Columbine by Dave Cullen (2009)

Columbine by Dave Cullen

                On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed thirteen people at their high school before shooting themselves. The footage was shown on every news station for hours. Rumors began immediately about them being bullied, members of the Trench Coat Mafia, outcast, Goths. For a while the police weren’t sure if there were only two shooters, maybe there was a possible third. At the end of the day, 12 students and a teacher were murdered, many others were injured and the two young men who committed the crimes turned the gun on themselves and took their own lives. One young man escaped by pushing himself out of a window, even though he was horribly injured, into the arms of the Swat team. I learned later of the young girl who professed her faith before being killed. I remember the footage and I remember the horror and the fear that came from that day. I also remember the accusations and the focus on bullying. I even remember Marilyn Manson being dragged into the argument and violent video games being blamed. Years would pass before I heard anything about Harris and Klebold’s true plan and even then I wasn’t sure if it was true because it didn’t fit the narrative I remembered. Cullen destroys the original and false narrative that has been so widely accepted for well over a decade. Through research and interviews with survivors Cullen provides a look at not only the killers but the media that covered the story, the police that hid information and the survivors that tried to move on past this tragedy.

                Columbine is a well written and extremely well-researched non-fiction book about a tragedy that many people think they are familiar with. Cullen wanted readers to know the true story behind the shooting. As a reporter Cullen was very well aware of the storm created by the media regarding the tragedy. He was also very aware of the impact this shooting had on later school shootings where people for various reasons tried to emulate Harris and Klebold. This book is full of all the information you could ever want to know about the events at Columbine and the events that transpired after. He takes his time with the narrative constantly changing from before, during and after the shooting. Cullen looks at each avenue as well, from the investigation that took place, the media outcry, the parents of the killers and the survivors.

                I couldn’t stop reading this book. Part of it was because there was so much information regarding Columbine that I didn’t know or understand. When I first started reading and realized the extent Harris and Klebold had planned to go, I almost felt betrayed. This was never about being bullied or being a Goth or violent videogames. Once I realized that, I realized how much I wanted to know about what really happened. My hat comes off to Cullen because he did an incredible job handling this subject and being respectful to everyone involved. It’s difficult expelling the myths that have pervaded through society, whether it’s about a myth regarding professing one’s faith before dying or having a target list. I found the actions by the police during and after the investigation to be the most disturbing and I was glad Cullen spent time discussing what happened and why. I thought this book was incredible and disturbing in many ways. I give it 5 out of 5 stars. If you want to understand the events at Columbine this would be the book to read.