Columbine in Q&A with Dave Cullen

May 27, 2009

Natasha rated it:

(review of isbn 1906964149)

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in June, 2009

I was one of those people who bought into the myths surrounding Columbine. I thought Eric and Dylan were outcasts out to correct some perceived wrong, and that one day they just "snapped". When I started reading this book, I doubled back to make sure I was reading it correctly. In the videos I had seen of the killers, I always believed Dylan to be the stronger of the two. He seemed angrier and had a more commanding presence. But from the outset, Cullen identifies Eric as the mastermind...more

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May 05, 2009

Kate rated it:

bookshelves: 2009, age-adult, non-fiction, tearjerkers

Read in June, 2009

I can still remember sitting in my college dorm room and watching the Columbine massacre unfold on TV... the incident has always intrigued me and I've read and seen a number of things about it. I even wrote a novel-length manuscript about a girl who brings a gun to school as a way to figure out why someone might do this, and what might make them change their mind. I don't often read nonfiction but this was a topic that I was interested in, and the fact that the book has been on the NYT bestsel...more I can still remember sitting in my college dorm room and watching the Columbine massacre unfold on TV... the incident has always intrigued me and I've read and seen a number of things about it. I even wrote a novel-length manuscript about a girl who brings a gun to school as a way to figure out why someone might do this, and what might make them change their mind. I don't often read nonfiction but this was a topic that I was interested in, and the fact that the book has been on the NYT bestsellers list and several of my Goodreads friends have given it positive reviews led me to read it sooner than I might have otherwise.

Almost everything I had heard about Columbine from the media was proved incorrect by this book. It's a strange experience to read about something you thought you knew only to find you had fallen for the media lies. The killers were not outcasts; they were not bullied; they were not targeting the jocks. Columbine was more akin to a terrorist attack than a "school shooting" - it was only labelled that way because the bombs planted by the killers failed to detonate. I can't say that I had followed Columbine very closely, because this book still had quite a few surprises for me. In particular, the death of Cassie Bernall and the myth behind her saying, "Yes I believe in God" and being shot made me realize what the song "Cassie" by Flyleaf was about - even as the author gives evidence that this is a myth, many Evangelical Christians still believed that this was truth. That was a moment when I realized how deeply ingrained into American culture Columbine has become, and yet how little most Americans really know about what happened.

I could go on and on about all the Columbine myths debunked in this book, but a bulk of the book was about the survivors and how they dealt with this tragedy, and reviewing recently released evidence including the journals of Harris and Klebold to determine a motive. It is an interesting and very readable account of the entire ordeal.(less)

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May 06, 2009

Laura rated it:

bookshelves: books-i-have-listened-to-in-the-car, books-to-re-read

Read in June, 2009

recommends it for: Non-fiction readers, true-crime readers, teachers, parents

This is an amazing and horrifying book that not only gives an account of the massacre at Columbine High School in '99 but the onset and the aftermath as well. Cullen reported on the tragedy the day of the shooting, but it's taken him nine years to research and compile this book, which is thorough, dispels many myths, and brings to light information that has only recently been released.

I listened to this audio-book, though I want to re-read it in "actual" book format. Culle...more This is an amazing and horrifying book that not only gives an account of the massacre at Columbine High School in '99 but the onset and the aftermath as well. Cullen reported on the tragedy the day of the shooting, but it's taken him nine years to research and compile this book, which is thorough, dispels many myths, and brings to light information that has only recently been released.

I listened to this audio-book, though I want to re-read it in "actual" book format. Cullen doesn't approach the story chronologically and this organization was, at first, frustrating and difficult to tell when he was switching between times and characters; however, once I got to know the ten or so characters he was focusing on, it was much easier, and about a quarter of the way through reading the book I was thankful he organized it that way. It was hard enough--emotionally--to listen to the shot-by-shot account of the massacre, but I don't think I'd have been able to listen to it at all if it had been built up to for seven or thirteen hours and then came at the middle or the end (another reason I want to read the hard copy is so that I can clarify some timeline questions I have but skip some of the more gruesome sections). Also, by breaking up the massacre into bits and splicing them among stories about the planning leading up to the event and the survivors and community dealing with the aftermath, Cullen's story is much richer and I got a very full sense of each character and of the school and community themselves.

Cullen's writing is both poetic and objective. He uses the third person when writing about the media throughout the book, and it feels well removed. Too much--or any--first person would have made it feel overly sentimental and perhaps exploitative. There are still questions left unanswered, but I feel like I've got a handle on what happened and why it happened, which is some small sort of consolation.

This took me a very long time to get through because of the subject matter. It's a tremendously difficult book to read, but it's something that I feel everyone should read. (less)

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Apr 03, 2009

Jodie rated it:

Read in April, 2009

What do you remember about April 20, 1999? When you hear Columbine, what comes to mind? What do you know about what happened at that high school that day? Chances are at least some of it is wrong. Dave Cullen does a remarkable job with his gripping, powerful narrative to sort the myth from the truth, to paint as complete and accurate a picture of the events and the people as possible working from 10 years of evidence,writings and interviews. Part psychological profile, part retelling of the even...more

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Apr 21, 2009

Joe rated it:

Read in June, 2009

This is the best book of true crime that I have read since "Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three." While Mara Leveritt set out to investigate the truth of guilt, Dave Cullen sets out to ask the age old question: Why? The answers will surprise you. Cullen fairly and sympathetically debunks all of the myths that surrounded this tragedy and outlines all that led up to that day and all that followed. How and what I will not say. I will only say that he graphically d...more

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Jul 20, 2009

Stephen rated it:

Read in July, 2009

After 10-years, this is the best in-depth coverage to date. Starts off with the day we'll never forget, then goes back through the details, signs and symptoms, while simultaneously covering the horrendous aftershocks and tragic effects on those involved. Check out Dave Cullen's website for additional materials (www.davecullen.com).

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Jun 14, 2009

Ali rated it:

Read in June, 2009

This book led me to spend my first few days of summer break completely obsessed with Columbine. (Thank you, Youtube, Wikipedia, and Michael Moore for feeding this obsession!) Thought-provoking, insightful, and brilliant.

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Jun 22, 2009

Eve rated it:

Read in August, 2009

I am not sure how to review this book and do it justice. The author who covered the Columbine Shootings from day one has created what in my opinion is THE definitive account of the tragic events surrounding the shootings. This was often times a difficult book to read, I had to lay it down more then a few time because I was crying to hard to continue reading. The author has obviously done his research and done it well, including debunking many of the myths which have grown up around the case over...more

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Jun 08, 2009

Sue Monaghan rated it:

Read in June, 2009

Great book! Best thing I have read in a year. Has kept me thinking for weeks.

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Jun 25, 2009

Chelsa rated it:

Read in July, 2009

This is a powerful book. Dave Cullen tells the truths of the Columbine school shootings...and it is not pretty nor is it what we heard from the media for the past 10 years. As a teacher, I found this book a necessity to read to understand warning signs and for the educational insights. As a human being, I found it necessary to read to understand others dealing with tragic situations. It is heartbreak and horrifying.

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Apr 01, 2009

Alanna rated it:

bookshelves: own, tracy-borrowed, true-story

Read in July, 2009

What a fantastic job of researching and writing about this tragedy. He cleared up so many misconceptions that I had and I think are still out there today. I hope that schools, media, and police departments will read this book and learn from the mistakes that were made before and after the shootings. I would also recommend this to parents. My son was in high school at the time and I was and still am greatly affected by this tragic event. My sympathies and prayers go out to all the victims and...more

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Apr 20, 2009

Chad rated it:

Read in June, 2009

This is an intense book. It describes a horrific event, and the view into the minds and lives of the killers is disturbing. But I appreciate finally knowing a much more complete picture of what happened, understanding a little better why it happened, and learning about some of the truly heroic people involved from the principal to the coach who was killed to the victims who have successfully dealt with great adversity.

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Apr 20, 2009

Joanne rated it:

bookshelves: nonfiction

Read in June, 2009

This book is a riveting description of the Columbine school shootings. It debunks many of the myths that the media disseminated, such as bullying/Goths/Trench Coat Mafia/jocks being the cause of the massacre. The book explores the underlying causes, specifically the mental illnesses of the boys, and reveals that the boys intended to kill hundreds or thousands more if their plans had succeeded. It is a heartbreaking read.

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