A mother's reckoning - The Library of the Uncommons

No cover — Sue Klebold: A mother's reckoning (2016)

305 pages

English language

Published Nov. 20, 2016

ISBN:: 978-1-101-90275-2
OCLC Number:: 914156891

(1 review)

On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold walked into Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. In a matter of minutes, they killed twelve students and a teacher and wounded twenty-four others before taking their own lives.

For the last sixteen years, Sue Klebold, Dylan's mother, has lived with the indescribable grief and shame of that day. How could her child, the promising young man she had loved and raised, be responsible for such horror? And how, as his mother, had she not known something was wrong? Were there subtle signs she had missed? What, if anything, could she have done differently?

Here she chronicles her journey as a mother trying to come to terms with the incomprehensible, shedding light on one of the most pressing issues of our time. In the hope that the insights and understanding she has gained may help other families recognize when a child …

On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold walked into Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. In a matter of minutes, they killed twelve students and a teacher and wounded twenty-four others before taking their own lives.

For the last sixteen years, Sue Klebold, Dylan's mother, has lived with the indescribable grief and shame of that day. How could her child, the promising young man she had loved and raised, be responsible for such horror? And how, as his mother, had she not known something was wrong? Were there subtle signs she had missed? What, if anything, could she have done differently?

Here she chronicles her journey as a mother trying to come to terms with the incomprehensible, shedding light on one of the most pressing issues of our time. In the hope that the insights and understanding she has gained may help other families recognize when a child is in distress, she tells her story in full, drawing upon her personal journals, the videos and writings that Dylan left behind, and on countless interviews with mental health experts.

8 editions

memorysnow reviewed A mother's reckoning by Sue Klebold

Review of "A mother's reckoning" on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I read this as a fast follow to [a:Dave Cullen|1116816|Dave Cullen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1438443482p2/1116816.jpg]'s [b:Columbine|10447716|Columbine|Dave Cullen|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|5803859], and it was an excellent supplement to the former. Fascinated especially by Dylan Klebold's role in the Columbine attacks, I was curious how his own mother's story would differ from Cullen's presentation of the boys and the events they perpetrated. With some very minor exceptions, the two books are in alignment and lend credence to one another. But while this book focuses largely on Dylan's life (and death), the book also offers a view into what his family endured as they had to simultaneously grieve for him and come to terms with the atrocities he committed. Sue's story of strength and coping in the aftermath were hugely insightful, making this book not only a Columbine book, but an inspirational book with some helpful perspectives for others who are grappling with grief or other difficult life situations. …

I read this as a fast follow to [a:Dave Cullen|1116816|Dave Cullen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1438443482p2/1116816.jpg]'s [b:Columbine|10447716|Columbine|Dave Cullen|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|5803859], and it was an excellent supplement to the former. Fascinated especially by Dylan Klebold's role in the Columbine attacks, I was curious how his own mother's story would differ from Cullen's presentation of the boys and the events they perpetrated. With some very minor exceptions, the two books are in alignment and lend credence to one another. But while this book focuses largely on Dylan's life (and death), the book also offers a view into what his family endured as they had to simultaneously grieve for him and come to terms with the atrocities he committed. Sue's story of strength and coping in the aftermath were hugely insightful, making this book not only a Columbine book, but an inspirational book with some helpful perspectives for others who are grappling with grief or other difficult life situations. While I can't speak much to its intended usefulness as a guide to help parents and teachers detect warning signs in teens who are similarly troubled to Dylan, in reading this book I felt like I got to know Sue a bit, and was very grateful for her warmth and wisdom.

Subjects

Columbine High School (Littleton, Colo.)
Mothers
Columbine High School Massacre, Littleton, Colo., 1999
Biography
School shootings

Places

Littleton
Colorado