It's been nearly 14 years since the Columbine tragedy. What do you remember about the two shooters (Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold) from the April 20, 1999 shooting and attempted bombing of Columbine High School? Let me tell you some of the so-called "facts" I remember hearing in the hours and days after the shooting:
- they were Goths;
- they were part of the "Trench Coat Mafia";
- they were loners who had no friends;
- they were fans of Marilyn Manson;
- they specifically targeted jocks;
- they specifically targeted minorities;
- they chose April 20th because it was Hitler's birthday;
- they were gay;
- they shot Cassie Bernall because she believed in God.
All of these allegations are false! I just finished reading Columbine (2009) by Dave Cullen, who spent 10 years researching the tragedy and is considered the nation's foremost authority on the Columbine killers.
Synopsis: "On April 20, 1999, two boys left an indelible stamp on the American psyche. Their goal was simple: to blow up their school, Oklahoma-City style, and to leave 'a lasting impression on the world.' Their bombs failed, but the ensuing shooting defined a new era of school violence-irrevocably branding every subsequent shooting 'another Columbine.'
When we think of Columbine, we think of the Trench Coat Mafia; we think of Cassie Bernall, the girl we thought professed her faith before she was shot; and we think of the boy pulling himself out of a school window -- the whole world was watching him. Now, in a riveting piece of journalism nearly ten years in the making, comes the story none of us knew. In this revelatory book, Dave Cullen has delivered a profile of teenage killers that goes to the heart of psychopathology. He lays bare the callous brutality of mastermind Eric Harris, and the quavering, suicidal Dylan Klebold, who went to prom three days earlier and obsessed about love in his journal.
The result is an astonishing account of two good students with lots of friends, who came to stockpile a basement cache of weapons, to record their raging hatred, and to manipulate every adult who got in their way. They left signs everywhere, described by Cullen with a keen investigative eye and psychological acumen. Drawing on hundreds of interviews, thousands of pages of police files, FBI psychologists, and the boy's tapes and diaries, he gives the first complete account of the Columbine tragedy." (from the book jacket)
Review: The professor of my current grad class brought in an excerpt from Columbine for us to read and discuss. I was immediately fascinated by the excerpt and decided to pick up the book from the library. What did I discover? An incredibly well-researched, detailed account of the Columbine tragedy. Cullen addresses many myths that the press created in the first moments after the tragedy and that most of us still believe.
In the 10 years following the Columbine shooting, Dave Cullen sifted through a mountain of information – conducting hundreds of interviews, reading over 25,000 pages of police files, consulting with FBI psychologists, and viewing the tapes and diaries left behind by Harris and Klebold – in order to write a definitive account of what happened that day at Columbine; including what led up to the shooting, what went wrong during the initial response, and the aftermath of the shooting in the community and those permanently scarred either by the loss of loved ones or injury. He also attempts to answer one of the biggest questions that lingers over the specter of the Columbine shooting: Why?
I'm oversimplifying Cullen's book but Eric Harris was a born psychopath and Dylan Klebold was clinically depressed, eager to please, and looking for an escape hatch. Together, they formed a rare and volatile combination known as a criminal dyad (a coupling of an egomaniacal control freak and a doting, depressed side-kick; i.e.; Leopold and Loeb or Bonnie and Clyde). But Cullen does not merely dwell on the psychopathy of the killers. He reports on the practically criminal mistakes by the police, the egregious rumors spread by the media, the recovery of the injured victims, and the anger and eventual healing of the deceased's families. Additionally, Cullen provides one of the best descriptions of psychopathy I think I've ever read (Chapter 40). It worth reading the book for just that explanation!
My only complaint about the book is the organization. I have never been a fan of nonlinear narratives (stories that jump around in time (one of the reasons I dislike Slaughterhouse Five)). Cullen's narrative is not written chronologically so it can be a little difficult to keep track of the timeline, but that's my personal issue and in no way detracts from the brilliance of his research and writing. Not counting endnotes, the book is nearly 400 pages long and took me approximately 2 days to read. This genius work of journalism was thoroughly engrossing and I highly recommend it. As an educator, it scared the hell out of me; as a feeling and caring human being, it saddened me!
In the 10 years following the Columbine shooting, Dave Cullen sifted through a mountain of information – conducting hundreds of interviews, reading over 25,000 pages of police files, consulting with FBI psychologists, and viewing the tapes and diaries left behind by Harris and Klebold – in order to write a definitive account of what happened that day at Columbine; including what led up to the shooting, what went wrong during the initial response, and the aftermath of the shooting in the community and those permanently scarred either by the loss of loved ones or injury. He also attempts to answer one of the biggest questions that lingers over the specter of the Columbine shooting: Why?
I'm oversimplifying Cullen's book but Eric Harris was a born psychopath and Dylan Klebold was clinically depressed, eager to please, and looking for an escape hatch. Together, they formed a rare and volatile combination known as a criminal dyad (a coupling of an egomaniacal control freak and a doting, depressed side-kick; i.e.; Leopold and Loeb or Bonnie and Clyde). But Cullen does not merely dwell on the psychopathy of the killers. He reports on the practically criminal mistakes by the police, the egregious rumors spread by the media, the recovery of the injured victims, and the anger and eventual healing of the deceased's families. Additionally, Cullen provides one of the best descriptions of psychopathy I think I've ever read (Chapter 40). It worth reading the book for just that explanation!
My only complaint about the book is the organization. I have never been a fan of nonlinear narratives (stories that jump around in time (one of the reasons I dislike Slaughterhouse Five)). Cullen's narrative is not written chronologically so it can be a little difficult to keep track of the timeline, but that's my personal issue and in no way detracts from the brilliance of his research and writing. Not counting endnotes, the book is nearly 400 pages long and took me approximately 2 days to read. This genius work of journalism was thoroughly engrossing and I highly recommend it. As an educator, it scared the hell out of me; as a feeling and caring human being, it saddened me!
Rating: 5 out 5 stars
