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Columbine

by Dave Cullen

Columbine Cover

ISBN13: 9780446546928
ISBN10: 0446546925
Condition: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

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.

In the tradition of Helter Skelter and In Cold Blood, Columbine is destined to be a classic. A close-up portrait of hatred, a community rendered helpless, and the police blunders and cover-ups, it is a compelling and utterly human portrait of two killers — an unforgettable cautionary tale for our times.

Review:

"Comprehensively nightmarish . . . Cullen's task is difficult not only because the events in question are almost literally unspeakable but also because even as he tells the story of a massacre that took the lives of 15 people, including the killers, he has to untell the stories that have already been told . . . Columbine is a necessary book. . . . The actual events of April 20, 1999, are exactly as appalling as you'd expect, and Cullen doesn't spare us a second of them." Time

Review:

"Comprehensive...It's a book that hits you like a crime scene photo, a reminder of what journalism at its best is all about. Cullen knows his material from the inside; he covered Columbine, for Salon and Slate primarily, 'beginning around noon on the day of the attack.' But if this gives him a certain purchase on the story, his perspective is what resonates." LA Times

Review:

"Cullen's book is a nerve-wracking, methodical and panoramic account...Columbine has its terrifying sections, particularly during Cullen's minute-by-minute rendering of the chaotic 49-minute assault. He puts us inside and outside the building, and he captures the disbelief viewers experienced in 'almost witnessing mass murder' live on television." Cleveland Plain Dealer

Review:

"Cullen has authored a definitive history of Columbine...Columbine scrapes away the urban legends and popular analysis, and shows the reader clearly what happened.... Even while speaking hard truths, Cullen writes about the people of Columbine with compassion.” James Hart, New York Post

Review:

"A chilling page-turner, a striking accomplishment given that Cullen's likely readers almost certainly know how the tragic story ends...I knew Cullen was a dogged reporter and a terrific writer, but even I was blown away by the pacing and story-telling he mastered in Columbine, a disturbing, inspiring work of art." Salon.com

Synopsis:

Ten years in the making and a masterpiece of reportage, Columbine is an award-winning journalist's definitive account of one of the most shocking massacres in American history.

About the Author

Dave Cullen is a journalist and author who has contributed to Slate, Salon, and the New York Times. He is considered the nation's foremost authority on the Columbine killers, and has also written extensively on Evangelical Christians, gays in the military, politics, and pop culture. A graduate of the MA program at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Cullen has won several writing awards, including a GLAAD Media Award, Society of Professional Journalism awards, and several Best of Salon citations.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 4 comments:

Josephine, January 2, 2011 (view all comments by Josephine)
Not an easy subject, but one that is handled comprehesively, and with respect.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
Josephine, May 14, 2010 (view all comments by Josephine)
Not just a story about two damaged young men who decided that mass murder was a viable choice, but a study of trauma, memory, the media and all of its problems, corruption in law enforcement, religion, and 'the truth'.
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(3 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
Kelly A, April 3, 2010 (view all comments by Kelly A)
The best thing about this book is the skillful choices Cullen makes; what he leaves out to tell the best story.

He had me at a passage early in the book describing the principal at a gathering the week of the shooting there is now way a photo could have illustrated this image better:

Mr. D buckled at the waist. He clutched his stomach and staggered around, turning his back to the audience, sobbing uncontrollably. His torso was parallel to the floor, shaking so hard it was visible from the last row.

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(1 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780446546928
Author:
Cullen, Dave
Publisher:
Twelve
Subject:
United States - State & Local - West
Subject:
United States - 20th Century (1945 to 2000)
Subject:
Murder - General
Subject:
World History-General
Publication Date:
20100331
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
443
Dimensions:
8.80x5.90x1.40 in. 1.05 lbs.

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Related Aisles

Columbine Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$10.95 In Stock
Product details 443 pages Twelve - English 9780446546928 Reviews:
"Review" by , "Comprehensively nightmarish . . . Cullen's task is difficult not only because the events in question are almost literally unspeakable but also because even as he tells the story of a massacre that took the lives of 15 people, including the killers, he has to untell the stories that have already been told . . . Columbine is a necessary book. . . . The actual events of April 20, 1999, are exactly as appalling as you'd expect, and Cullen doesn't spare us a second of them."
"Review" by , "Comprehensive...It's a book that hits you like a crime scene photo, a reminder of what journalism at its best is all about. Cullen knows his material from the inside; he covered Columbine, for Salon and Slate primarily, 'beginning around noon on the day of the attack.' But if this gives him a certain purchase on the story, his perspective is what resonates."
"Review" by , "Cullen's book is a nerve-wracking, methodical and panoramic account...Columbine has its terrifying sections, particularly during Cullen's minute-by-minute rendering of the chaotic 49-minute assault. He puts us inside and outside the building, and he captures the disbelief viewers experienced in 'almost witnessing mass murder' live on television."
"Review" by , "Cullen has authored a definitive history of Columbine...Columbine scrapes away the urban legends and popular analysis, and shows the reader clearly what happened.... Even while speaking hard truths, Cullen writes about the people of Columbine with compassion.”
"Review" by , "A chilling page-turner, a striking accomplishment given that Cullen's likely readers almost certainly know how the tragic story ends...I knew Cullen was a dogged reporter and a terrific writer, but even I was blown away by the pacing and story-telling he mastered in Columbine, a disturbing, inspiring work of art."
"Synopsis" by , Ten years in the making and a masterpiece of reportage, Columbine is an award-winning journalist's definitive account of one of the most shocking massacres in American history.
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