Columbine

Powerful!

Gripping, brutal, honest, and well-written. This book tore up a lot of my assumptions about the Columbine massacre and the killers themselves.

Loved the non-chronological structure in the latter half of the book, and the way the author interwove multiple stories together. Perfect balance of facts about the massacre, deep dive into the psychology of the killers, and stories of the survivors, victims, and families left behind.

This is a masterful book, an unflinching and comprehensive critical analysis of a complex event that lent itself to so much misunderstanding and simplifying. There's a human tendency to find a master narrative that can categorize the impulses behind horrific events – it was jocks vs. nerds; it was a cry for help; it was Marilyn Manson; it was a weak family life; it was video games; it was our disaffected and disconnected modern way of life – and I admire Cullen for his willingness to accept the ambiguity and unease that arises when you're no longer left with a simple explanation. It's a hard book to read, but it's worth it.