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.
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