Columbine

by Dave Cullen

For those who are grieving, as I have been this year, a lot of questions come to mind, such as: Why? What’s the point? What now? Dave Cullen’s journalistic account of the shooting at Columbine High School, its causes and its aftermath, tries to answer many of the questions surrounding the event. As with any trauma, people tend not to leave their questions open - the media, the community, and the survivors of the Columbine shooting came up with answers within hours, days, and weeks. Many of these answers proved to be unfounded - the shooters were not bullied, or loners, or goths, or gay. They weren’t inspired by video games or violent movies. Stories of some victims’ heroic martyrdom were created out of thin air, while more accurate stories were ignored. And even the official investigation was clouded in secrecy. Cullen spent ten years researching the event, and comes out with a clearer picture. Like anything true, the story of Columbine is complex and multilayered. The lessons we can learn from the attack are not necessarily the lessons we were hoping to learn. But the humanity of all involved - even the killers - comes through. This is, after all, primarily a high school, and the students at Columbine feel strongly that the continuing life of the school should mean more than the terrible events of that day in 1999.