It was a slightly brisk September afternoon when we met at the Perham Area Public Library to discuss Columbine, by Dave Cullen. A Fall of Marigolds is coming up next for our October read. Copies are limited, so if you have an opportunity to find a copy elsewhere, we would encourage you to do so. Also, if you don't need a copy, would you mind letting us know? It definitely helps in our efforts to get a copy in everyone's hands who needs one! Thanks in advance for your help!
Onward!
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.
Every member at the meeting agreed that the thought going into this book was that it would be very heavy, very difficult material to get through, and for a few, it was. No one felt like it was a light, uplifting read by any means, but the majority were glad that they read it in the end. They appreciated how well the author presented just the facts of the tragedy, both the events leading up to it and the subsequent investigation and devastation that followed, with no personal bias, and left it up to the reader to ultimately draw their own conclusions about who was to blame, the police response and investigation, and possible steps to take to prevent further senseless ruin in the future.
There was also a great deal of talk about psychopaths and how to spot them, which lead to mention that the author had solid evidence that there is no tried and true "profile" for this type of crime/perpetrator, citing that according to Sue Klebold, Dylan's mother, there were no hard and fast obvious signs that he was this deeply troubled... certainly no indication of the mass shooting that was to come. In almost a survivalistic sense, psychopaths typically present as very "normal" people, masters at blending in and gaining trust. It was said that if the different people involved with the Dylan and Eric had compared notes about their behavior (the Creative Writing teacher, the school counselor, the parents, fellow classmates, friends, police, etc.) all along, then maybe some of the troubling details could have come to light sooner and an intervention could have been staged. This kind of pattern of scattered pieces of the puzzle, that once put together in their entirety put things quickly into perspective, seems to be a common theme with most psychopaths across the board. More evidence of why they can be so hard to spot and apprehend~ not any one person has all the details.
It was said it's easy to pass judgement in hindsight, but it was still hard to believe that both sets of parents didn't know more than they've claimed. That they didn't do the bare minimum of checking their backpacks and bedrooms, even accidentally so by emptying a garbage can, or delivering clean laundry. It seemed Eric's father was in a strange sense of denial about his troubled son, although it's clear Eric was a highly skilled smooth talker.
It was also added that it was incredibly brave and painful for Sue Klebold to write letters of apology to the survivors and the families of those lost. She has gone on to do a Ted Talk, write a book, and participate in an Amazon Prime documentary titled, "American Tragedy", where she continues to share her uncensored thoughts and feelings, along with the personal details from her home life with Dylan. She is a crusader for mental illness in children and works towards a future where there are no more school shootings.
Did we miss anything? Do you have anything to add to our talk? Please do so down below! 👇
Are you interested in reading more books like Columbine? Fans of the book also enjoyed, Sandy Hook, by Elizabeth Williamson, Newtown, by Matthew Lysiak, and The Stranger Beside Me, by Ann Rule. All of these titles are available within the Viking system~ reserve your copy today!
Would we
recommend this to a friend to read?
"NO"
Would we
recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"YES"
