Columbine by Dave Cullen is widely recognized as the definitive narrative of the Columbine High School Massacre and has become an integral part of required high school courses on school violence across the country. Cullen writes eloquently about the struggles of the wounded, as well as the grief of the families of those whose lives were lost on that day in April 1999. The book has generated quite a bit of controversy, however, over Cullen’s depiction of Columbine shooters, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.
Early in the book we are introduced to the principal figures: Harris, Klebold, and many of the innocent people the two would soon murder, injure, or traumatize. Cullen depicts Eric as a self-assured ladies’ man possessing a low key, if off-the-grid form of popularity. This characterization of Harris has been uniformly disputed by all who knew him but it is a theme that resonates throughout Columbine in order to add credence to the book’s portrayal of Harris as the Svengali that led Klebold astray. Dylan, on the other hand, is painted as Eric’s depressed disciple, unlucky in life and looking to Harris for purpose and an escape from his pain.
Cullen sketches an idyllic portrait of the heavily Christian community of Littleton, CO and its surrounding areas. The reader is also given a detailed look into the daily lives of students at Columbine High School. According to Cullen, while bullying occurred at the school it was not a serious problem and although Harris and Klebold may have been on the receiving end of some minor harassment, they dished it out as well as they took it. Cullen’s conclusions contradict several official investigations undertaken since this tragedy, which show that a culture of bullying did exist at Columbine and likely contributed to, but did not cause, the attack.
The book takes the reader through a comprehensive summary of the massacre at Columbine. When the bombs Eric and Dylan planted in the cafeteria failed to detonate, they commenced shooting their classmates, instead. We are taken through the terror that gripped the student body and staff, learn of Dave Sander’s futile fight for survival, Patrick Ireland’s miraculous act of self- preservation, and the ways in which law enforcement fell short of their duties to protect and serve. In describing the activities of the perpetrators during the assault, Cullen attributes actions to the two that, while riveting, are not supported by available evidence. The writer also ascribes to Harris and Klebold thoughts and feelings that could only be known to the killers themselves. Assertions like Klebold being a reluctant killer goaded on by Harris are disputed by the dozens of witnesses who reported Dylan laughing, celebrating, and making sarcastic comments about the pain and destruction he was causing.
The remainder of the book discusses the recovery of the community, the survivors, and the families of those slain. It also delves into the backgrounds of Harris and Klebold and purports that the cause of the attack was Eric Harris’ god complex and affinity for murder coupled with Dylan Klebold’s desire for his own death. Cullen’s presentation of Harris as the psychopathic leader and Klebold the depressive follower suggests conclusive diagnoses of their psychological states are a foregone conclusion when no reputable psychiatric body would render an opinion on subjects who died before a mental health evaluation was possible.
Columbine provides an introduction into what was once the worst school shooting in US history. It is a well written book that poignantly portrays how the town of Littleton, CO and Columbine High School rebuilt from tragedy. The story does stray, in some cases, from the well- established facts of the case and should be used in adjunct to other sources for a more complete understanding of the massacre at Columbine.
