Columbine

On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold planned to kill hundreds of their classmates at Columbine High School. They managed to kill thirteen, wounded several others, and then committed suicide. Though their plan failed in many respects, it left a wound that has lingered for years, and forced America to examine its culture as few other incidents have done.

Last year, on the tenth anniversary, Dave Cullen's comprehensive book on the murders was released, and I've just finished it. It's a fine, crisp look at all aspects of the case, from the killers' backgrounds and step-by-step plans, to a moment-by-moment description of that fateful day, and the aftermath, which was marked by the media getting many things wrong and the local constabulary lying about how Harris and Klebold had already been in the system. I was surprised to learn many things I didn't know.

Harris and Klebold, of course, are central to the book. Their motives may be unfathomable, but Cullen makes use of the extensive material they left behind, including journals and the "Basement Tapes," in which the two boys taped themselves in a talk-show format, discussing the impending crime. However, a lot of this information was revealed slowly. As Cullen puts it, "Eric and Dylan's true intentions would remain a mystery for years."

Cullen fully explores all of the myths of the Columbine shootings: "We remember Columbine as a pair of outcast Goths from the Trench Coat Mafia snapping and tearing through their high school hunting down jocks to settle a long-running feud. Almost none of that happened. No Goths, no outcasts, nobody snapping. No targets, no feud, and no Trench Coat Mafia. Most of these elements existed at Columbine--which is what gave them currency. They just had nothing to do with the murders. The lesser myths are equally unsupported: no connection of Marilyn Manson, Hitler's birthday, minorities or Christians." I was surprised to read how Harris and Klebold were, if not overwhelmingly popular, at least not outcasts. They both went to the prom the weekend before the killings, and Harris had several girlfriends. They were active in school activities, and the night before the crime Klebold was working on his fantasy baseball team.

The other myth that Cullen debunks is that of Cassie Bernall. She supposedly was asked by Harris if she believed in God, and when she answered yes, he shot her dead. Her parents and the nation's evangelicals seized upon this, and she became something of a martyr. Sadly, none of it was true, as was bore out by the videotape of the killing. Another girl, who survived, was asked if she believe in God, but when she made the claim she was scorned as come kind of copycat.

There's also a lot of discussion of the psychology of the boys. Harris was a text-book psychopath, who believed himself superior to others and therefore he was entitled to kill them. Deep down he seemed to want to kill everyone on Earth. Klebold was the follower, a much more dreamy kid. "Eric had no use for love. Sex, maybe. He shared none of Dylan's desires for truth, beauty, or ethereal love. Eric's only internal struggle concerned which stupid bastard was more deserving of his wrath."

I think I was most fascinated by the parents of the killers, people who were put in an impossible situation. They lost their sons, but were vilified in the process. As the Klebold's lawyer told them, "'Dylan isn't here anymore for people to hate,' he said. "So people are going to hate you.'" A minister who offered the Klebold's comfort was eventually forced out of his position, and when fifteen crosses were erected in memoriam a great cry went out. Eventually the memorial that was permanently constructed contains reference to only the thirteen of their victims. Harris was aware of what this would do to his parents: "'It fucking sucks to do this to them," he said. "They're going to be put through hell." They could not have stopped him, Eric assured them. He quoted Shakespeare: "Good wombs have borne bad sons.'"