The DC Chronicles: Dave's Book and Broken Ankle Sagas

[CANSTANDIT]

http://www.crimecritics.com/2009/03/columbine-dave-cullen-book-review/

Apologies, maybe this was linked already. It's where Dave is compared to Truman Capote with In Cold Blood-that must be surreal for you, Dave. I got a chill when I read it.

I'm looking for reviews out here  in Redneck,  Arizona  , I'll let you know.

[killersmom]

I am work for some of them Dave, unfortunately.

Much good luck on the kicking off of your book tour. Can't wait to see you out here.

I am on page 146.

[CharlotteV]

Who the hell pissed of Janet Maslin?

There's always one contrarian in the crowd. If everyone else had hated it, chances are good she would have raved about it.

I am reminded of the savage "review" Thomas Mallon gave Geraldine Brooks' ambitious novel, March, in the NY Times. In the book, Brooks imagines the Civil War life of the absent March family father from Little Women. Here is a bit of what Mallon wrote:

"...the book she has produced makes a distressing contribution to recent trends in historical fiction, which, after a decade or so of increased literary and intellectual weight, seems to be returning to its old sentimental contrivances and costumes. More and more, in book clubs throughout the land, the genre sits atop a high horse, with nowhere especially important to go."

Not only does he disparage Brooks' novel, he mocks the current state of the entire genre!

Oh -- one more thing: March went on to win the Pulitzer Prize.

[ChrisW]

Hello Dave
- this is fantastic, make the most of it!
I saw you might be over in the UK, if I had some advance notice, I would try to coordinate a group of forum members to come along together to one of your gigs.
If you are offered the chance to speak in Oxford, please accept!!!! - or London is do-able for some of us.
Cheers, Chris

[KittyHawk]

I just got a quick message from Dave - he's still facing dozens of phone interviews and deadlines for additional articles - all about Columbine. There were a couple of pieces he thought Forum members might have missed, so he asked me to post them here.

Borders' "forum" for Columbine is a special promotion they're doing. It's the perfect place to post any questions or comments you may have about the book.

Borders also has an exclusive essay Dave wrote for them. It's very personal and goes into the difficulties of writing about such a tough subject.

[Nikki]

Today's 'People' mag gave 'Columbine' 4 stars!  Here is an excerpt from the review: Like Capote's 'In Cold Blood,' this tour de force gets below the who and what of a horrifyiing incident to lay bare the devastating why.

Kudos to Dave.

[fritzkep]

I've heard that the signing and reading at Politics and Prose in DC has been cancelled, without any replacement date. That's disappointing, as I was planning to slog through traffic next Wednesday to get there to buy a copy and have it signed.

Any plans for any signing in the DC area at all, even sometime later in the year?

[nova]

I've heard that the signing and reading at Politics and Prose in DC has been cancelled, without any replacement date. That's disappointing, as I was planning to slog through traffic next Wednesday to get there to buy a copy and have it signed.

Any plans for any signing in the DC area at all, even sometime later in the year?

DC in DC cancelled?  Why?  I was planning to be there on Wednesday too.

[fritzkep]

Fraid I don't know the reason, Bob. Just got an email from Larry (OregonDoggie) yesterday. It's very disappointing, I was looking forward to it very much.

[pattieono]

 
  Entertainment Weekly gave it an A !!!:
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20270906,00.html

[Sharyn]

ok WOW!  Just finished reading the Time review and already my mind has been opened!  I have always thought Klebold to be the "more menacing" the "leader" and Harris to have been the "follower", the "weaker" of the two. Mostly it was the accounts that immediately came out afterwards, but it was all the "look" of them both... Klebold fit the image of an outcast while Harris' school picture shows him as a good-looking clean-cut all-american guy. Ah not to be cliche, but looks can be deceiving...


Dave, I'm finally catching up with the site and your book's release and subsequent raves after about a month away.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

This is so very exciting!! All the accolades of your research, dedication, and relentless pursuit of understanding, must have you relieved, elated, and proud. And YOU SHOULD BE DAVE!!  You wrote earlier about feeling guilt or feeling bad for feeling good about all this positive response to your book on the same day as the NY State shooting. Well, you have a heart, (  ) but your book, based on the content mentioned in the reviews as I have not yet read the book, is a GIFT!  It sounds like your intentions are being realized and you only ever had the best of intentions while delving into the horrid materials left by that day.

.... I wish what i was writing sounded better but my brain is absolutely fried!  I am just so happy for and proud of you Dave! This is an exciting time, on you have every right to enjoy. YOU DESERVE IT!!! 

PS-- is there any word on a Washington, DC reschedule date? I'd love to finally meet you!!     

[CANSTANDIT]

Today's 'People' mag gave 'Columbine' 4 stars!  Here is an excerpt from the review: Like Capote's 'In Cold Blood,' this tour de force gets below the who and what of a horrifyiing incident to lay bare the devastating why.

Kudos to Dave.

I just read it..I got some more  chills. It's amazing to see it right out there on the pages of People, with Dave's name in lovely green print.

I particularly liked this:

'Like Capote's, In Cold Blood,  this tour de force gets below the who and what of a horrifying incident to lay bare the devastating why.' Great stuff.

[LoveEmBoys]

I had the pleasure of attending Dave's book signing last night at Boarders in Boulder.  It was really fun -- My first ever book signing.  Maybe about 30 people attended, more than they had set up chairs for.  I don't know how long Dave talked - for quite a while.  He joked that his publisher encouraged him to keep his answers short so as to be able to take more questions... alas we all know our Dave. 

I received my book (First Edition -- who hoo!) last Tuesday.  Managed to finish Friday just prior the signing.  It was a push to get through it -- not becuase I had to labor to keep reading, far from it!  But finding enough time around work and what not.  But finish I did and I was so glad to have done so before he started the discussion.  To hear in his own words the main themes in the book was a real treat.  To watch his eyes glaze over as you just knew he was envisioning an interview with a person, or looking at some source material...  it was all just thrilling.

Thank you, Dave, for an entertaining and enlightening evening!

[LoveEmBoys]

Here's a reprint of a blogpost I posted this morning...  sunponyranch.blogspot.com


A 'Why Dun It'

A few days ago I was discussing a new book I'd just started reading. It was one I've been anticipating for a year or so. Not because I'm a big fan of the topic, for in fact I was somewhat nervous about the topic. No, I've been acquainted with the author for about 3 years and it's been really interesting to see the publishing world from the author's point of view. It's his first book, and anytime we talked about it he was so effusive I couldn't help but await publication with great anticipation.

The book is "Columbine" - the culmination of Dave Cullen's years of studying the tragedy, what lead up to it and the aftermath it spawned. Later this month is the 10th year anniversary. When the question was posed - why wait 10 years to publish the book?  Dave laughed and confessed it was a LOT of information to assimilate. He chuckled, saying how especially exciting it was to get a book contract. And then extend for a year. And then another year... But then he grows introspective and admits that frankly, the story was still developing. It took years for much of the evidence to be released, during which time the drama of the aftershocks was still in much fluctuation. It was in conjunction with the 5th anniversary, 2004, that the psychological / psychiatric evaluation results were published. The killer's journals released in 2006. The permanent memorial wasn't completed until 2007.

Anyways, I was discussing the book, admitting that I hadn't know what to expect. It's a volatile topic, one I wasn't sure I was eager to dive back into. Living in Boulder at the time I don't recall ever trying to follow the story - but it permeated our lives for a very long time. I do remember the moment when I heard the breaking news.

There is a very large cast of characters -- the high school had 2000 students. Add to that the families, faculty, media, community members and law enforcement that are all intimately intertwined. Without thinking, I'd said it was a heck of a Who Dun It. Except, of course, we know exactly WHO, and yet the story Dave weaves remains spell binding. That conundrum puzzled me. Until, at the book signing I attended in Boulder last night, Dave said that he'd aimed to write -- "certainly not a Who Done It, but a How Dun It; a Why Dun It." Yes, exactly, that's it.

Dave focuses on a few dozen central characters and presents an incredibly personal view of events from their different perspectives. What is becoming one of my favorite lines of the book:

Mr. D had one major objective on Friday; Eric Harris had at least two. Mr. D wanted to impress on his kids the importance of wise choices. He wanted everyone back alive on Monday. Eric wanted ammo and a date for prom night.

Mr. D is the well loved principle of Columbine who, the Friday before before Prom, gave the students a pep-rally talk about not drinking and driving. The attacks happened the following Tuesday. The passage continues:

Eric and Dylan planned to be dead shortly after the weekend, but Friday night they had a little work to do: one last shift at Blackjack {a pizza delivery joint}. ... "Once I graduate, I think I'm gonna quit too," Eric told a friend who'd quit the week before. "But not now. When I graduate I'm going to get a job that's better for my future." He was lying. He had no intention of graduating.

Dylan had a bright future. He was heading to college, of course. Several schools had accepted him, and he and his dad had just visited Tucson. ... The decision was final; his mom was going to mail the deposit to the U of Ariz on Monday.

Throughout the book Dave masterfully intersperses chapters from the killers' backgrounds, leading up to the attack, with stories of the victims, survivors and the ongoing investigation. Beyond any other impression, I was so taken with how smoothly it reads. For some very uncomfortable scenes, never the less I could not put the book down. (I do recommend having tissues handy)

I managed to finish a mere 15 minutes before the book signing -- LOL. I was surprised, I guess, to find that most of the people who attended had not yet read it -- well, not the ones who asked questions at least. ;-) The book focuses a lot on the myths that were set into place very quickly, and which have been so pervasive several are still prevalent even though they have long since been disproved. For example that Eric and Dylan were social outcasts, taking out their vengeance upon those who had bullied them. Quite simply, nothing could be further from the truth -- and yet I think that was the very first question posed from the group.

One thing really got me at the signing -- I had not anticipated that Dave would bring his photocopies of Eric and Dylan's journals. These documents obviously play a huge role in the book, and it was incredibly erie to thumb through the pages and pages of hand written notes and drawings. Dave's copies were highlighted and dog eared, so it was easy to flip through and find the many sections that he's quoted or discussed in the book. It gave me chills.

The story is horrific, heartbreaking, and maddening. The book is seamless, clear, and a comprehensive view never before presented.

[LoveEmBoys]

So,  emailed this to you Dave, but was then reminded of this thread, so I'll repost here....

Eric, as a psycopath, was an accomplished lier. 

It seems that he's clear in his journal that he is writing "for his audience", so that they know what his motivation is...   

Do you ever get the sense that he's lying to the journal?  Further manipulation?       My mind jumps to the passage where you says he has one line of regret (for what he's going to do to his family?) -- but then goes right back spouting off about the massacre.