Columbine

sheldon_rapoza shared a tip "In a lot of ways, this is the history of the Columbine murders in 1999 as this book is all encompassing. This particular edition has a lengthy afterword and epilogue and being 20 years later, you learn a lot more. I would describe this book as a bit odd for me. It’s very unfocused, in an intentional way in that it tells as many different peoples stories as possible, including the killers and their parents and their struggles. I personally really struggled with the writing style and the book not being chronological so often. You can feel how personal this became to the author and given its success, it’s obvious some like that. For me, just hard to follow at times and also a bit obsessive in trying to answer “why”. In life, often times the simplest answer is the truth."

olivia_huie shared a tip "This is a very well researched book on the Columbine massacre, and the events after it happened. I personally was appalled by all of the missed signals by numerous people that showed very clearly that these two were planning on doing terrible things. I’m also not sure how I feel about the way the author portrayed the killers on multiple occasions, but that may have been due to a lot of the stories not being told in a linear timeline."

stefani_marie shared a tip "Probably the best-researched and most in-depth look at those who took part in the Columbine massacre, both leading up to and during. Also, has a great about of detail in regards to what was supposed to happen that day, what the police did and didn't do, what the police department and other intelligence agencies have on this case and the psychological factors that played a large role in the case. The author follows up with both the school, survivors, and parents of those that lost children. If you haven’t read this book and want to know more about this event in history, this is the book to read."

jake_thompson_7669 shared a tip "Intense. Honest and upfront about the writer's own feelings. If I remember correctly it's a long list of citations and acknowledgements, ending with essentially "I hope this makes up for the role I played in the chaos, when this happened." I guess it's sort of up to you, I don't know if anyone can really say definitely one way or the other. I think this does a good job of examining something intricate, delicate, and severely misunderstood."

jake_thompson_7669 shared a tip "If it was mistreated the first time, Dave Cullen has handled the story with dignity. Thorough and unobtrusive storytelling that's always doing just enough of whatever it happens to be doing. I was frequently amazed at the level of detail"

rebecca_lauren11 shared a tip "This book is very well written and yes, I couldn’t put it down! I felt like I understood more about the event than from anything else I read or heard on the news."

drew_horner shared a tip "Tragic but intriguing read. I was 13 at the time of the Columbine shootings and I remember the media coverage well. This book helps to re-contextualize one of the major news events that shaped my childhood."