Columbine

by Dave Cullen

But in the great media blunders during the initial coverage of this story, where nearly everyone got the central factors wrong, I was among the guilty parties. I hope this book contributes to setting the story right.

Psychopaths are distinguished by two characteristics. The first is a ruthless disregard for others: they will defraud, maim, or kill for the most trivial personal gain. The second is an astonishing gift for disguising the first. It’s the deception that makes them so dangerous. You never see him coming.

Psychopaths take great personal pride in their deceptions and extract tremendous joy from them.

The transcripts would be sealed at the national archives for twenty years. The truth would come out in 2027, twenty-eight years after the massacre.

The two biggest myths were that shooters were loners and that they “snapped.” A staggering 93 percent planned their attack in advance.