Columbine

Books | Biography & Autobiography / Criminals & Outlaws

4.4

(6.4K)

Dave Cullen

Ten years in the works, a masterpiece of reportage, this is the definitive account of the Columbine massacre, its aftermath, and its significance, from the acclaimed journalist who followed the story from the outset. "The tragedies keep coming. As we reel from the latest horror . . ." So begins a new epilogue, illustrating how Columbine became the template for nearly two decades of "spectacle murders." It is a false script, seized upon by a generation of new killers. In the wake of Newtown, Aurora, and Virginia Tech, the imperative to understand the crime that sparked this plague grows more urgent every year. What really happened April 20, 1999? The horror left an indelible stamp on the American psyche, but most of what we "know" is wrong. It wasn't about jocks, Goths, or the Trench Coat Mafia. Dave Cullen was one of the first reporters on scene, and spent ten years on this book-widely recognized as the definitive account. With a keen investigative eye and psychological acumen, he draws on mountains of evidence, insight from the world's leading forensic psychologists, and the killers' own words and drawings-several reproduced in a new appendix. Cullen paints raw portraits of two polar opposite killers. They contrast starkly with the flashes of resilience and redemption among the survivors. Expanded with a New Epilogue

True Crime

Psychology

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More Details:

Author

Dave Cullen

Pages

464

Publisher

Grand Central Publishing

Published Date

2009-04-06

ISBN

0446552216 9780446552219

Ratings

Google: 4

Community ReviewsSee all

"First book like this I have read. I wasn't keen on the author's writing style in the beginning but after the character introductions the rest of the book had me very much on edge. Literally I couldn't stop fidgeting as I read. It's very intense and thorough. Thinking about reading his other works once I feel more ready to digest that kind of content."

2GMike

"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."

Sheldon Rapoza

"Read this in my journalism class in High School and it still touches my heart today. It's a must read!"

Jess

"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."

Olivia Huie

"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."

Stefani Marie

"Are you ready to have your mind blown? Here goes. In the 23 years since the Columbine shooting there have been over 300 school shootings ( according to security.com, dated August 2021 ). Over 300 school shootings in 23 years! Wt actual f?! #true_crime #investigative_journalism #history #psychology #columbine "

Katie

"This book won the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime Book in 2009. It is a great read and is well documented. If I can’t find anything to read, I peruse the Edgar Awards database for nominations and winners in the different categories."

Shay

"Best book on Comumbine"

mary

"The most thoughtful, well-informed account ever written about the Columbine tragedy. Dave Cullen consulted hundreds of documents (many never released to the public until recently) and interviewed survivors, family members, school officials and police to assemble a nail biting reconstruction of the shootings, the killers' mentalities and the aftermath. In the process, he reveals that nearly all the common assumptions about Columbine (and school shootings in general) are wrong. The killers were neither Goths, "trench coat mafia", loners, or the victims of bullies; school shooters are less, not more, likely to play video games than other kids. While experts agree that Eric Harris was almost certainly a psychopath, Dylan Klebold comes off as a confused, depressive kid who under other circumstances might have turned his life around. A stellar work of journalism offering neither platitudes, nor easy answers."