Skip to main content

In-Review: Columbine By Dave Cullen

In Review: Columbine by Dave Cullen


One of the first big 'news' stories of my childhood was the Columbine High School shooting in Colorado. I remember I was in 8th grade listening to my teacher talk about an upcoming social studies test, when a teacher came in to tell her what was happening, although quietly in her ear, so we wouldn't hear.  She had family in Littleton, and she was visibly upset, leaving that day and coming back the next day with newspaper articles and a TV broadcast to play in our class.  We prayed for the victims and their families (I went to a private Catholic school) and then talked about what happened--two teenagers had come into the school and killed a number of people, mostly students.

This April was the 10th anniversary of the Columbine Massacre, and the book Columbine, by Dave Cullen, was published for the date. It is a very thorough and detailed journalistic work that explains the lives of those who were touched by it, a deep look into the two teenagers behind the shootings including motive, and the aftermath of the past 10 years on the community.
I read this book is just under a week, and I must say, it is a fascinating read. Cullen had been one of the initial reporters on the scene the day it happened, and has been putting piece by piece back together to create his intimate look into the shooting, including hundreds of interviews, and thousands upon thousands of pages of police reports. What you will read will astound you, especially since the media made it out to be a 'bullying, goth versus jock, rock-music teen meltdown'. 
Not only did I learn the true motive and bottom line of politics surrounding this event, but I learned a lot about psychology from this book, too. I am so glad I read it, and I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
Stay tuned f or my next book review: Havah, the Story of Eve, by Tosca Lee, later this week.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Home School Activities: Board Games We Love

My children have recently become enthralled in the world of board games. I was never a board game player. Sure, I remember long summer hours (days? it seemed like it..) spent around a Monopoly board, but I was never one to suggest to get out the cards, or a game. As my children have grown and they are now able to do activities with me, I started noticing that they really took to puzzles (when done all together) and the one or two board games I happened to have kept in the storage room. They were always asking to play Candy Land and so I figured I should branch off a bit. Over the course of the last year, I have found GREAT games, even ones that I love to play alongside them. The amount of 'teaching' they have gotten through games is jaw-dropping. Counting, team-playing, math related patterning, are just some of the skills I've watched develop. I asked before Christmas on facebook what my friends and their own kids loved and I was thrilled with the response. We have found ov...

Home School Resources: Links we Love

Source: ladyanndeborja.tumblr.com via Sarah on Pinterest Today I'm just sharing a list of my favorite go-to resources for home schooling. It's a list of where I find games, books, crafts, and fresh inspiration. Also included are articles I've loved about home schooling. One of my favorite websites about homeschooling, updated daily, is Simple Homeschool . It's a shoot off branch of SimpleKids & SimpleMoms, and they often have great giveaways, advice, and have concise and interesting topics. A friend recently guided me to World Book Online to find the general requirements of each grade. At the curriculum fair I went to in April, I remembered two vendors that I want to revisit if they return. One was Hepner's Legacy and the other was Miller's Pads and Papers (don't be fooled by the poor websites, they have great products at good prices). TED Talks . Go. Watch. Now. All of them. Awesome. Even if home schooling is a laughable topic to you, you're ...

How To: DIY Sand/Water Table

How To: Build A Sand/Water Table for Under $30 ! Sorry this took me so long to blog, but I had to have a tool list and full instructions before I could do so. A little history on my love for the sand/water table . I love the idea behind tools for tiny hands, i.e. the Montessori Method , and like to have Lukka 'figure things out for himself', even when he is playing. I try to have the most simple and basic toys available for 3 reasons: a) simple toys generally have less parts, which means less of a hassle for me b) simple toys inspire way more creativity and imagination than do 'exact replica' toys c) they are much more aesthetically pleasing to look at, therefore, not making every nook and cranny of our house an eyesore! I know the last reason is just for me, but it's true. Plastic things don't generally last 1/2 as long as wooden or fabric toys, and they are unattractive. For this reason, I started to look for a wooden sand/water table as opposed to a pl...