Columbine books: Which to buy?

I would be interested in getting a book on Columbine to read. We all know the one that shall not be named, so let's ignore that.

I have heard that No Easy Answers and A True Crime Story are the ones to get. I REALLY wish I could get We Are But We Aren't Psycho, but I can only read English. I hear that's the best one. Which do you guys think? Which book should I pick up?

Pick up No Easy Answers for sure and try to get your hands on a copy of Cullen's tripe free of charge. (The stories he writes about the community, the survivors, and the families of the victims are actually quite good and interesting. I don't know how many of these stories provide an accurate account, of course, but they are not as bad a read as I'd expected. As long as he stays away from Eric and Dylan, he actually does reasonably okay.) I'm unfamiliar with any of the other English-language books on the case, so I can't recommend anything else.

highwayhypnosis wrote:

I would be interested in getting a book on Columbine to read. We all know the one that shall not be named, so let's ignore that.

I have heard that No Easy Answers and A True Crime Story are the ones to get. I REALLY wish I could get We Are But We Aren't Psycho, but I can only read English. I hear that's the best one. Which do you guys think? Which book should I pick up?

My favorites are No Easy Answers and also A True Crime Story by Jeff Kass is very good.  There was a lot of interesting, well researched, factual details in A True Crime Story.  I agree with thedragonrampant that Cullen paints a vivid picture of what the culture of the Littleton community is like and also develops a good foundation with describing what the families were like before and after the incident.  The unfortunate part about Cullen is his gimmicky, ego driven 'Let me dispell all the myths about Columbine' fabricated slant on D & E.

If you're interested in psychology, Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters, is a good book to read. I know it doesn't focus solely on Columbine, but it's still one of the better reads out there.

If you're looking for books that give an overview of Columbine and E/D, there isn't ANY good ones. Cullen's is available for free download if you want it, Jess Kass' book is extremely boring at times and doesn't really give any info that you can't find online, and Ralph Larkin's book falls flat because he doesn't understand teenagers and he makes strange conclusions because of this.

The best overview on Columbine isn't a book, it's a documentary called The Columbine Killers. If you haven't seen it already, go and watch it online.

Here's the books I'd recommend:

No Easy Answers - The first half is an interesting account of what E/D and Columbine High were like. The second half of the book descends into ranting about how Brooks was treated after the attack and didn't appeal to me.

Going Postal by Mark Ames - This only has a small chapter on Columbine, but that small chapter was so good that I ended up buying the book. It has a larger section dealing with school shootings. The rest of the book argues that a soul-destroying society is the cause of rampages. Unlike the people who can only hate E/D for what they did, Mark Ames' book has heart.

Fiction Books:

The Columbine Pilgrim by Andy Nowicki - A story about a guy who becomes obsessed with Columbine and E/D. A humorous and accurate portrayal of a Columbine obsession that also deals with some serious issues in society.

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Columbine by Pab Sungenis - A comedy based on Columbine. This book should be more well known.

Hope that helps.

StinkyOldGrapes wrote:

Fiction Books:

The Columbine Pilgrim by Andy Nowicki - A story about a guy who becomes obsessed with Columbine and E/D. A humorous and accurate portrayal of a Columbine obsession that also deals with some serious issues in society.

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Columbine by Pab Sungenis - A comedy based on Columbine. This book should be more well known.

Did you get a chance to read "A Funny Thing"? I thought it was hilarious. I think people are put off by the title though. I need to read the Columbine Pilgrim, it's on my list of books to buy.

Wideawake wrote:

StinkyOldGrapes wrote:

Fiction Books:

The Columbine Pilgrim by Andy Nowicki - A story about a guy who becomes obsessed with Columbine and E/D. A humorous and accurate portrayal of a Columbine obsession that also deals with some serious issues in society.

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Columbine by Pab Sungenis - A comedy based on Columbine. This book should be more well known.

Did you get a chance to read "A Funny Thing"? I thought it was hilarious. I think people are put off by the title though. I need to read the Columbine Pilgrim, it's on my list of books to buy.

Yeah, I did read A Funny Thing. The author's website is also very humorous. Maybe I'm sick in the head, because the title of that book is actually what prompted me to buy it

The Columbine Pilgrim is split into two parts. The first part I thought was awesome and worth reading. It's an amusing and funny descent into insanity that really begs the question: Why are E/D so cool?

The main character says, about his Columbine obsession, "I'm too old for this shit. I'm over thirty, for the love of all things decent! Thirty-three going on sixteen, apparently."

I really liked this nutcase character and was looking forward to hearing about his rampage.

I was half-way though reading the book when I added it to this list. That's the last time I'm going to recommend a book before I finish it...

The second part of the book sucks badly. It descends into a cliche story of bullied kid wants revenge. The shooting scene is the one of the crappiest I've read. It was such a let down.

You know, it might sound fucked up to want to read a good school shooting scene, but there are plenty of serial killer books that go into details about what the killer does to the victim, and there are plenty of war books that depict good shooting scenes. So why are we all so sensitive when it comes to portraying fictional school shootings? I'm serious, why?