Blogging about a topic that is, sadly, still relevant today, Cataloging Specialist Jan Hardy reviews two books about the Columbine high school shooting. "A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy" by Sue Klebold is a memoir by the mother of one of the shooters, who shares her insights on how evil can seem so recognizable in retrospect, yet hidden right before our eyes.
"Columbine" by Dave Cullen takes a panoramic view beyond the high school to the foothills of Colorado and the town of Littleton, to local churches and police, and the national media. Moving back and forth between the shooting and the years leading up to it, introducing not only the Klebolds and Harrises but the victims and their families, Cullen builds an absorbing story of missed cues, confusion and misinterpretation.