I finished reading this over a week ago, but hesitated writing a review. There’s so much contained in this book–so many questions and even fewer answers–but I think it’s a book that needed to be written. Dave Cullen is a journalist who covered the Columbine tragedy as it occurred, and spent the next ten years researching it and ultimately writing this book.
I was 18 when the Columbine massacre happened in April 1999. I remember seeing the images on the news: high school kids running out of the school, falling out of windows, milling around outside in grief. And of course, the photos of the two boys who were identified as the killers, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Then came the media onslaught: theories, rumors, erroneous reports, and speculation. Everyone wanted someone to blame. It wouldn’t do to blame only the killers, who had committed suicide at the end of their gun-fueled rampage. For months after, and even now–years later–it’s still not quite clear what turned the two boys into killers.
There are plenty of theories, to be sure, and Cullen’s book attempts to narrow them down. It almost seems like a pointless exercise, after the fact–to examine the boys’ childhoods and journal entries and attempt to read between the lines, to try to understand more, beyond their violent tirades and (at times) nonsensical words. But in an age of media oversaturation, and the fact that Columbine had been probably the most widely televised school shooting to date, it seems reasonable for us to seek answers, to try to placate the most nagging of questions–”Why?”
I don’t think this book glorifies the killers in any way. Rather, it seeks to set the record straight, to dispel myths surrounding the tragedy, to clarify who the victims were (and who they were not), and also, to try to understand how two teenage boys could lash out at their classmates and teachers in such a violent, irreversible way.
It’s been 11 years since the Columbine tragedy. Although it permeated the media when it happened, over time, news stories faded and eventually diminished. There are exceptions, such as the anniversary of the shootings (April 20), when perhaps a news blurb flashes across the TV screen, reminding us what happened years ago. But I think of the families and friends of those who died that day–all of them, the victims and even the killers–and I can’t imagine what they have to live with every day. For them, more than for any of us, the unanswered questions will always be there. Unlike us, they cannot simply close the book, ponder it for a while, and then move on. The memories and impact of that day will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Thanks for writing about my book, Sassenach. I hope you liked it. It sounds like you did.
There is much more info at my Columbine site, and you can watch the 3-minute book trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA22SKaQ5hU
It’s a great book. Thanks for writing it!
Sassenach, if you can I would suggest that you read several other books on the same subject, ones that in my opinion are superior to Cullen’s book (I wrote “if you can” since I know that the subject matter is a harsh one and it can be difficult for some people to read one book about Columbine, not to mention three or four). The books are “Comprehending Columbine” by Ralph Larkin, “No Easy Answers: The Truth Behind Death at Columbine” by Brooks Brown and “Columbine: A True Crime Story” by Jeff Kass. As I mentioned before I think those three books all did a better job at reporting what actually happened than did “Columbine” by Dave Cullen. The three books I mentioned aren’t perfect but they’re more accurate, more closer to the truth about not only what happened but why.
If you could only read one of those three then I would suggest “Comprehending Columbine” by Larkin. The book is especially noteworthy for what its author did and apparently Cullen did not (as far as I know): Larkin spent a considerable amount of time interviewing both past and present students of Columbine High School which is important because it was his conclusion that the atmosphere at that high school was “toxic”, in his own words, and that “toxic” atmosphere factored in to why Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold did what they did. A marked difference from what Cullen wrote. The other two books that I mentioned share a similar opinion with Larkin’s book but I think Larkin did a more thorough job of researching life at Columbine. Interestingly too, Larkin makes a very good case for Eric Harris being misdiagnosed (after death) as a psychopath, another big difference from Cullen’s book.
Anyway, regardless of anyone’s opinions on any of these books I’m just glad that people haven’t forgotten about what happened at Columbine, and are still interested and still seeking the truth. That can never be a bad thing.
Thanks for the recommendations, Lisa–I’ll check those other titles out.
Oh good Sassenach! When you do I’d love to read your reviews on them.