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A review by bethreadsandnaps
A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold
5.0
Columbine was a tragedy that occurred at such a unique time. The Lewinsky controversy was coming to a close and politically things seemed calm and things were good economically, was before 9/11, was before internet news became a staple and we still relied on TV coverage, and video cameras (whether in schools or personally) started to become more commonplace. Thus, it felt like I lived this media coverage for months. Columbine feels like such an event that it even had its own terms or started the wave of terms: Trenchcoat Mafia, school shooters, Columbine, "she said yes" (one of the victims Cassie whose mother wrote a book on her losing her life because she responded yes when Dylan and Eric asked if she believed in God).
If you asked me who the perpetrators were at Sandy Hook or Virginia Tech, I couldn't tell you. But Eric and Dylan are permanently etched in my mind, either due to the non-stop media coverage for months or my own intrigue about the event.
There were books that rushed to print soon after the event, such as Cassie's mother's book. I feel the better books about Columbine are the ones that took more time, when the authors took time to digest the pieces left (journals, videos, memories, other evidence). Dave Cullen's book about Columbine is an excellent precursor to this one. He took ten years to write the story and sort through everything. And it is an excellent bridge from the media frenzy to this one, Sue Klebold's story about her son Dylan. Dave Cullen's book dispels many of the myths perpetuated through the media, and I think knowing the actual facts really helps put this book into context.
I listened to this book, and I'm glad I did. Sue reads the book, and I think it adds a different dimension to the book that improves it. You get a more vibrant view of her, and it's easy to see that she's a caring, non-violent mother. She recounts the family's life growing up. It's not a defensive account; it's an honest account of how your child may try to disguise issues, you get preoccupied by your other kids/other worries, your child meets the wrong influence, and tragedy strikes. I can't imagine the pain she goes through on a daily basis, and I'm glad she wrote this after 16 years of trying to heal.
What I took from this book, distilled into one nugget, is that we worry about the external threats to our children far more than the threats from within our child. She wants the rest of us to learn from her and take notice of our child's "brain" (mental) health.
A stunning read for all parents and anyone who is interested in a different perspective about Columbine. My only question is why Sue Klebold had no interaction with Eric's parents after the massacre. At face value, it seemed like these two were the only ones who could understand each other. The book implies that Sue thought Eric was the bad influence, but even so one might think that she could mourn with Eric's mother. There's probably a history there that she was fearful of getting into, but it does make the reader (or at least me) wonder.
If you asked me who the perpetrators were at Sandy Hook or Virginia Tech, I couldn't tell you. But Eric and Dylan are permanently etched in my mind, either due to the non-stop media coverage for months or my own intrigue about the event.
There were books that rushed to print soon after the event, such as Cassie's mother's book. I feel the better books about Columbine are the ones that took more time, when the authors took time to digest the pieces left (journals, videos, memories, other evidence). Dave Cullen's book about Columbine is an excellent precursor to this one. He took ten years to write the story and sort through everything. And it is an excellent bridge from the media frenzy to this one, Sue Klebold's story about her son Dylan. Dave Cullen's book dispels many of the myths perpetuated through the media, and I think knowing the actual facts really helps put this book into context.
I listened to this book, and I'm glad I did. Sue reads the book, and I think it adds a different dimension to the book that improves it. You get a more vibrant view of her, and it's easy to see that she's a caring, non-violent mother. She recounts the family's life growing up. It's not a defensive account; it's an honest account of how your child may try to disguise issues, you get preoccupied by your other kids/other worries, your child meets the wrong influence, and tragedy strikes. I can't imagine the pain she goes through on a daily basis, and I'm glad she wrote this after 16 years of trying to heal.
What I took from this book, distilled into one nugget, is that we worry about the external threats to our children far more than the threats from within our child. She wants the rest of us to learn from her and take notice of our child's "brain" (mental) health.
A stunning read for all parents and anyone who is interested in a different perspective about Columbine. My only question is why Sue Klebold had no interaction with Eric's parents after the massacre. At face value, it seemed like these two were the only ones who could understand each other. The book implies that Sue thought Eric was the bad influence, but even so one might think that she could mourn with Eric's mother. There's probably a history there that she was fearful of getting into, but it does make the reader (or at least me) wonder.