"Columbine" by Dave Cullen

The first thing you notice about this book is its cover.  One word in white floating in an overcast sky far above a lonely, modern-looking school.  There is no clue to give the viewer an idea of what happened inside that building nearly 12 years ago, except that one word . . . Columbine.

I remember when the massacre at Columbine High School happened back in 1999.  The mass media was all over the place; unfortunately, they got most of the story wrong.  Writer Dave Cullen was there from the beginning interviewing the survivors, their families, the school staff, the killers' friends, law enforcement, and even journalists covering the story.  All of the myths that grew out of the massacre really were just myths perpetuated by the mass media.  For example, the boys did not target jocks, they did not belong to the Trench Coat Mafia, and they did not ask one of the victims if she believed in God before they killed her.  Cullen tries hard to get the details right with a timeline before the massacre, a large notes section, and even a bibliography naming his sources.  He also has a web site with more information:  http://www.davecullen.com/columbine.htm.  In the end, two very different boys committed mass murder at their school for very different reasons. 

The book jumps back and forth between planning for the massacre, carrying it out, and the repercussions that followed.  The writing is straightforward but captivating.  It's hard to imagine the terror and sorrow that so many people experienced because of these two boys, but a few good things did come out of it.  I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the true story behind this tragedy.  358 pages.