Columbine by Dave Cullen

Journalist Dave Cullen’s Columbine , winner of an Edgar Award and Barnes & Noble’s Discover Award, puts to rest all the urban myths about the Columbine tragedy. Published on the 10th anniversary of the massacre (April 20, 1999), Cullen debunks some of the myths about bullying, loners, killing jocks and other misconceptions the public has about Columbine. My attention was held by this book because of the journalistic research that obviously went into the writing. I was also interested in reading a fresh take on the two boys and the deaths because I vividly remember the pictures of students running from the school with their hands on their heads. Cullen uses the journals of the two boys, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, as well as interviews with parents of children who were injured or died, to piece together what happened that fateful day when 12 students and one teacher died. Surprising to me was the fact Eric and Dylan had originally planned to bomb the school and used their guns only after most of the bombs failed to explode. Another interesting fact is the change in police tactics that occurred after Columbine. Instead of waiting outside, which caused the deaths of several students and the teacher, police now enter buildings if there is an active shooter inside. Overall this book held my attention mainly because of the psychological study of the two boys and the effect of the massacre on the other students, families and the town itself.