I am giving this novel a 5 star review. I could not put it down. This novel was interesting, intriguing, and scary. I sadly remember this tragedy and was in high school. It was scary then and still is today. This story is unforgettable and heartbreaking at the same time but also hopeful. It is funny how a story can be all of this wrapped into one. Before reading this novel, I wrote down the facts about what I knew about this tragedy. And most of what I knew was debunked in this novel. I am glad that I read it to clarify a lot of what the media got wrong. You can tell that the writer has spent a long time researching every aspect of this tragedy.
This novel discusses the Columbine School shooting tragedy. It dives into the victims’ lives, the killers’ lives, the tragedy itself, before and after the tragedy for the students and community, etc. They discussed details of the case, clearing any discrepancies of the tragedy that the media got wrong, police cover-ups, and other information about the case itself.
To read about the victims and knowing where they are at now really is hopeful! Additionally, understanding the shooters was sad and scary all at once. To understand the mindsets of the shooters, law enforcement may be able to prevent another shooting(s) in the future.
A lot of people commented about the lack of pictures in the novel. I think that the author was right for not putting pictures in the book. It was more of a book of hope and survival then about the shooting itself. The author did include a few small excerpts of the shooters’ journals and a map of the school.
It was well written and almost like a novel with the information. It flowed nicely and read almost like a fiction novel and not a non-fiction true crime novel. I highly recommend this book.