Bestselling Author
Columbine
I arrived at Columbine the first hour of the shooting, and spent ten years on this book. I was driven by two questions: why did they do it, and how did this shattered community recovery?
My surprise was that most of what we "know" about Columbine was wrong. It wasn't about jocks, Goths or the Trench Coat Mafia. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold didn't even envision a school shooting. They ridiculed school shooters as losers. Eric built his bombs to dwarf Oklahoma City. They planned to mow down survivors fleeing the the burning rubble for "fun." And it would end with more bombs.
The key to comprehending Columbine is letting go of our concept of "the killers." Spend a few pages with Dylan and Eric, and you'll discover two starkly disparate boys. Their motives and personalities were poles apart. Eric Harris was monstrous; Dylan Klebold was loving but bitterly angry inside — a tender boy torn apart. Dylan was truly a revelation.
The survivors proved equally illuminating. Their stories are surprisingly uplifting — such a refreshing contrast to Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Thousands of students and parents faced the unthinkable; most overcame it, many in extraordinary ways. I was amazed by their spirit and by stunning moments of redemption. Hopefully, those shine through in Columbine. Each survivor's recovery is unique, but they consistently tell me the greatest lesson other communities can learn is: Don't rush the healing!
"What's amazing is how much of Cullen's book still comes as a surprise."
— New York Times Book Review
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."
— People
"More important now than ever."
— Esquire
Best Nonfiction of
The Last Quarter Century
Slate
LA Times (last 30 years)
Best True Crime Books of
All Time
Publishers Weekly
Esquire
Vulture
Oprah Daily
Goodreads editors
USA Today
Buzzfeed
Huffington Post
Reader's Digest
B&N Reads
Bustle
Book Riot
The Lineup
(dozens more)
Edgar Allan Poe Award
Best True Crime of 2009
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Goodreads Choice Award
Best Nonfiction of 2009
Barnes & Noble Discover Award
Best Nonfiction by new author 2009
Finalist
LA Times Book Prize
American Library Association Alex Award
Audie Award
Abraham Lincoln High School Book Award
Mountains & Plains Booksellers Award
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"Definitive"
Columbia Journalism Review
Newsweek
Times of London
The Guardian
Rachel Maddow
Anderson Cooper
Chris Hayes
Christiane Amanpour
Nicolle Wallace
John Berman
Vanity Fair
GQ
USA Today
Slate
Los Angeles Review of Books
Book Riot
Philadelphia Inquirer
Vox
MetroFocus (PBS NYC)
Daily Beast
New York Post
Huffington Post
Apple
Brian Stelter, CNN's "Reliable Sources"
The Strand
Thriftbooks
Bookshiop.org
many more
Best Nonfiction Books
of 2009
New York Times
Los Angeles Times
Publishers Weekly
American Library Association
American School Board Journal
Chicago Tribune
Entertainment Weekly
Miami Herald
Bookmarks Magazine
Amazon
Salon
Mother Jones
Audible
iTunes
Borders
Washington Post Express
Oakland East Bay Express
National Post (Canada)
New Haven Register
New London's The Day
New West
Asia Literary Review
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Translated
All Columbine Reviews
"Most remarkable is Cullen's ability to present an onslaught of facts while recreating such anguish and fear. Columbine is a valuable historic resource, but it roils the heart, too."
— Miami Herald
"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."
— People
over 800,000 views
Dave has written for New York Times, Atlantic, Vanity Fair, Politico, Guardian, New Republic, Newsweek, Times of London, Washington Post, etc. Full Bio.
"This book is a masterpiece."
— Seattle Times
interviews
My favorite print interviews from publication in 2009, and one more. Goggle for hundreds.
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Poynter Institute, by Roy Peter Clark. October 2017.
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The Hastings Report, by Michael Hastings, July 2009 (my favorite).
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The New Yorker, by Lila Byock, March 2009.
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Salon, by Joan Walsh, April 2009.
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Time, by Alex Altman, April 2009.
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Police Magazine, by David Griffith, September 2009.
All My Columbine / Shooting Stories
"I could not put Cullen's searing narrative down."
— Entertainment Weekly
Teacher's Guide
We created units for a variety of high school or college courses in this modular 50-page Columbine Teacher's Guide, which I decided to give away free. It emphasizes analysis and critical thinking. Thanks to all the teachers and professors who helped create and refine it.
Popular modules
"Tackles the hardest question of all: why? Come away from Cullen's unflinching account with a deeper understanding of what drove these boys to kill."
