I see a lot of people saying that Eric and Dylan were NOT bullied because when they went on their killing spree, they killed anyone in their sight on that fateful day.
I would like to point out that this shows that when people bully, they are not only affecting the person they are bullying, and they are not only affecting themselves. Think twice before you become a bully, you could be endangering more people than you know.
@scaboi Again... I dont understand what your saying i meant that why does everyone say that the killers are heroes? Or am i misunderstanding here? Anyway everyone deserves a second chance well in my point of view yes cause im christian. What if you were a bully should we kill you?
IF that were the case, they wouldn't have killed people who weren't bullies... You see they weren't going after football players or cool kids that were supposedly bullying them... They were just normal kids who weren't really any circle. That's why to me, the only reason I believe they did it. Its because Depression, going along with vile imaginary imagery morphed into reality for these kids minds. So that's why it happened I believe.
Hi Dave, I have a question... You mentioned a movie in the works on your website. Any updates on that? Will it be a documentary or feature film based on the book?
Hi @mackineste. No updates yet, but thanks for asking. The writer/directer is moving along, but nothing I can talk about publicly yet. They have in mind either a feature film or TV miniseries.
Hate is for losers, it make us blind but comprehension and intellect is for winners, you don`t have to stamp yourself as a nerd or a loser to have this qualities, just think and dispute about everything, cause those who never think and dispute are animals, are we all fucking animals?
I just finished reading your book and still feel very emotional about it.I was prepared to hate the boys:while I believe Eric was a lost cause I actually found myself feeling sympathy for Dylan.I have suffered from severe depression my entire life and reading his journals was hard as I saw myself in them-not the murderous rants(I only wanted to hurt myself) but in feeling as if I would never be happy,always lonely,just wanting to be loved,etc.I wish I could go back in time and help somehow.
@catwoman34 That sounds rough. I understand the wishing you could go back to help Dylan. I did, for awhile, too. Ever since I read Sue Klebold's piece in O Magazine, I think about how she must feel wishing she could go back.
@davecullenwriter Of course my utmost sympathy is with those whom were murdered that day-don't get me wrong but as a Christian I forgive the killers.Your book is amazing:I find myself going back and reading bits and pieces trying to understand why.I guess we never will.I'm now reading Brooks Brown's book and am not sure what to believe in it....hard to know fact from fiction.Again-thank you for your excellent work.
@guugugh I'm sorry, I don't know. Can you order it through Amazon. Or The Strand bookstore in New York City ships worldwide. Their info is at my website.
Dave, thank you so much. I'm a student at a high school and this analysis of the boys made me notice kids in my school that act that way and prompted me to take action.. By the way, I bought this book, haha.
@GokartSebban Hey, thanks for the interest. I would love to see it in Swedish. But usually that happens when a publisher in that country decides to publish it. We did not get any offers from Sweden.
@BuySomethingWillYa yeah he did there was a video of him saying "if you lay a hand on that kid I will rip you head off and shove it so far up your ass you will cough up dandruff for 3 months"
Dave Cullen, do you think Eric cared about Dylan? Eric is often viewed as more psychopathic, but do you think he reserved care for Dylan, or do you think he simply took advantage of him?
Also, do you think Eric was even aware of Dylan's depressive side as seen in Dylan's journal?
@BuySomethingWillYa Very good questions. For quite awhile, I assumed Eric was close to Dylan, and cared--because it sure looked that way from the outside. But the more I learned about psychopaths is that that is nearly always an illusion. They don't care about anyone but themselves. So I greatly doubt he sincerely cared.
I would wager that he was well aware of Dylan's depressive side, though. First, I think everyone was, without realizing how severe. And Eric was expert at reading people.
It must be scary to go to that school these days 'cause when you walk down the hallways and look down at the ground you think to yourself 'Someone died right here' :'(
Thank you so much for writing this book Dave; it's such an extraordinary piece of writing - I'd consider it a modern 'In Cold Blood'. Wonderful to have the facts.
Mr. Cullen, I thank you for such an illuminated look at such a misunderstood and media backed piece of history. I am sure it was not easy to comb through and compile the evidence to make sense out of a twisted view that is different than what the majority of the public believes. Excellent reporting, you can chalk me up to read everything else you have published.
Mr. Cullen, I read your book for my junior English class and i found it to be the most interesting book I have ever read. Now, in my senior English research paper, I am studying the man vs. self conflict as presented in your book. This video has helped me immensely in my research. I hope to read more research novels from you in the future.
Mr. Cullen, you seem to hold Dylan Klebold in a much more sympathetic view than Eric Harris. I'm wondering how you reconcile the fact that, based on the 911 tapes, Klebold seemed to be much more sadistic in his murdering of fellow classmates.
@BuySomethingWillYa It sounds like you're conflating two things that I see separately. On April 20, I have zero sympathy for either killer or what they did. (Though to me, the accounts show them both very sadistic. I'm not sure where you see the distinction. Very little has been released of the 911 tape.)
But in the years prior, I have far more sympathy for Dylan as a human being, and for his pain/struggle. He was struggling, Eric just wanted to kill.
I have Cullen's book ordered so I dont know what he knows but has thought of Folie Au Deux and without being friends the worst would be Dylan killing himself and Eric being a sociopath but commiting other types of crime as he got older ? On a side note I can not believe the school considered merely replacing the carpets and desks in that library. That would have been cruel.
dylans smile is reallly creapy! if i went to that school i would try to do everything i could to be nice and stand up for them and like most people i wouldnt care about my reputation.
They didnt take out their anger and frustrations on the people that tormented them! which of the deseased victims terrorized them! Heartless, gutless little kids with guns. U.S.A's gun law is fucked, only because there is no law!!
Australia is a safe option if you want to live a full and happy life. I wouldnt take the risk of even visiting your major cities and towns.
@shsqld90 it's better than living in Afghanistan? We're not the best country, but you have to consider that we're not the worst either (I know we're not the best). Bad guys are bad guys, so when all the good guys turn in their guns, the bad guys are still going keep their guns because they don't care about the law. Murder is definitely against the law in the U.S, but it still happens.Bad things happen all over the world, but this is especially terrifying to me because I don't live that far away.
@ shsqld90 you dont read the news much because it has happened all over the world know your facts and so does bullying even in australia...we are columbine class 92
@shsqld90 And it never happened here either until then. Stuff like this can happen anywhere at anytime so you can climb off your high and mighty Australian horse. These two kids were pushed to the point where they snapped and took out and anger and frustrations on the people that tormented them. In no way am I advocating or justifying what they did, it was horrible. But it should make high school students stop and think before they gang up on people different than them.
i just watched the doc today on sky, and from what i see maybe im wrong but i think society made them irrupt, society made them think the world was a dark cruel place and made them fill with rage, i think eric said in hes dairy, im filled with hate... what they did was wrong, totally wrong......
I was picked on for years in high school, thanks to the show jackass I got into skateboarding which saved my life, saved me from doing somthing self destructive! Skateboarding as well as punk rock is a positive outlet for me, I embrace being deforent, not conforming to the system or authority! Most of the kids who picked on me were those jocks and ambercrombie wearing rich preppy kids! Thats anether reason I love skateboarding we are anti jock/prep!
@pbrskater26 I agree, in a way it werent there fault, people made them do this, in the doc i saw today, these two guys was known has losers, and geting picked on everyday which builds hate and depression, what they did was totally wrong and very evil... but who is blamed for there behaviour???
@ComfortableLate if you took the time and actually learn about what went on these boys weren't bullied. One of them was actually considered popular. The other went to prom with one of the prettier girls in the school. Lean before you hate.
Lol just ignore the people saying it was funny or a great day nothing but trolls , and if their not there just going to die lonley and burn in hell just like Eric and Dylan did
read the book...youll learn that these kids were not outcasts or terrorized in s school...of all things THEY WERE THE BULLYS...i dont feel sorry for them
All you idiots who think those two fools were heroes, you do realise they would shoot you if you were there? JUst for the hack of it no reason, they killed some 1st graders, how on Earth could they bully those two pricks?
Thank you for your answer! I don't think that exclude sb leads to bullying but to loneliness. Is it possible to send you a private mail, i have a few questions for you.
I m sure both were mentally ill. My boyfriend also suffer from depressions since 8 years and i recognize a Lot of his demeanor in the two boys. What do you think? Greats from germany Jaydee91 ps. My entry is posteroanterior cause he was too long. Sorry!
@Jayde100691@Jayde100691 I think Dylan was deeply depressed and no evidence that Eric was mentally ill, but that he was a full psychopath. Read the book will give you a much deeper sense of why than I can capsulize here.
The quotes you posted previously: when a kid is mad that friends don't call him often enough or like him as much as he'd like, that's bullying? More importantly, Eric was extremely consistent in his writings, with just a few uncharacteristic bit, and those are exceptions.
In the german book were excerpts of Erics Journal were he barely has written the same like " i hate you for exclude me from things which makes fun. And no- don't say its my fault, Cause its not. You had my phone number and all. But no, don't ask the weird looking Eric, no of fuck noo!!" Dylan also had a crush on a girl who even didn't notized him. He was also known as a very shy guy. Eric also had no prom date. He often tried to hook up with a girl-ineffective.
the massacre is blamed on them. Im sure they will never witness a day without being confronted with the hatred of others.. Thats my point of view no matter who agrees or not. Now the actual question. In the documentary you deny that bulling or beeing a social maverick is one of the motives of those two and actual intelligent guys.
I haven't read your book but i saw you once in a documentary, called the Final Report. I read two books about the rampage. The german version " ich bin voller Hass und das liebe ich" by Joachim gaertner (i'm German) and Brooks Browns "no easy answers"
I was very touched by the happenings and i have to say i especially feel very sorry for the parents of Eric and Dylan.
Not enough with the destiny of losing their Kids- that happenend to all the others too- everything related to
The breakdown of the family unit in America, the loss of a solid moral compass, the indifference between right and wrong, the 'Me, Myself and I' culture, parents themselves focusing on themselves first instead of raising children with values.........yes, this all might seem old speech from a past era, but the fact remains, these are the causes. Columbine was just an extreme example of the decline of the family unit in America, but millions of kids live just under the threshold.
@MrSHIZZLE4u This looks like a classic example of someone starting with a global theory about the culture and then projecting it onto a particular situation--Columbine--without bothering to look into the particular situation to see if it actually fits. Your theory may or may not be correct about the overall culture, but there is no evidence of any of it applying here.
Why are so many people eager to start with answers instead of looking into the actual situation?
@MrSHIZZLE4u You're right, this is exactly the same idea as 9/11. Cause widespread fear (since you already own the media) and it will give an ample excuse for the government, I mean New World Order to come in and start implementing more control within the educational system. The show of the police force was great for the NWO too in order to create a sense of an impending police state. In fact, the whole thing was probably a test to see how ppl would react to being led into FEMA camps!
@Superfreaxx I agree with the first half of that. The second half is half right: Eric was, Dylan definitely not. I get frustrated at this point by people a) lumping the two together as if they were the same guy, b) jumping to conclusions about them.
I'm sorry for my mistake. I just meant to say that despite seeming like normal kids, Eric and Dylan had deep mental problems that unfortunately no one picked up on until it was too late.
@Superfreaxx OK, thanks. They did both have extreme mental issues, just radically different ones. Dylan's parents realized he had trouble, but had no idea how bad it was. The essay Sue Klebold wrote for Oprah's magazine was/is really eye-opening. I have it linked at my site, or google it.
Thanks. I read the essay, its a very touching read that reveals how the circumstances of Dylans fate are much more tragic than the news reports would lead us to believe :D
Last summer I went to Colorado and got to visit the school, and I was really looking forward to it because I had never heard about it before, however I was really interested about it. I actually ended up very disappointed because the american woman who showed us the school didn't really talk about it. She just said something like "This is where the shooting happened". Truth is, I really love the USA but sometimes they kinda hide what is wrong. I'm probably going to buy your book to learn more!
I studied this subject heavily, and even wrote an essay. I have never seen or studied someone so puzzling as Eric or Dylan. And I never felt so much sympathy before either, mostly because my friends are almost exactly like these two, so it's a scary thought, that some of these kids could think exactly like Eric and Dylan, and no one would even know. I really hope nothing as bad as this day will happen again. Thanks for the video, it really helps to put some insight on the topic.
Dylan is still very puzzling to me. Yes, Eric was the means by which he could finally commit suicide-what he seemed to want for at least two years. I still don't understand how someone who was so focused on love could make the step to mass killings at his school. Was it simply that he was easily led? I don't think there was a good explanation for Dylan. Eric was textbook psychopath, as you said. Have Eric's parents ever broken their silence? I really feel for both sets of parents.
@PrincessJJ71 Dylan had a lot of love, but a lot of anger too. No, I don't think he was just easily led. He was agonized, relentlessly. Life was terribly painful for him, and he could not take it any longer. There is a phenomenon with desperately angry depressives, where some turn their anger outward, and do something vengeful on the way out. The mildest version is a vengeful suicide designed to inflict pain on the survivors, but some take it further, but killing to get even, in a way. (con't)
(con't) It's pretty rare, not particularly rational, and generally confounds the people who knew the guy. (And it's usually a guy.) But it does happen, and there is a long legacy of them.
I doubt that Dylan would have taken it to that extreme without Eric's influence, but Eric found someone with the potential and took it from there.
@davecullenwriter - I am sure you mentioned this in your book, now that I recall. I think part of the problem for me is that we are trying to understand something which is so completely foreign to us with minds that are (supposedly) normal. It ISN'T rational, and therein lies the rub. Also, it is interesting to me that Eric, seemingly inherantly, understood all of the manipulations he needed in order to "snow" everyone around him: his teachers, his psychiatrists, his parents, his friends...
@davecullenwriter - I am sure you need to get back to your "day job." You are very kind to respond, and I appreciate your time. Have a beautiful day! It's 75 and GLORIOUS in Washington State (for a change).
Hello, David Cullen. I assume you really are the writer of this book. I just finished it and found it to be quite enlightening, sensitive and incredibly well-researched. I am a middle school teacher who receives any number of papers from students who have a myriad of issues and problems. For me, teachers are the first line of possible help for these kids. What many STILL fail to realize is that Eric was a psychotic and keeping guns from him by law or otherwise would not have stopped him.
@PrincessJJ71 Thanks. Yes, I'm the writer. (I understand the skepticism, but if you go to my website, you'll see me linking back to this video prominently.)
Thanks for working with middle school kids. I don't have the patience for that, but glad you do. Teachers are definitely one of the first lines of defence.
@davecullenwriter -Oh, I am only a little skeptical. I think I am over it now. :) I really do appreciate the work that you did in treating this story with sensitivity and a lack of judgement. I am also very impressed that you would spend your time answering questions from those on YouTube who seek more answers. I really love middle school children, and require more patience than I have on some days. I appreciate the "nod," however. I try my best.
does a book really need to tell us the motive? Its so obvious its simply bullying, and cliques in american highschools. The idea of having a ranking of people
@mdude66 So obvious that it's wrong. It's true that that was one of the first conclusions we all jumped to. Sad that it gained such currency without any significant evidence. Especially in a case where there was such an overwhelming cache of evidence.
I hate to bug you again, Dave, but I feel that someone should ask these questions and not assume that the released journals, video tapes and witness testimonies will suffice explanation: Why did Dylan Klebold, a relatively normal, shy boy, hopelessly, sometimes even mindlessly, follow Eric Harris? What did Dylan see in Eric, the complete opposite of himself and his own close friends? The evidence seems to suggest that they had very little in common, apart from video games and electronics.
@hazel10987 It's a great question, and I'm not sure an answer I could give in a short space can do it justice. The very short answer is that opposites often attract: and Dylan, in particular, was a young boy adrift and lacking in confidence, and it's very common for someone like that to be drawn to someone strong and confident.
The also had other things in common, like similar senses of humor, and intelligence.
For the long answer, I hope reading the book makes sense of it.
@hazel10987 In other words, why would Dylan hang out with like a person like Eric, who enjoyed studying Nazi ideology, fantasized about murdering his childhood friend, and vandalized houses for pleasure and revenge, sometimes without a rational cause? What makes a "peaceful, gentle" teenager follow such a self-destructive person?
@DaBestDj1 No you idiot. Being picked on was not their motive and there isn't even proof that says that they were picked on. They were crazy kids and something in their brain was just not wired correctly. They were born rotten thinking and decided to kill and terrorize people. Columbine did not happen because of jocks or bullies or any of that bullshit. Don't spout your garbage out like that, you ass. OH NO, I called you an ass, are you going to shoot up a school?
Interesting. So technically speaking they were terrorists. They tried to bomb the cafeteria, killing innocent people to instill terror in people from all over the country. Sounds like a terrorist to me.
@ssuuppeerrbbooyy Yes, very astute--with one caveat: Most experts on terrorism define it as terror with a political agenda. So by that definition, Columbine does not fit, but the Columbine killers employed terrorist TACTICS for their own ends. (And those were two very different ends: Eric's vs. Dylan's.)
@davecullenwriter Political agenda? I think every terrorist action has a political agenda. We might try to deny it by saying that they are just crazed fanatics who dont know what they were doing, but every terrorist act has some kind of political motive behind it.
@ssuuppeerrbbooyy Exactly. But Eric and Dylan did not have a political agenda: so most experts on terrorism would define what they did as not "terrorism." (But rather, using the tactics of terrorism for diferent agenda.)
@davecullenwriter Wasnt their agenda was to reveal the problem of bullying in public schools? Sounds political, especially on a local level. (as in: government isnt doing enough to protect the kids from bullies)
Eric's had a lot more anger and wrath behind him and Dylan's were a lot more depressing and suicidal, right?
I'm doing a thesis on a very strange trend between Columbine and one of Shakespeare's works and your book is providing some interesting and similar input to what I'm looking at.
@R0ckG1r7 Definitely on the Dylan part. They both had anger and wrath, though. I would not distinguish Eric that way. Eric was more hate-filled, vicious, cold-blooded and calculating.
If you're looking at Othello, lots of similarities to Iago. Which play are you working with?
@davecullenwriter Eric was definitely more hate-filled and cold-blooded. If you read both journals, the distinction between Eric's hatred and Dylan's depression, the motives become much clearer. Eric's vision was much like a sociopath's while Dylan's was more depressive and confused then cold-blooded. If you read Susan Klebold's essay, it becomes clear that Dylan had depression and no idea about what to do. Dylan's view of Columbine was more like a kamikaze's than a sociopath's like Eric.
@davecullenwriter Actually, that wasn't the play I drew the lines to, but I'll look at that play a little closer now...
No, the play that I found the trend was Romeo and Juliet, believe it or not. I found that the actions of everyone close to the shooters, major and minor, are merely different shades of grey with one really big and long streak of black in the center. They all played a part in what happened at Columbine, but in the end, the choices were Eric's and Dylan's to make.
Interesting stuff, Dave. What do you make of Zach Heckler's sister who stated that Eric had been making pipe bombs since 1996, a year before the rebel missions and three years before Columbine? She states that her mother didn't want Eric around Zach. Heckler, in turn, thought that the missions were getting out of hand, leading to some sort of permanent rupture in the threesome. Also, after the windshield incident, and before the website, Brooks told Mrs. Harris that Eric was threatening (cont)
@hazel10987 That's not too surprising about early bombs. I wouldn't say it's definitive, because lots of people have conflicting memories, so I don't put too much weight on any one person, but it seems reasonable. We have no way of knowing when the first bomb was, but Eric was headed that way for a long time, so it fits.
Eric was making vicious statements all the time which might get back to someone and be seen as a threat.
But anyway. Dave i have read reviews on your book and it looks very interesting. So would i be able to find it at a barnes and noble or at the mall book stores?
@devilnevercries1 Thanks. Yes, aside from occasional outages, it's normally stocked at all BN, Borders, Waldenbooks and most independents. If you go to BN.com, you can see it, and plug in your zipcode to make sure it's at a store near you.
I just read about some of this and come to find out, eric harris was reported for an AOL webpage explaining the massacre. It said that brooks browns parents reported it to a detective like a year almost before hand. Also dylan klebold wrote a story of a man in a trenchcoat armed and killing people. the teacher contacted his parents but nothing happened like therapy or anything. WHAT IS WRONG with Jefferson Co. Colorado?????? if that happened at my school you would be in jail and counseling...
Bought the book and absolutely loved it. Couldn't put it down. I'm a criminology major and find this case particularly interesting. Thanks for the book, incredible work.
I have not checked out your book yet and I know that witness reports can be unreliable when various factors come into play but what do you think about the official statements in which several student eyewitnesses describe shooters who were not Dylan and Eric? Also, do you know why the name of one suspect, which seems to be "Joe", was redacted throughout the court transcripts?
@apocalypsynch none of those reports held up. the simple answer you provided, a longer explanation is in the book.
that could well be joe stair, who turned out not to even be on the campus at the time, though he was often confused with dylan. i don't know why the cops redacted any particular name, but i'd guess to protect him from conspiracy theorists who might hound a person who had nothing to do with it.
wow, it always blows my mind whenever I am reminded that Eric and Dylan were really planning on killing over 500 people.... Its almost hard to believe that two teenagers could be fathom doing something THAT terrible.
I'm on my 4th reading of this book. My sociology teacher in high school recommended it to me. It took me forever to track down. (All copies were checked out at the library. Borders sold out.) But I finally got my own and I can't put it down. More books like these need to be published. I can't wait to read what you have coming next!
@Maplesyrup41 I think that's one of those internet distortions, actually. I talk to tens of thousands of people about Columbine skyping and touring and hardly any see them as martyrs. The tiny minority who do tend to be quite vocal on the web--and ironically, many act like complete bullies to anyone who disagrees.
There is a lot of displaced anger. I would be cautious about extrapolating attitudes from the web.
@XxxxExclusivexxxX i dont think sercurity could take out two boys with sawed off shot guns uzis and pipe bombs. i was confused were they going to school or iraq
I see a lot of people saying that Eric and Dylan were NOT bullied because when they went on their killing spree, they killed anyone in their sight on that fateful day.
I would like to point out that this shows that when people bully, they are not only affecting the person they are bullying, and they are not only affecting themselves. Think twice before you become a bully, you could be endangering more people than you know.
fregardo123 17 hours ago
even though these 2 guys killed innocent people, i cant help but feel sorry for them. i still think what they did was evil, but still.
goldwaterproductions 1 day ago
@scaboi Again... I dont understand what your saying i meant that why does everyone say that the killers are heroes? Or am i misunderstanding here? Anyway everyone deserves a second chance well in my point of view yes cause im christian. What if you were a bully should we kill you?
Xmello517 3 days ago
@scaboi
It wasn't bullying...
IF that were the case, they wouldn't have killed people who weren't bullies... You see they weren't going after football players or cool kids that were supposedly bullying them... They were just normal kids who weren't really any circle. That's why to me, the only reason I believe they did it. Its because Depression, going along with vile imaginary imagery morphed into reality for these kids minds. So that's why it happened I believe.
Kidz24 1 week ago
Hi Dave, I have a question... You mentioned a movie in the works on your website. Any updates on that? Will it be a documentary or feature film based on the book?
mackineste 2 weeks ago
Hi @mackineste. No updates yet, but thanks for asking. The writer/directer is moving along, but nothing I can talk about publicly yet. They have in mind either a feature film or TV miniseries.
davecullenwriter 2 weeks ago
@davecullenwriter thanks for answering my question! I'll be sure to keep an eye out for updates :)
mackineste 2 weeks ago
they did NOT seem normal if you looked at public records of CRIME!
nlcatter 4 weeks ago
they are really CRAZY!!!!!!!
scorpion596 4 weeks ago
I really do not understand this why does everyone support him? They killed people
Xmello517 4 weeks ago
usa is ill and pervers
germany say no thank you we dont americans
peterhabenichts 1 month ago
@peterhabenichts LOL. Germany gave birth to Hitler. How would you feel If the U.S said we don't want Germans because of that?
WayneTatum 5 days ago
Hate is for losers, it make us blind but comprehension and intellect is for winners, you don`t have to stamp yourself as a nerd or a loser to have this qualities, just think and dispute about everything, cause those who never think and dispute are animals, are we all fucking animals?
JineteDelApocalypsis 1 month ago
The real question is, ¿who are the real criminals, them or society nowadays?
JineteDelApocalypsis 1 month ago
I just finished reading your book and still feel very emotional about it.I was prepared to hate the boys:while I believe Eric was a lost cause I actually found myself feeling sympathy for Dylan.I have suffered from severe depression my entire life and reading his journals was hard as I saw myself in them-not the murderous rants(I only wanted to hurt myself) but in feeling as if I would never be happy,always lonely,just wanting to be loved,etc.I wish I could go back in time and help somehow.
catwoman34 1 month ago 4
@catwoman34 That sounds rough. I understand the wishing you could go back to help Dylan. I did, for awhile, too. Ever since I read Sue Klebold's piece in O Magazine, I think about how she must feel wishing she could go back.
davecullenwriter 1 month ago
@davecullenwriter Of course my utmost sympathy is with those whom were murdered that day-don't get me wrong but as a Christian I forgive the killers.Your book is amazing:I find myself going back and reading bits and pieces trying to understand why.I guess we never will.I'm now reading Brooks Brown's book and am not sure what to believe in it....hard to know fact from fiction.Again-thank you for your excellent work.
catwoman34 1 month ago
Comment removed
catwoman34 1 month ago
Good job, boys
GENICIDEourSUICIDE 1 month ago
Do they sell this book in Thailand?
guugugh 1 month ago
@guugugh I'm sorry, I don't know. Can you order it through Amazon. Or The Strand bookstore in New York City ships worldwide. Their info is at my website.
davecullenwriter 1 month ago
Dave, thank you so much. I'm a student at a high school and this analysis of the boys made me notice kids in my school that act that way and prompted me to take action.. By the way, I bought this book, haha.
ThTheatrePerformance 1 month ago
@ThTheatrePerformance Wow. I'm glad you acted. What did you do?
davecullenwriter 1 month ago
@davecullenwriter I became their friend. I let them know someone cared.
ThTheatrePerformance 1 month ago 2
@ThTheatrePerformance Wow. That's the best I could have hoped for. It's a much more positive act than most people think of. Thanks.
davecullenwriter 1 month ago
When did you film this?
Fancyalligatorlad 1 month ago
@Fancyalligatorlad Early 2009. I'm trying to recall exactly when. Maybe February.
davecullenwriter 1 month ago
@davecullenwriter Okay, because I was wondering if i was at school then or not. I actually started freshmen year there in about August 09.
Fancyalligatorlad 1 month ago
Dave, can u get someone that translate your intresting book to swedish?
GokartSebban 1 month ago
@GokartSebban Hey, thanks for the interest. I would love to see it in Swedish. But usually that happens when a publisher in that country decides to publish it. We did not get any offers from Sweden.
davecullenwriter 1 month ago
@BuySomethingWillYa yeah he did there was a video of him saying "if you lay a hand on that kid I will rip you head off and shove it so far up your ass you will cough up dandruff for 3 months"
skullenbonez 1 month ago
Dave Cullen, do you think Eric cared about Dylan? Eric is often viewed as more psychopathic, but do you think he reserved care for Dylan, or do you think he simply took advantage of him?
Also, do you think Eric was even aware of Dylan's depressive side as seen in Dylan's journal?
BuySomethingWillYa 1 month ago
@BuySomethingWillYa Very good questions. For quite awhile, I assumed Eric was close to Dylan, and cared--because it sure looked that way from the outside. But the more I learned about psychopaths is that that is nearly always an illusion. They don't care about anyone but themselves. So I greatly doubt he sincerely cared.
I would wager that he was well aware of Dylan's depressive side, though. First, I think everyone was, without realizing how severe. And Eric was expert at reading people.
davecullenwriter 1 month ago
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@solus925 what do u mean u want to be like them
jacksonadams102 1 month ago
they had so much ammo..... they should have easily killed a couple hundred. pff.... those noobs!
LiquidDnb4Ever 2 months ago
It must be scary to go to that school these days 'cause when you walk down the hallways and look down at the ground you think to yourself 'Someone died right here' :'(
MegaRodriguez16 2 months ago
@MegaRodriguez16 That's a reasonable idea, but the kids there don't actually respond that way. To them, it's just their school.
davecullenwriter 2 months ago
Thank you so much for writing this book Dave; it's such an extraordinary piece of writing - I'd consider it a modern 'In Cold Blood'. Wonderful to have the facts.
mackineste 2 months ago 2
@mackineste Thank you. That gives me a bit of inspiration.
davecullenwriter 2 months ago
@davecullenwriter you're welcome! just wondering, what do you think of gus van sant's 'elephant'?
mackineste 2 months ago
@mackineste I really hated it, for a whole lot of reasons. The two I liked were "Zero Day" and "April Showers."
davecullenwriter 2 months ago
Mr. Cullen, I thank you for such an illuminated look at such a misunderstood and media backed piece of history. I am sure it was not easy to comb through and compile the evidence to make sense out of a twisted view that is different than what the majority of the public believes. Excellent reporting, you can chalk me up to read everything else you have published.
theinfamousped 2 months ago
@theinfamousped Thanks. I appreciate that. I need to get my next book written.
davecullenwriter 2 months ago
Mr. Cullen, I read your book for my junior English class and i found it to be the most interesting book I have ever read. Now, in my senior English research paper, I am studying the man vs. self conflict as presented in your book. This video has helped me immensely in my research. I hope to read more research novels from you in the future.
veronicafazio 3 months ago
@veronicafazio Thanks very much. I'm glad it helped your research.
davecullenwriter 2 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
"all the other kids with the pumped up kicks better run better run faster than my bullet"
dadacookie1 3 months ago
Mr. Cullen, you seem to hold Dylan Klebold in a much more sympathetic view than Eric Harris. I'm wondering how you reconcile the fact that, based on the 911 tapes, Klebold seemed to be much more sadistic in his murdering of fellow classmates.
BuySomethingWillYa 3 months ago
@BuySomethingWillYa It sounds like you're conflating two things that I see separately. On April 20, I have zero sympathy for either killer or what they did. (Though to me, the accounts show them both very sadistic. I'm not sure where you see the distinction. Very little has been released of the 911 tape.)
But in the years prior, I have far more sympathy for Dylan as a human being, and for his pain/struggle. He was struggling, Eric just wanted to kill.
davecullenwriter 3 months ago 3
wow years later still creps me out thaat this can happen in california, but stuff like that has happend in southeast high.
225yugi 3 months ago
What does Dylan say at 1:35 to 1:38?
TheSoilder10 3 months ago
@TheSoilder10 Look up the video. He is cursing and saying shit like " ill rip your head off etc"
TheChunkyKong 3 months ago
Thank you for this book.
mehganlaura 3 months ago 7
@mehganlaura Thanks for saying that. It's encouraging. I'm on a very tough slog on my next project, and that helps.
davecullenwriter 3 months ago
im reading his book, and so far its awesome.
BooksOfTheLivingDead 3 months ago
Excuse me .I meant to write has anybody ever considered Folie Au Deux .
marsyro 3 months ago
@marsyro Yes, I considered that, but the journals, videos, etc. point in very different directions.
davecullenwriter 3 months ago
I have Cullen's book ordered so I dont know what he knows but has thought of Folie Au Deux and without being friends the worst would be Dylan killing himself and Eric being a sociopath but commiting other types of crime as he got older ? On a side note I can not believe the school considered merely replacing the carpets and desks in that library. That would have been cruel.
marsyro 3 months ago
dylans smile is reallly creapy! if i went to that school i would try to do everything i could to be nice and stand up for them and like most people i wouldnt care about my reputation.
BVBkmw 4 months ago
legalize weed?
Z43hoops 4 months ago
They didnt take out their anger and frustrations on the people that tormented them! which of the deseased victims terrorized them! Heartless, gutless little kids with guns. U.S.A's gun law is fucked, only because there is no law!!
Australia is a safe option if you want to live a full and happy life. I wouldnt take the risk of even visiting your major cities and towns.
shsqld90 5 months ago
@shsqld90 it's better than living in Afghanistan? We're not the best country, but you have to consider that we're not the worst either (I know we're not the best). Bad guys are bad guys, so when all the good guys turn in their guns, the bad guys are still going keep their guns because they don't care about the law. Murder is definitely against the law in the U.S, but it still happens.Bad things happen all over the world, but this is especially terrifying to me because I don't live that far away.
basketballchick9111 5 months ago 2
@shsqld90 You are correct that "They didnt take out their anger and frustrations on the people that tormented them."
But please don't continue this flame war about which country is safer or better. Both Australia and the US seem to be doing just fine, overall.
davecullenwriter 5 months ago
@shsqld90 Your gun violence rate is real high, gee I wonder why. Guns are one of our rights to freedom.
TensionAirsoft 4 months ago
@ shsqld90 you dont read the news much because it has happened all over the world know your facts and so does bullying even in australia...we are columbine class 92
wildchildlk 5 months ago
May the killers rest in peace on heaven :)
aherrera156 5 months ago
@aherrera156 if you kill yourself you obviously go to hell
thismayhurt23 3 months ago
I was 2 years old in that time
YTMize 5 months ago
nothing like this happens in australia, only in the u.s.
shsqld90 5 months ago
@shsqld90 And it never happened here either until then. Stuff like this can happen anywhere at anytime so you can climb off your high and mighty Australian horse. These two kids were pushed to the point where they snapped and took out and anger and frustrations on the people that tormented them. In no way am I advocating or justifying what they did, it was horrible. But it should make high school students stop and think before they gang up on people different than them.
kaine977 5 months ago
i stayed home sick that day, thank God. I was a freshman at the time
IMxYOURxDADDY 5 months ago 2
@IMxYOURxDADDY omg seriously
AirJordan1150 5 months ago
@IMxYOURxDADDY Man
congrats on surviving
your lucky
BestHappyEnglish 5 months ago
МОНСТРЫ!
sacsa1980 5 months ago
@sacsa1980 You wrote monstry right ?
zackeemzy 5 months ago
@zackeemzy Yes.
sacsa1980 5 months ago
I just finished watching this on reflex
TXB14 5 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
They weren't bullied
zanechaos 5 months ago
i just watched the doc today on sky, and from what i see maybe im wrong but i think society made them irrupt, society made them think the world was a dark cruel place and made them fill with rage, i think eric said in hes dairy, im filled with hate... what they did was wrong, totally wrong......
MultiMAGICDAN 5 months ago
I was picked on for years in high school, thanks to the show jackass I got into skateboarding which saved my life, saved me from doing somthing self destructive! Skateboarding as well as punk rock is a positive outlet for me, I embrace being deforent, not conforming to the system or authority! Most of the kids who picked on me were those jocks and ambercrombie wearing rich preppy kids! Thats anether reason I love skateboarding we are anti jock/prep!
Most high schools are run by jocks and preps
pbrskater26 5 months ago
@pbrskater26 I agree, in a way it werent there fault, people made them do this, in the doc i saw today, these two guys was known has losers, and geting picked on everyday which builds hate and depression, what they did was totally wrong and very evil... but who is blamed for there behaviour???
MultiMAGICDAN 5 months ago 2
@MultiMAGICDAN exactly
Glassrock4 5 months ago
I was 7 when this happened, columbine was a tragice(i cant spell) but addicting to read n study...
XXXFALLENJULIETXXX 5 months ago
I was a Jr in HS when this happend. First thing in the news that ever really rocked my world.
CobainLennon8094 5 months ago 3
@ComfortableLate if you took the time and actually learn about what went on these boys weren't bullied. One of them was actually considered popular. The other went to prom with one of the prettier girls in the school. Lean before you hate.
Sashacsstars27 5 months ago
Lol just ignore the people saying it was funny or a great day nothing but trolls , and if their not there just going to die lonley and burn in hell just like Eric and Dylan did
Ballergang59 5 months ago
@Ballergang59
saints dont go to hell..
dobicon 5 months ago
@dobicon That is so fucked.
Risefotruth 5 months ago
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Ballergang59 5 months ago
I hate fucking bullies. We learned the lesson and Columbine paid the price.
ComfortableLate 6 months ago
@AndrewGJHH you are a Sick F.U.C.K. !!!
Hanzey666 6 months ago
read the book...youll learn that these kids were not outcasts or terrorized in s school...of all things THEY WERE THE BULLYS...i dont feel sorry for them
iamfedex 6 months ago
All you idiots who think those two fools were heroes, you do realise they would shoot you if you were there? JUst for the hack of it no reason, they killed some 1st graders, how on Earth could they bully those two pricks?
LCHC1 6 months ago
Release basement tapes especially NIXON tape!
ProthSteriel 6 months ago
This book is a masterpiece
HoboHero13 6 months ago 20
@HoboHero13 Wow. Thanks.
davecullenwriter 6 months ago 8
@davecullenwriter That's what I think anyway. It's perfect for people who are interested in the subject.
HoboHero13 6 months ago 2
Since i knew about that i didnt want to go to highschool.
xD
firebloxice1 6 months ago
why they hatin on jocks, whats wrong with having a healthy body and playing sports?
2WorldWar2 6 months ago
Anyone who has not read Dave's book yet should, it is a very good work and superbly written.
wadea912 6 months ago
@wadea912 Thanks for the nice vote of confidence. I'm struggling a bit on my next book--as writers tend to do--and encouragement always helps.
davecullenwriter 6 months ago
oh for the love of god ( wthat which we dont know is real or not) they are dead who cares history repeats as we spiral out on this sphere
hideHYDEimcoming 6 months ago
Thank you for your answer! I don't think that exclude sb leads to bullying but to loneliness. Is it possible to send you a private mail, i have a few questions for you.
Jayde100691 6 months ago
I m sure both were mentally ill. My boyfriend also suffer from depressions since 8 years and i recognize a Lot of his demeanor in the two boys. What do you think? Greats from germany Jaydee91 ps. My entry is posteroanterior cause he was too long. Sorry!
Jayde100691 6 months ago
@Jayde100691 @Jayde100691 I think Dylan was deeply depressed and no evidence that Eric was mentally ill, but that he was a full psychopath. Read the book will give you a much deeper sense of why than I can capsulize here.
The quotes you posted previously: when a kid is mad that friends don't call him often enough or like him as much as he'd like, that's bullying? More importantly, Eric was extremely consistent in his writings, with just a few uncharacteristic bit, and those are exceptions.
davecullenwriter 6 months ago
In the german book were excerpts of Erics Journal were he barely has written the same like " i hate you for exclude me from things which makes fun. And no- don't say its my fault, Cause its not. You had my phone number and all. But no, don't ask the weird looking Eric, no of fuck noo!!" Dylan also had a crush on a girl who even didn't notized him. He was also known as a very shy guy. Eric also had no prom date. He often tried to hook up with a girl-ineffective.
Jayde100691 6 months ago
the massacre is blamed on them. Im sure they will never witness a day without being confronted with the hatred of others.. Thats my point of view no matter who agrees or not. Now the actual question. In the documentary you deny that bulling or beeing a social maverick is one of the motives of those two and actual intelligent guys.
Jayde100691 6 months ago
Hello mr cullen,
I haven't read your book but i saw you once in a documentary, called the Final Report. I read two books about the rampage. The german version " ich bin voller Hass und das liebe ich" by Joachim gaertner (i'm German) and Brooks Browns "no easy answers"
I was very touched by the happenings and i have to say i especially feel very sorry for the parents of Eric and Dylan.
Not enough with the destiny of losing their Kids- that happenend to all the others too- everything related to
Jayde100691 6 months ago
The breakdown of the family unit in America, the loss of a solid moral compass, the indifference between right and wrong, the 'Me, Myself and I' culture, parents themselves focusing on themselves first instead of raising children with values.........yes, this all might seem old speech from a past era, but the fact remains, these are the causes. Columbine was just an extreme example of the decline of the family unit in America, but millions of kids live just under the threshold.
MrSHIZZLE4u 6 months ago
@MrSHIZZLE4u This looks like a classic example of someone starting with a global theory about the culture and then projecting it onto a particular situation--Columbine--without bothering to look into the particular situation to see if it actually fits. Your theory may or may not be correct about the overall culture, but there is no evidence of any of it applying here.
Why are so many people eager to start with answers instead of looking into the actual situation?
davecullenwriter 6 months ago
@MrSHIZZLE4u You're right, this is exactly the same idea as 9/11. Cause widespread fear (since you already own the media) and it will give an ample excuse for the government, I mean New World Order to come in and start implementing more control within the educational system. The show of the police force was great for the NWO too in order to create a sense of an impending police state. In fact, the whole thing was probably a test to see how ppl would react to being led into FEMA camps!
Tirius9393 6 months ago
@MrSHIZZLE4u
The problem is that Eric and Dylan were raised the same way many other kids were raised, They just happened to be psychopaths. Pure and simple.
Superfreaxx 6 months ago
@Superfreaxx I agree with the first half of that. The second half is half right: Eric was, Dylan definitely not. I get frustrated at this point by people a) lumping the two together as if they were the same guy, b) jumping to conclusions about them.
davecullenwriter 6 months ago
@davecullenwriter
I'm sorry for my mistake. I just meant to say that despite seeming like normal kids, Eric and Dylan had deep mental problems that unfortunately no one picked up on until it was too late.
Superfreaxx 6 months ago
@Superfreaxx OK, thanks. They did both have extreme mental issues, just radically different ones. Dylan's parents realized he had trouble, but had no idea how bad it was. The essay Sue Klebold wrote for Oprah's magazine was/is really eye-opening. I have it linked at my site, or google it.
davecullenwriter 6 months ago
@davecullenwriter
Thanks. I read the essay, its a very touching read that reveals how the circumstances of Dylans fate are much more tragic than the news reports would lead us to believe :D
Superfreaxx 6 months ago
Thanks. I'm so glad it had an impact on you.
davecullenwriter 6 months ago
Last summer I went to Colorado and got to visit the school, and I was really looking forward to it because I had never heard about it before, however I was really interested about it. I actually ended up very disappointed because the american woman who showed us the school didn't really talk about it. She just said something like "This is where the shooting happened". Truth is, I really love the USA but sometimes they kinda hide what is wrong. I'm probably going to buy your book to learn more!
clapau 6 months ago
I studied this subject heavily, and even wrote an essay. I have never seen or studied someone so puzzling as Eric or Dylan. And I never felt so much sympathy before either, mostly because my friends are almost exactly like these two, so it's a scary thought, that some of these kids could think exactly like Eric and Dylan, and no one would even know. I really hope nothing as bad as this day will happen again. Thanks for the video, it really helps to put some insight on the topic.
HitsugiNerd 7 months ago
Dylan is still very puzzling to me. Yes, Eric was the means by which he could finally commit suicide-what he seemed to want for at least two years. I still don't understand how someone who was so focused on love could make the step to mass killings at his school. Was it simply that he was easily led? I don't think there was a good explanation for Dylan. Eric was textbook psychopath, as you said. Have Eric's parents ever broken their silence? I really feel for both sets of parents.
PrincessJJ71 7 months ago
@PrincessJJ71 Dylan had a lot of love, but a lot of anger too. No, I don't think he was just easily led. He was agonized, relentlessly. Life was terribly painful for him, and he could not take it any longer. There is a phenomenon with desperately angry depressives, where some turn their anger outward, and do something vengeful on the way out. The mildest version is a vengeful suicide designed to inflict pain on the survivors, but some take it further, but killing to get even, in a way. (con't)
davecullenwriter 7 months ago
(con't) It's pretty rare, not particularly rational, and generally confounds the people who knew the guy. (And it's usually a guy.) But it does happen, and there is a long legacy of them.
I doubt that Dylan would have taken it to that extreme without Eric's influence, but Eric found someone with the potential and took it from there.
davecullenwriter 7 months ago
@davecullenwriter - I am sure you mentioned this in your book, now that I recall. I think part of the problem for me is that we are trying to understand something which is so completely foreign to us with minds that are (supposedly) normal. It ISN'T rational, and therein lies the rub. Also, it is interesting to me that Eric, seemingly inherantly, understood all of the manipulations he needed in order to "snow" everyone around him: his teachers, his psychiatrists, his parents, his friends...
PrincessJJ71 7 months ago
@davecullenwriter - I am sure you need to get back to your "day job." You are very kind to respond, and I appreciate your time. Have a beautiful day! It's 75 and GLORIOUS in Washington State (for a change).
PrincessJJ71 7 months ago
Hello, David Cullen. I assume you really are the writer of this book. I just finished it and found it to be quite enlightening, sensitive and incredibly well-researched. I am a middle school teacher who receives any number of papers from students who have a myriad of issues and problems. For me, teachers are the first line of possible help for these kids. What many STILL fail to realize is that Eric was a psychotic and keeping guns from him by law or otherwise would not have stopped him.
PrincessJJ71 7 months ago
@PrincessJJ71 Thanks. Yes, I'm the writer. (I understand the skepticism, but if you go to my website, you'll see me linking back to this video prominently.)
Thanks for working with middle school kids. I don't have the patience for that, but glad you do. Teachers are definitely one of the first lines of defence.
davecullenwriter 7 months ago
@davecullenwriter -Oh, I am only a little skeptical. I think I am over it now. :) I really do appreciate the work that you did in treating this story with sensitivity and a lack of judgement. I am also very impressed that you would spend your time answering questions from those on YouTube who seek more answers. I really love middle school children, and require more patience than I have on some days. I appreciate the "nod," however. I try my best.
PrincessJJ71 7 months ago
@PrincessJJ71 Thanks. I try to answer when I can.
davecullenwriter 7 months ago
does a book really need to tell us the motive? Its so obvious its simply bullying, and cliques in american highschools. The idea of having a ranking of people
mdude66 7 months ago
@mdude66 So obvious that it's wrong. It's true that that was one of the first conclusions we all jumped to. Sad that it gained such currency without any significant evidence. Especially in a case where there was such an overwhelming cache of evidence.
davecullenwriter 7 months ago
@DaBestDj1 Exactly
apples8131 7 months ago
I hate to bug you again, Dave, but I feel that someone should ask these questions and not assume that the released journals, video tapes and witness testimonies will suffice explanation: Why did Dylan Klebold, a relatively normal, shy boy, hopelessly, sometimes even mindlessly, follow Eric Harris? What did Dylan see in Eric, the complete opposite of himself and his own close friends? The evidence seems to suggest that they had very little in common, apart from video games and electronics.
hazel10987 7 months ago
@hazel10987 It's a great question, and I'm not sure an answer I could give in a short space can do it justice. The very short answer is that opposites often attract: and Dylan, in particular, was a young boy adrift and lacking in confidence, and it's very common for someone like that to be drawn to someone strong and confident.
The also had other things in common, like similar senses of humor, and intelligence.
For the long answer, I hope reading the book makes sense of it.
davecullenwriter 7 months ago
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hazel10987 7 months ago
@hazel10987 In other words, why would Dylan hang out with like a person like Eric, who enjoyed studying Nazi ideology, fantasized about murdering his childhood friend, and vandalized houses for pleasure and revenge, sometimes without a rational cause? What makes a "peaceful, gentle" teenager follow such a self-destructive person?
hazel10987 7 months ago
@DaBestDj1 No you idiot. Being picked on was not their motive and there isn't even proof that says that they were picked on. They were crazy kids and something in their brain was just not wired correctly. They were born rotten thinking and decided to kill and terrorize people. Columbine did not happen because of jocks or bullies or any of that bullshit. Don't spout your garbage out like that, you ass. OH NO, I called you an ass, are you going to shoot up a school?
monssavmik 7 months ago
Interesting. So technically speaking they were terrorists. They tried to bomb the cafeteria, killing innocent people to instill terror in people from all over the country. Sounds like a terrorist to me.
ssuuppeerrbbooyy 7 months ago
@ssuuppeerrbbooyy Yes, very astute--with one caveat: Most experts on terrorism define it as terror with a political agenda. So by that definition, Columbine does not fit, but the Columbine killers employed terrorist TACTICS for their own ends. (And those were two very different ends: Eric's vs. Dylan's.)
davecullenwriter 7 months ago
@davecullenwriter Political agenda? I think every terrorist action has a political agenda. We might try to deny it by saying that they are just crazed fanatics who dont know what they were doing, but every terrorist act has some kind of political motive behind it.
ssuuppeerrbbooyy 7 months ago
@ssuuppeerrbbooyy Exactly. But Eric and Dylan did not have a political agenda: so most experts on terrorism would define what they did as not "terrorism." (But rather, using the tactics of terrorism for diferent agenda.)
davecullenwriter 7 months ago
@davecullenwriter Wasnt their agenda was to reveal the problem of bullying in public schools? Sounds political, especially on a local level. (as in: government isnt doing enough to protect the kids from bullies)
ssuuppeerrbbooyy 7 months ago
@ssuuppeerrbbooyy No, that's one of the major myths. They never even mentioned bullying in their journals or videos explaining themselves.
The two boys did not even share the same reasons for doing it. Eric's motives were vastly different than Dylan's.
davecullenwriter 7 months ago
@davecullenwriter Oh. Thats what I've been reading on forums written by people who praised these two as heroes.
ssuuppeerrbbooyy 7 months ago
@davecullenwriter
Eric's had a lot more anger and wrath behind him and Dylan's were a lot more depressing and suicidal, right?
I'm doing a thesis on a very strange trend between Columbine and one of Shakespeare's works and your book is providing some interesting and similar input to what I'm looking at.
R0ckG1r7 7 months ago
@R0ckG1r7 Definitely on the Dylan part. They both had anger and wrath, though. I would not distinguish Eric that way. Eric was more hate-filled, vicious, cold-blooded and calculating.
If you're looking at Othello, lots of similarities to Iago. Which play are you working with?
davecullenwriter 7 months ago
@davecullenwriter Eric was definitely more hate-filled and cold-blooded. If you read both journals, the distinction between Eric's hatred and Dylan's depression, the motives become much clearer. Eric's vision was much like a sociopath's while Dylan's was more depressive and confused then cold-blooded. If you read Susan Klebold's essay, it becomes clear that Dylan had depression and no idea about what to do. Dylan's view of Columbine was more like a kamikaze's than a sociopath's like Eric.
R0ckG1r7 7 months ago
@davecullenwriter Actually, that wasn't the play I drew the lines to, but I'll look at that play a little closer now...
No, the play that I found the trend was Romeo and Juliet, believe it or not. I found that the actions of everyone close to the shooters, major and minor, are merely different shades of grey with one really big and long streak of black in the center. They all played a part in what happened at Columbine, but in the end, the choices were Eric's and Dylan's to make.
R0ckG1r7 7 months ago
Dave, have you gotten a chance to read Randy Brown's review of your book on amazon?
hazel10987 7 months ago
@hazel10987 yes.
davecullenwriter 7 months ago
people. I didn't see anything that might have lead him to make this statement. Did Eric threaten other people besides Brooks?
hazel10987 8 months ago
Interesting stuff, Dave. What do you make of Zach Heckler's sister who stated that Eric had been making pipe bombs since 1996, a year before the rebel missions and three years before Columbine? She states that her mother didn't want Eric around Zach. Heckler, in turn, thought that the missions were getting out of hand, leading to some sort of permanent rupture in the threesome. Also, after the windshield incident, and before the website, Brooks told Mrs. Harris that Eric was threatening (cont)
hazel10987 8 months ago
@hazel10987 That's not too surprising about early bombs. I wouldn't say it's definitive, because lots of people have conflicting memories, so I don't put too much weight on any one person, but it seems reasonable. We have no way of knowing when the first bomb was, but Eric was headed that way for a long time, so it fits.
Eric was making vicious statements all the time which might get back to someone and be seen as a threat.
davecullenwriter 8 months ago
But anyway. Dave i have read reviews on your book and it looks very interesting. So would i be able to find it at a barnes and noble or at the mall book stores?
devilnevercries1 8 months ago
@devilnevercries1 Thanks. Yes, aside from occasional outages, it's normally stocked at all BN, Borders, Waldenbooks and most independents. If you go to BN.com, you can see it, and plug in your zipcode to make sure it's at a store near you.
davecullenwriter 8 months ago
I just read about some of this and come to find out, eric harris was reported for an AOL webpage explaining the massacre. It said that brooks browns parents reported it to a detective like a year almost before hand. Also dylan klebold wrote a story of a man in a trenchcoat armed and killing people. the teacher contacted his parents but nothing happened like therapy or anything. WHAT IS WRONG with Jefferson Co. Colorado?????? if that happened at my school you would be in jail and counseling...
devilnevercries1 8 months ago
Dave,
Bought the book and absolutely loved it. Couldn't put it down. I'm a criminology major and find this case particularly interesting. Thanks for the book, incredible work.
RockinToke 8 months ago
oh plz they werent normal. one of them had extreme anger problems and th other was- i guess normal kinda...
HannahMileyFan4u 8 months ago
I have not checked out your book yet and I know that witness reports can be unreliable when various factors come into play but what do you think about the official statements in which several student eyewitnesses describe shooters who were not Dylan and Eric? Also, do you know why the name of one suspect, which seems to be "Joe", was redacted throughout the court transcripts?
apocalypsynch 8 months ago
@apocalypsynch none of those reports held up. the simple answer you provided, a longer explanation is in the book.
that could well be joe stair, who turned out not to even be on the campus at the time, though he was often confused with dylan. i don't know why the cops redacted any particular name, but i'd guess to protect him from conspiracy theorists who might hound a person who had nothing to do with it.
davecullenwriter 8 months ago
His book was great. I read it and then heard it again on audio book. Recommended read for everyone. You get the facts.
GrettelsObsession 8 months ago
too much freedom leads to shoot out. #LOL this is the American way.
KhmerD0g 8 months ago
@KhmerD0g and less freedom leads to opression and supression. LOL this is the Nazi way.
monssavmik 7 months ago
wow, it always blows my mind whenever I am reminded that Eric and Dylan were really planning on killing over 500 people.... Its almost hard to believe that two teenagers could be fathom doing something THAT terrible.
ineedtpformybunghol3 8 months ago 3
I would love to read this book... Do you think it has been translated into French, yet?
IHasTheRabies4Yaoi 8 months ago
@IHasTheRabies4Yaoi No, I wish it were, and hope it is someday. So far, just Japanese, and Korean coming out this year.
davecullenwriter 8 months ago
@davecullenwriter Hm... I could write a letter to an editing company over here... I doubt I would really work, but I could try...
I think I'll have to do with the english and japanese one :)
IHasTheRabies4Yaoi 8 months ago
I'm on my 4th reading of this book. My sociology teacher in high school recommended it to me. It took me forever to track down. (All copies were checked out at the library. Borders sold out.) But I finally got my own and I can't put it down. More books like these need to be published. I can't wait to read what you have coming next!
kurby91 9 months ago
Dave,
Amazing work on the book. I couldn't put it down and it helped me put my mind at ease regarding certain questions I had about this incident.
I also read your comment about "this next book".. Care to clue us in?
OfficialBrandonWhite 9 months ago
@OfficialBrandonWhite Thanks, I really appreciate that.
I'm still in the early stages on my next book and not ready to discuss it yet, but probably will this summer. Thanks for the interest.
davecullenwriter 9 months ago
Today Exactly 12 years ago.....
Gone but not forgotten.
2008VauxhallVectra 9 months ago 19
Surprisingly a lot of people see these "killers" as martyrs I wonder why
Maplesyrup41 9 months ago
@Maplesyrup41 I think that's one of those internet distortions, actually. I talk to tens of thousands of people about Columbine skyping and touring and hardly any see them as martyrs. The tiny minority who do tend to be quite vocal on the web--and ironically, many act like complete bullies to anyone who disagrees.
There is a lot of displaced anger. I would be cautious about extrapolating attitudes from the web.
davecullenwriter 9 months ago
maybe if they hired a few decent security guards who carried guns, the toll wouldn't of been as high
XxxxExclusivexxxX 9 months ago
@XxxxExclusivexxxX i dont think sercurity could take out two boys with sawed off shot guns uzis and pipe bombs. i was confused were they going to school or iraq
RoblesIsaiah 9 months ago