was slowly getting into the culture that was blamed for Columbine ('goths', Marilyn Manson-esque music, black clothing, video games, etc.). My parents panicked at the thought of me going down that same rabbit hole. We all watched as the news reported on two terribly bullied boys who finally snapped and took down their bullies.
...except that isn't what happened at all. I am shocked that the 'bullied goth kids' theory has been so persistent when this book clearly shows that it did not happen that way. One boy was depressed, suicidal, and easily led (Dylan), and the other one was a psychopath (Eric). Eric was not a depressed and angry kid looking to lash out at the big, bad bullies; he had an insatiable thirst to kill and maim. He wanted to be remembered for killing as many people as possible. He had an unquenchable lust for blood because he considered himself higher than mere mortal and felt these lesser beings deserved to die.
I was also taken aback by just how badly the police screwed up the investigation. One of their classmates had called the cops on Eric multiple time for making threats on his life and for talking openly about weapons and building bombs. Eric's website, which the police said has been taken down and was inaccessible, was on file with the police. They had every possible thing that they needed to prevent this, and they just ignored the GIANT FLASHING WARNING SIGNS and let this atrocity happen. Afterwards, they did everything that they could to cover up their horrendous mistakes.
This book made me angry. How could they have messed up so horribly? At the very least, the life of Dave Sanders could have been saved. They let that poor man slowly bleed to death over the course of several hours because of crappy, sloppy protocol.
Dave Cullen did a fantastic job with this book. There were loads of interviews with victims, family, FBI agents, and others close to the tragedy that brought more truth to the massacre than I've ever seen.