Columbine, by Dave Cullen: a humble review

When the tragedy of Columbine High school took place, I was too young to know what was going on. I didn’t understand that it was even happening. Now, as an adult I can recognize the horror that must have swept the nation. I picked up this book almost immediately after getting it for Christmas and was sucked in the moment I cracked the spine. Dave Cullen, a journalist, reported on the tragedy at the time it was taking place and later spent a large part of his career correcting the misconceptions the public had about the shooting, culminating in this book. Cullen went on a mission to point out the irregularities from the media and investigators, resulting in rampant rumors and false information. Throughout these pages, Cullen uses a narrative style of writing to guide the reader through the many facets of action taken to gain control of the situation, but what was most fascinating to me was that he managed to recreate the steps the shooters took leading up to their horrific crescendo.

The novel begins and ends graphically. As mentioned above, Cullen follows Eric and Dillon’s twisted path that ultimately resulted in the death of many and the trauma of thousands. He follows the timeline of the investigator’s working on the case and provides his readers the insight that many did not have at the time, by pointing out missing information, wrong information, and misleading information. He follows the timeline of each victim, as well as the shooters, and  their families as they navigate their new realities.

Details are not spared to the reader, however I highly suggest getting the amended novel. In the forward of the newly published corrected work (published 2016), the author explains that some of the facts previously published were incorrect and therefore removed from the work. Personally, I thank him for doing that and acknowledging that it was something that needed to be done.

This novel is NOT for the sensitive readers of the community, and I do not recommend it to anyone who may be triggered by traumas. Cullen includes journal entries and diagrams from the shooter’s diaries that were horrible to read, but enlightening. It took me a very long time to read because of the dark material and heavy reality of the facts. I read it slowly and digested it because I felt that if I was going to take part in reading something like this, I owed it not only to the victims who lost their lives, but also to the author who worked to make the truth known.

I do not often read non-fiction, but I am glad that I read Columbine. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the psychology behind the actions of the shooters, or to anyone who is genuinely interested in learning more. I will reiterate that I do not recommend this to sensitive readers.