A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of the Columbine Tragedy in Obsessed with True Crime

Oct 25, 2016 ♥ Marlene♥ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: true-crime, non-fiction, kindle

One thing I want to make clear that is that I feel very sorry for her and her ex husband and for the parents of Harris. (I do not have to add how sad I am for the victims loved ones of Klebold and Harris because that is a no brainer) I still do after reading this although I did get annoyed by Sue Klebold constant excuses for Dylan.

At the beginning of the book let's say the first 1/3rd she is so honest, I was so intrigued by that. it was her honesty that made me open up to her. Alas slowly I noti One thing I want to make clear that is that I feel very sorry for her and her ex husband and for the parents of Harris. (I do not have to add how sad I am for the victims loved ones of Klebold and Harris because that is a no brainer) I still do after reading this although I did get annoyed by Sue Klebold constant excuses for Dylan.

At the beginning of the book let's say the first 1/3rd she is so honest, I was so intrigued by that. it was her honesty that made me open up to her. Alas slowly I noticed that she was still making excuses for her son even though she claimed she was not. It began when she described what Dylan and Eric had done. She was pointing out that Eric killed many more for instance. She made a big deal of Dylan warning his friend but the facts of how mean not just Eric was but also her son while killing people who were hiding under the table in that classroom and how he laughed while killing (and Klebold did shoot them) was ignored in my opinion.

To me she is still focussing too much on the suicide part. As someone else wrote her excessive defensiveness (despite good attempts at taking responsibility) was a constant in the book.

Klebold was very depressed (His parents did not pick up on that but teens are good at hiding) and yes he committed suicide but he also murdered many innocents before he killed himself. If he did it just because he wanted to die he could have shot himself but no he also liked to get his revenge according to the basement tapes. There is not enough emphasis on this in my opinion. In her eyes Harris was the psychopath and yes he was but Dylan was just as crazy and lacked empathy too. (she still does not see this I feel)

One thing I also noticed was that it felt to me the boys had to perfect. The perfect little family and from very small he Dylan expected no less from himself. He became hyper critical to himself and a perfectionist. I do feel that she was the boss in that family and was always teaching them. Her biggest mistake was when Dylan finally opened up to tell her Eric was crazy, instead of asking him why? What had Eric done, she began preaching about not everybody being the same.

Quote "I thought of all the times I'd called the mom hosting a sleepover to find out what movie she was planning to show. More than once I'd asked for a less violent movie"

This quote tells me I feel that she was a bit controlling perhaps and is it not so that if kids are not allowed something they will crave it? But that being said that still not makes it her fault.

Another thing was she wrote that in her house the kids were not allowed to be rude but later in the book I read about Dylan not answering her or rolling eyes and arguing so he was a normal teen and not the angel she sometimes (a lot really) described he was. I understand it is her child and I have always thought about her and her husband and Eric Harris parents wondering how they could cope, but I wish she had gone the last step. I think that would have benefited the loved ones of all the victims of her son. Not her description throughout this book how nice Dylan was. How polite to others) how strict she was wit him)

Anyway very brave to write.

p.s How hard this must be for the parents of Eric Harris. I wonder how they are doing?

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Mar 12, 2016 Stacy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2016, five-stars, nonfiction

Trying to understand the unthinkable...

If you're looking for answers as to why the author's younger son became one of the Columbine gunmen, they are hard to find. It seems as though Dylan suffered from serious depression, though that doesn't excuse his behavior.

Though Sue didn't see any indications of violence in her son, she regrets that she wasn't able to see the signs of depression so she could get help and possibly prevent what happened. Many of these signs of depression mirrored typical te ...more

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Dec 25, 2016 Stacey rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I remember getting in my car leaving for lunch, but instead I sat and listened to live coverage of the events unfolding at Columbine. Shocked and unsure of what the whole story was, I had to return to work an hour later. We know what happened, but as a parent myself, how can you NOT know that your child is on a destructive path? Sue Klebold explains this to me. It's gut wrenching, heartfelt, and courageous to tackle this personal journey through hell and grief. This is a great read made even bet ...more

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Feb 27, 2016 Esme rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir

I listened to the audiobook version of this book, and I didn’t want to turn it off until I heard every last word she had to say. It was especially poignant for me as both a survivor of suicide loss, and someone who had been bullied in school. As she talked about getting that terrible notification phone call and as the aftermath unfolded, I couldn’t contain the visceral memories that flooded over me of the day when I got “that” phone call and how I staggered through the aftermath, trying to bury ...more

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Nov 03, 2016 Silvana rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book was a revelation to me. I am always open to new perspectives and alternative vantage points. Sue Klebold's memoir made me see murder-suicides in a different way. I loved her memoir, so earnest and so humble. I feel for her and the way she is almost scared of verbalizing that she misses her son, because it may be offensive to those he killed or hurt or traumatized.
I love that she has become such a big advocate for suicide prevention and for what she calls "brain health". This memoir ma ...more

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