Janet's Book Nook

Today is a tough day for many families in the Littleton Colorado area. It was 10 years ago today that the shootings at Columbine occurred. Amazingly most of those families are using this disaster to do wonderful things. I saw some of them on The Today Show this morning and there are several of them who have created memorial non-profits that are being used to educate and help other people. Many of them are doing public speaking in high schools and other places trying to teach others about what they can do with their life after such a tragedy. It is amazing the resilience of the human spirit.

A few months ago I ran across a website that discussed the myths behind what really happened that day at Columbine. I can’t seem to find that site again but I did find out that an author named Dave Cullen has written a book about this very subject. The title of the book is Columbine and it being sold now to coincide with the 10th Anniversary.

Usually these types of books are full of so much junk that I can’t even stand to read them. This book is no conspiracy theory book. This book is all about correcting the public’s misconceptions about what happened that day at Columbine.

In an article I read on CNN it is discussed how this event is one of the first to have occurred in a time when teens had cell phones. The fact that they had cell phones resulted in information going out much quicker than usual. As a result of information being fed to the media at rapid rates there was much misinformation given to viewers.

Dave Cullen discusses the truths that came out once the dust had settled and the actual witnesses were able to tell their stories. I don’t believe anyone was trying to purposely deceive people. I think that in the rush of the tragedy people just told what they knew and some times the facts weren’t true. Some of the most core issues from this case were just not true. Once the truth was known the media just wasn’t interested in going back and telling people what really happened.

I haven’t read this book yet but I am ordering it. I have read Dave Cullen’s website and I think you can get a really good idea about what he is trying to get across in his book from his site. I think anyone who is interested in this story and remembers where they were when it happened owes it to themselves and the victims to know the truth about what happened. It effects how we disseminate the story. It also effects how we view the killers and helps us to realize that social outcasts are not the only ones who could end up where they were. Information and education are the most important start to making changes. Enjoy!