Spicing up my page!!... and more about Columbine

I am obviously not creative enough to do all the cool things Ben Pellow does on his blog, so I made a cute little template and BAM, I'm done. :) I think the orange color really does make the meaning behind my words pop, if that's even possible.

As I read further into Columbine, I start to notice a pattern within the text. Dave Cullen, the author, seems to go back and fourth between a storyline of what actually happened and insights of people involved or affected by this tragedy. Basically, everyone local around Littleton, Colorado was affected extremely. There was an extreme amount of tension within the community. No one knew how to feel; whether to be angry, upset, or not show any emotion at all were actual decisions people were making. The entire town of Littleton was in complete shreds from this horrible incident. Cullen continued to acknowledge all the ones lost in the accident as well. Many funerals were set up and attended.

Cullen described Eric and Dylan's anger towards the world in a very perplexed way. He made it appear that they were normal kids, but also included the signs they showed at a young age that many murderers portray.  I have only read to the fourth section of the book, but at the very end of the third section, the detectives find that Dylan and Eric actually start telling why they wanted to kill in their journals they wrote in. Dave Cullen also included that the media was much to blame for all the rumors that supposedly "spoke the truth" to the world. The media would put small pieces of information together to make one big theory as to why the boys killed, how they killed, and who was involved. Saying this, the small parts of their stories might be true, but the big picture they put together completely manipulated what actually happened. The one thing that stuck out to me is that the TV stations, newspapers, talk shows, etc. made Dylan and Eric out to be goth, gay boys in a "trench coat mafia" when this wasn't the case at all. Dylan and Eric were not goth. The boys were not gay either. They both did wear black trench coats, but the media drew conclusions that they were part of the mafia because they wore them, which they weren't apart of either. This just comes to show how the media can mess up all information by simply throwing random facts together.

Not much else was pointed out as far as I've read that I haven't already said. Cullen does a great job really elaborating the story and telling the stories of the young people involved at the time. It really is something that others would have to read to enjoy it. The book is written completely different than any book I have ever read, so it's difficult at times to keep up. Overall, I still enjoy reading this book, and I definitely recommend it to anyone.

Level 2:

1. What was going on in Eric and Dylan's heads as they began the shooting?
2. Who/what triggered all the anger built up in Eric and Dylan?
3. How did the students approach the situation right off hand?
4. When did all the students start going back to Columbine High School?
5. Where was Eric and Dylan while planning this attack?

Level 3:

1. How would you have handled the after affects of the shooting?
2. Do you think that you would want to stay in Littleton, Colorado after something this serious happened?

All about ME! :)... and Columbine.

I'm McKena Miller! I am a sophomore at Carbondale High School and a student in Mr. Dunn's English II class.  I started blogging for this class in particular! My blogging experience for the next few weeks will consist of my thoughts, views, and the story line of my non-fiction book I'm reading, "Columbine". 


"Columbine" by Dave Cullen, is an in depth overview of the mass murder than took place over a decade ago in Jefferson County, Colorado. This school is located just outside Denver. It was so close to the Rocky Mountains that students could see them! This book is written in sort of a newspaper styled layout and is full of information as far as personal experiences and just the bits and pieces of what the press received after this event. The first section of the book I have read consists of a bit of background on the teenage murderers, Dylan and Eric. I have also read about many teachers, students, and other personal experiences of those who endured the pain caused at Columbine High School. I have read a few chapters into the second section of this book, which further elaborates of Eric and Dylan's plans, setups, and actual step by step of what actually happened. Intertwined into the scene by scene text, there are many interviews and insides to certain people involved in the shooting. As anyone could image, all were full of fear and sadness from losing loved ones or the thought of losing loved ones.

A main point that "Columbine" makes clear is the reason for publishing a book like this. Cullen wrote this book not to fill the young minds with ideas, but to make sure that this issue does not have to happen again. His text also includes the state of minds the young killers were in. Many questions had to be analyzed; why they did it, how they did it, who all was involved, and what they used were all statements up in the air at the time of writing this novel. Dave Cullen states in his book that he would explain the answers to all these frequently asked questions. 


I have enjoyed reading the book thus far and can't wait to read more!!