Beneath the surface of any teenager's emotional expressions can be found torrential angst and calls for help. There’s no question that Klebold’s story is horrifying—a story of mass murder and its aftermath that blessed few of us will ever have to tell. Anxiety, sensory overload, shaking, scratching, crying, dark thoughts and an overwhelming need to hurt myself and control the pain. This book deserves a more eloquent review than I can muster this late in the evening. It includes information on the recorded basement tape video made by Eric and Dylan as well as documented statements from their diaries and Sue's own journal. Rolling in Raindrops. Let me start off by saying whenever one of these horrific events happens, I always feel so badly for the family because I know they are going to be blamed and that is not fair at all. Sue Klebold's narrative is extremely difficult to relate to and empathize with. Later, when she heard that her son was involved, she found herself praying he would die. I do hope for Klebold that writing this book has helped her find some peace. Klebold’s son became a murderer before he became a victim of suicide. How does a mother or a father miss the signs of impending doom, the stockpiled weapons? For now I will say that this broke my heart with it's bravery, honesty and compassion. What was done can’t be undone. Klebold is honest and heartbreaking. Sue Klebold has the insurmountable task of penning this piece and trying not to get lost in the accusations surrounding the pall left by her son. The book details the childhood and teenage years of her son, and what she says are signs she missed that Dylan was suffering from clinical depression. The narrative arc takes us from denial to anger to acceptance and some kind of comprehension. However, with the power of hindsight, Klebold could see what might have been warning signs of the smallest order. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. “By telling my story as faithfully as possible,” Klebold writes, “even when it is unflattering to me, I hope to shine a light that will help other parents see past the faces their children present”. Sue Klebold expresses the emotional turmoil from the moment she receives the frantic call from her husband to come home from work on that horrific day, and documents the difficult task of trying to unravel the mystery of a son they loved and thought they knew so well. There are tens of thousands to suicides every year and they don't take out a bunch of innocent people with them. There’s no question that Klebold’s story is horrifying—a story of mass murder and its aftermath that blessed few of us will ever have to tell. The Klebolds and Harrises were vilified, abused and sued. I was not a mother when Columbine happened. To say "I really liked it" is not accurate; but I am so very glad that I read this book (huge thank you to Dave Cullen for the recommendation). A Mother’s Reckoning by Sue Klebold. The saddest thing that can happen to a mother is to outlive her child. Sue Klebold is the mother of Dylan Klebold, one of the two shooters at Columbine High School in 1999 who killed 15 people before ending their own lives, a tragedy that saddened and galvanized the nation. By Rachel Shteir Globe Correspondent, February 17, ... After finishing “A Mother’s Reckoning,’’ I longed to know why. ~, “The ultimate message of this book is terrifying: you may not know your own children, and, worse yet, your children may be unknowable to you. I live here in Littleton and knew people involved in the tragedy. She also spends much of the book suggesting that all parents should be extremely vigilant about any signs of depression in their children and teenagers because Dylan had done a very good job of concealing his true state of mind right up to the date of the shootings. • To order A Mother’s Reckoning for £12.99 (RRP £16.99) go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. They murdered thirteen people – twelve students and a teacher – and injured twenty-four. A Mother’s Reckoning – Review by Lee. Searching for answers, both in their own lives and that of their younger son, the Klebolds faced vilification over something they said they could not have predicted. If you have a library card with a library that offers Overdrive, you can request the audiobook for free! But amongst the more trivial things in this book—like Klebold's excellent writing for someone who doesn't do this professionally—I think what stands out most is Klebold's optimism and faith that we. I have to admit I felt a little hesitant to order this at first, until I saw. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Eventually, the two perpetrators turned their guns against themselves and committed suicide. Having interviewed and spoken with countless professionals over the years, she shares in the second half of the book the studies and professional opinions that support a greater emphasis on understanding, removing the stigma around, and treating brain health issues. As the book progresses, Klebold takes the reader back in time to depict Dylan as a loving boy who was extremely helpful and loving. It was heartbreaking. At high school, he became absorbed in video games after failing to make the baseball team. When the Columbine massacre occurred in April of 1999, I recall judging the parents. Sue Klebold’s son, Dylan, was one of the two boys that carried out a … But I am left with the uncomfortable feeling that she is looking for some form of public salvation – through the lengthy reflections on her good parenting and on the efforts she has made since Columbine to be a good person despite the circumstances. He stockpiled assault weapons and murdered five of his peers during an extended rampage. The first section is devoted largely to her early memories of Dylan, a “loving” and “affectionate” boy with a halo of blond hair: “He was easy to raise, a pleasure to be with, a child who had always made us proud.” But she also remembers that he didn’t like to be teased or to fail, and “his humiliation sometimes turned to anger”. Book Review ‘A Mother’s Reckoning’ doesn’t dig deep enough. A teacher flagged a story he had written – from the point of view of a gunman – as disturbingly violent. (She actually calls it brain health and brain illness throughout her book, for a very smart reason. I believe Sue was very brave for writing this book and knowing that 100% of the profits goes to brain health and suicide prevention is an awesome gesture on her part. Worse yet, if the suicide is preceded by mass murder. See all 10 questions about A Mother's Reckoning…, 2016: What Women Born In The 1970s Read in 2016, A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy (Feb 14 - Apr 30, 2020), A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy / Sue Klebold. Summary of A Mother’s Reckoning by Sue Klebold | Includes Analysis Preview: In her memoir A Mother’s Reckoning, Sue Klebold struggles. On a work trip, she meets a computer teacher who pointedly says: “When you’re a good parent, you just sort of know what your kids are up to.” Eventually, the couple are sued, go bankrupt and divorce. Columbine High School shooting. Both come down to a kind of moral luck and accident of biology. Refresh and try again. I find these books very hard to review. It is actually the exact opposite of that, and at times, almost has nothing to do with her son, but more of raising awareness on suicide and mental health. And with fresh wounds from the Newtown and Charleston shootings, never has the need for understanding been more urgent. As she tells the story, when Dylan called out “bye” the morning of the attacks, she heard in his tone “a sneer, almost, as if he’d been caught in the middle of a fight with someone”. Review: A Mother’s Reckoning. She did so many things right by writing this book. Sue Klebold's life as she knew it ended abruptly on that day 17 years ago when she not only lost her son, but was left behind to piece together a puzzle that could never be completed. Susan Dominus’s review of “A Mother’s Reckoning” by Sue Klebold, the mother of one of the two boys who killed 12 classmates and a teacher, and then killed themselves, at … Over and over again, these are questions that Klebold has heard and continues to hear. I only finished it recently. On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold walked into Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. I had a bad night a week ago. I was stunned when I saw the news that day but I can't recall ever considering how the mothers of the shooters might be feeling. (At the time, Tom had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and her older son had been found smoking pot, and she felt overtaxed.). Filled with hard-won wisdom and compassion, A Mother’s Reckoning is a powerful and haunting book that sheds light on one of the most pressing issues of our time. It is definitely worth the read and changed my perspective on the parents of. (She actually calls it brain health and brain illness throughout her book, for a very smart reason. A mother's Reckoning: Living in the aftermath of tragedy by Sue Klebold Published: February 15th 2016 by Crown Genre: Nonfiction, memoir, biography, true crime Pages: 336 “To all who feel alone, hopeless, and desperate - even in the arms of those who love them.” Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold shot and killed twelve students and… She wants to get it right. First, I want to deeply discredit reviews that state this book is nothing but a mother making excuses for her son. The Christmas before the shooting he asked her to buy him a gun. Filled with hard-won wisdom and compassion, A Mother’s Reckoning is a powerful and haunting book that sheds light on one of the most pressing issues of our time. If a true crime audiobook is your idea of the perfect listen, then this post is for you. March 11, 2016 Paige Reviews 0 ★★★★ A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold Published by Crown on February 15, 2016 Genres: Adult Nonfiction, Memoir Pages: 336 Format: eBook Source: Bought Goodreads They had nothing to do with murders but people judge them and make their life a living hell. I give Klebold much credit for writing this book and for putting herself out here where many will continue to ridicule her, hold her in contempt or just full out not believe what she has to say. I set this aside after finishing it and I almost wished I hadn't read it. Welcome back. We’d love your help. Her “sunshine boy” was a mass murderer. This tension is at the heart of Sue Klebold’s gripping, troubling and bestselling memoir, A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy, which recounts one of the most horrible experiences a parent can endure: the death of a child, compounded by the shocking realisation that you failed to know him. What kind of parent are you? And yet there are many places in the book where it’s hard to believe she couldn’t see past the face Dylan was presenting. Sadder still when the child is young. Sue takes us from, denial to acceptance and then to some kind of comprehension of her life and the part of the tragedy committed by her son. Along with her personal devastation, she was grief-stricken for the victims, their families, and the community. I had just read Columbine by Dave Cullen and learned a ton about the school shooting in 1999. Klebold is brave to try to tell her story. I finished this audiobook more than two weeks ago and I still really don't know how to review it. Instead of becoming paralyzed by her grief and remorse, she has become a passionate and effective agent working tirelessly to advance mental health awareness and intervention. It was nearly impossible not to, considering I spent my time reading their journals, private online conversations, websites, jokes, accounts from friends and loved ones and teachers who liked and praised them as well as watching homemade videos they made for fun. Later, they make a pact not to kill themselves, so hard is surviving. They also planted bombs that – had they functioned as planned – would have taken the lives of hundreds more. Mental refers to something intangible, and some experts believe that if we change the terminology from ment. !” asked one of the many letters Sue received. by Sue Klebold. I was fascinated, horrified, sickened, and heartbroken in turns while I read, but mostly heartbroken – for Sue as a mother, for the memories of her lost child, and for the pain she and her family have had to live with for the last seventeen years. This self-conception, it would seem, kept her from looking deeply at what Dylan was actually doing. The most haunting part of the book is Klebold’s failure to find answers, her hard-won understanding of the fact that the stories we tell about each other are too simple. But She persisted in thinking everything was OK, even though Dylan had been suspended from school and arrested for stealing, with Harris, electronic equipment from a parked van. And part of my understanding at least a piece of this puzzle, I thought, was reading about the perspective of the woman who had raised Dylan. I have close friends that lived near the Klebold home. A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy is a 2016 memoir by Sue Klebold, the mother of Dylan Klebold.Along with Eric Harris, Dylan was one of the perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre in 1999. It was obviously extremely important for her to write this book, and admirably she is giving all profits to mental health research. That seems to be the premise of this book and makes it the ideal choice for the buddy with whom I chose to read this. In reality, it’s hard for me to figure out what lessons to draw from Klebold’s book. But having listened for the past few weeks to the audio version of Klebold’s book with rapt attention and a knotted stomach, I think it is probably more accurate to thank Klebold for openly sharing part of her journey in dealing with her son Dylan’s participation in the Columbine shootings. I read it with great interest and curiosity. And this is why we have to think through our response to that story, noting her omissions, assumptions and blind spots – as well as her courageous insights into the unknowable nature of her son. I attend the church that planted 15 trees (including two for Dylan and Eric). How could you not know that Dylan was purchasing weapons? January 14, 2017 January 14, 2017 ~ wendopolis. Filled with hard-won wisdom and compassion, A Mother’s Reckoning is a powerful and haunting book that sheds light on one of the most pressing issues of our time. These are probably questions for another book, but they are questions that linger. To read it is to be unforgettably drawn into the devastation she endured: on the day of the attacks, Tom told her he was going to try to get into the school, and she tells him he could be killed. They are also a victim. $28. I am not sure how you review something like this - a mother's recounting of a cherished son's life, the heinous act he commits and the aftermath of that act on her life and family. This book reads like a taut justification defending how good her family is, while very subtly hinting at how "others" live: I found Sue Klebold to be honest, empathic, and credible with the facts she gathered and presented them well, and willing to take responsibility for her son. Ever. How did you not know that he was planning to blow up Columbine High School? Throughout, Klebold offers the argument that Dylan was a follower and that Eric Harris, his long-time friend and the other Columbine shooter, was the leader of this sadistic act. February 15th 2016 Worse if the child’s death is a suicide. A MOTHER’S RECKONING: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy, by Sue Klebold. This is devastating. Summary (from Goodreads): On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold walked into Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. She has spent the last 15 years excavating every detail of her family life, and trying to understand the crucial intersection between mental health problems and violence. I actually started listening to this in the summer. In addition, there were death threats, copious hate mail, unending questions, unfathomable guilt, endless lawsuits and public scrutiny. Sue Klebold seeks not to want to gloss over events or spend the entire book seeking pity from the reader, but to offer her own perspective of events and how she was blindsided by many of the narrative from April 20, 1999. A Mother’s Reckoning is compelling as a grief memoir. Sigh, where to start. The troubling, bestselling memoir is a search for understanding and a confessional, as well as an account of catastrophe and grief, Last modified on Thu 22 Feb 2018 15.15 GMT. Sue Klebold is a very strong woman, I don't know how she got through all of this. Mental refers to something intangible, and some experts believe that if we change the terminology from mental health to brain health, because the brain is something tangible that we KNOW needs attention, it could help people be more open to truths of mental/brain illness). 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