Author Q & A

1. Is there anything new to discover?

Most of what you know about Columbine is wrong. It wasn't about jocks, Goths, bullying or the Trench Coat Mafia. (See myths below.)

Early portraits of the killers were simplistic. "Angry boys" explains little and "outcasts" is preposterously wrong. It took seven years for authorities to release Eric and Dylan's journals.

For the first time, Columbine charts the strange journey of two psyches travelling in opposite directions, yet both arriving at murder.

The killers' story is matched by the intensity of the aftermath: ten years of a quiet suburb grappling with the pain inflicted from outside and within. Many grew stronger. Some fell apart. Shattering portraits of six families, battling authorities and each other, weave seamlessly into this startling tale.

2. What was the biggest surprise?

Eric Harris didn't see Columbine as a school shooting. He had contempt for the earlier shooters. He envisioned a bombing, and his goal was to top Oklahoma City as the worst U.S. terror attack in his life. If he had wired the big bombs correctly, he would have dwarfed that tragedy.

Chapter 8, "Maximum Human Density," lays out Eric's plan. What actually unfolded begins in "Female Down."

3. What are the biggest myths?

• Jocks, minorities or Christians were targeted. False.
• Columbine a hostage stand-off. The killing went on for hours. False. (Not even half an hour.)
• Eric Harris killed Dylan Klebold. False. Chapter 52, "Quiet," depicts the actual suicide, and presents the forensic evidence to back it up.
• Christian martyr Cassie Bernall's last act was a gunpoint profession of faith. False. "Martyr" describes the truth of what happened in the library, and how the confusion with another victim developed. (Other aspects of the storyline unfold in additional chapters.)
• The Trench Coat Mafia. Nearly everything about this barely-existent band is false. "Media Crime," explains how this one emerged.
• Hitler's birthday, Marilyn Manson, Goths, flying planes into New York city skyscrapers . . . All wrong. Eric did mention the planes in his journal, which lies at the heart of understanding this case: the chasms between three things: Eric's apocalyptic vision for April 20, what he set out to accomplish that morning, and what he and Dylan actually did.  

4. Where did the myths come from?

The media got most of the facts right, but began jumping to conclusions about how and why while the Columbine attack was underway. There was a kernel of truth to everything, but little more.

The "Media Crime" chapter traces how quickly the Columbine myths sprouted, and explains how they gained such currency.

5. Why? Did we ever learn why they did it?

Yes. But the question led most of us astray. They did not have a motive--Eric Harris had motives and Dylan Klebold had a vastly different agenda. They had polar opposite personalities, and completely different paths to murder. 

6. Does Columbine focus on before, during or after the attack?

Before and after, with a cluster of chapters recreating the mayhem of Columbine through the eyes of a handful of parents, victims and cops who will play pivotal roles in the aftermath. The book plays out in five parts:

• Female Down
• After & Before
• The Downward Spiral
• Take Back the School
• Judgment Day

Columbine tells two primary stories: the killers' evolution to mass murder, and the survivors grappling to rebuild shattered lives. Chapter titles offer a glimpse into the killers' downward spiral: The Seeker . . . Arrest . . . The Book of God . . . Psychopath . . .  The Basement Tapes.

7. Does Columbine follow all the victims and survivors?

No. A handful of fascinating individuals illustrate the tragedy from divergent points of view. Each major character has a powerful story,  a colorful personality, and a unique perspective. They include:  the good cop, the bad cop, the heroic teacher, the angry dad, the principal, the martyr, the boy in the window, and killers' families and friends. Highlights include:

• The teacher battling for his life in chapters "1 Bleeding to Death" and "Help is on the Way."
• The most famous survivor, beginning in "The Boy in the Window."
• The Christian re-awakening, peaking in "Jesus Jesus Jesus."
• The struggle of teachers, counselors and two thousand shell-shocked students, beginning in  "Vacant." 
• Dylan Klebold's tiny private funeral in "Their Hour of Need."
• The bitter struggles between survivors, from "Conspiracy" to  "Aftershocks" and "Lawsuits."
• Resolution, nearly a decade later, in "At the Broken Places."

8. Where is the book available?

Columbine is available at all major bookstores in North America and the UK. In the US, it was published in hardcover April 6, 2009 by Twelve, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. It was edited by Jonathan Karp, who published Seabiscuit, The Orchid Thief, John McCain's books, and Ted Kennedy's autobiography.

9. Who is Dave Cullen?

Dave is an award-winning journalist who has written for Slate, Salon the New York Times, Washington Post, Times of London, and the Guardian, among others. He began covering Columbine the first hours of the attack.  He broke several major stories, including:

• First leaked passages from Eric Harris' journal.
• Exclusive first interview with Columbine Lead Investigator Kate Battan.
• Revelation that Cassie Bernall's martyrdom never happened.
• First in-depth interview with Columbine Principal Frank DeAngelis.
• Breakthrough analysis of the killers' motives by the FBI's forensic psychologist team.

Learn more about Dave on the Bio page. Read the archive of his Columbine pieces. See acclaim for his Columbine reporting from David Brooks, Frank Rich, Columbia Journalism Review, CNN, and New York Observer.

10. How can I learn more about Columbine?

Over the last ten years, Dave compiled a vast array of Columbine information into The Columbine Guide. Initially developed to organize the research, it now serves as an insider's guide through the web of myths, legitimate evidence, and contradictory media coverage surrounding Columbine.

11. Does Dave address more personal topics?

See Dave's Q & A page in the Bio section. Dave discusses his writing process, the writing life, and the personal side of ten years on Columbine. He also provides advice to writers, and discusses his other work.

Email Columbine questions and Dave will add some of the best here.

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Purchase Columbine.

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