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”. Columbine High School shooting. !” asked one of the many letters Sue received. by Sue Klebold. This is a very painful book to read. I set this aside after finishing it and I almost wished I hadn't read it. [On this week’s Inside The New York Times Book Review podcast, Sue Klebold discusses “A Mother’s Reckoning.”]. Perhaps the most unnerving thing about having a child is that you don’t know in advance who he or she or “they” will turn out to be. ... Posted in Uncategorized Book review mothers sons. 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. $28. She has written one of the most honest and gut-wrenching books I’ve read in a long time. She did so many things right by writing this book. Eventually, the two perpetrators turned their guns against themselves and committed suicide. The early chapters offer a cogent narrative of the events of the day and the period that followed, a time in which Sue and her husband, Tom, were crippled with doubt and guilt for what Dylan had done. A Mother’s Reckoning is compelling as a grief memoir. A powerful book that does offer insight, angst, pain, and confusion in all forms, Klebold is to be applauded for coming out and speaking about these hard issues in a frank manner. What was done can’t be undone. 4 stars. 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. How many of us teach our children to monitor their own brain health, or know how to do it ourselves?”, http://amothersreckoning.com/books/a-mothers-reckoning-hc, Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Memoir & Autobiography (2016). How did you not know that he was planning to blow up Columbine High School? I feel a lot of compassion for her. 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. 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. Klebold’s son became a murderer before he became a victim of suicide. I attend the church that planted 15 trees (including two for Dylan and Eric). 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 Along with her personal devastation, she was grief-stricken for the victims, their families, and the community. Not only they lost a loved one if this is a murder-suicide situation, they don't get any sympathy from people for their loss. 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. 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. 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. 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). 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. A Mother’s Reckoning – Review by Lee. In the dazed aftermath, stories abounded: the killers were goths, were bullied, were part of a terrifying “trenchcoat mafia”. Like other reviewers have said, this is a hard book to review. However, with the power of hindsight, Klebold could see what might have been warning signs of the smallest order. Review: A Mother’s Reckoning by Sue Klebold CONTENT WARNING: DISCUSSIONS REGARDING SCHOOL SHOOTINGS, VIOLENCE, MENTAL HEALTH I was a bit nervous going into this book and I’m not sure exactly what I expected, but I certainly didn’t expect a well-written book that made me feel more empathy for the family, especially the mother, of one of the Columbine shooters than I ever … Pain and suffering seems to envelop people, but there are many more feelings and emotions that layer themselves within the larger narrative of grief. 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. But we never think about the killer's loved ones. 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. Review A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy. Final Note: Author profits from this book will be donated to research and charitable foundations focusing on mental health issues. They had nothing to do with murders but people judge them and make their life a living hell. Book: A Mother's Reckoning: Living In the Aftermath of Tragedy Author: Sue Klebold On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed twelve students and a teacher at Columbine High School. Could she have seen it coming? It would be easy to admire Sue Klebold for her courage in writing a Mother’s Reckoning. What kind of mother fails to see that her son is a killer? And with fresh wounds from the Newtown and Charleston shootings, never has the need for understanding been more urgent. to come to terms with her son Dylan’s role in the infamous. 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. Sue Klebold’s son, Dylan, was one of the two boys that carried out a … "While every other mother in Littleton was praying that their child was safe, I had to pray that mine would die before he hurt anyone else.". But then I picked up A Mother’s Reckoning. Summary (from Goodreads): On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold walked into Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. The stranger you fear may be your own son or daughter.”, “We teach our kids the importance of good dental care, proper nutrition, and financial responsibility. To see what your friends thought of this book, I agree with those who have said it gives one a renewed sense of purpose. 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. 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. ", Excellent follow-up story to COLUMBINE, but a very sad and terribly heartbreaking read. By Rachel Shteir Globe Correspondent, February 17, ... After finishing “A Mother’s Reckoning,’’ I longed to know why. I do hope for Klebold that writing this book has helped her find some peace. However 80% of this book is her telling me what a normal family they were and what I normal childhood he had (and I believe it) and the other 20% that he had a brain disease and was suicidal (and I believe that too). Or, they were so disengaged in their lives they were just plain oblivious. A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy is written by Sue Klebold, mother of Dylan Klebold. 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. Sue Klebold is Dylan’s mother. What a monster! And with fresh wounds from the Newtown and Charleston shootings, never has the need for understanding been more urgent. Implicitly, and perhaps inevitably, the memoir raises important questions it fails to answer. Even she has asked herself the same question hundreds and hundreds of time. 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. How could you not know that Dylan was purchasing weapons? 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. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99. • To order A Mother’s Reckoning for £12.99 (RRP £16.99) go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. In the wake of epic tragedy, how does a parent come to terms with their child murdering other children and adults? Review: ‘A Mother’s Reckoning’ – Sue Klebold. Ever. 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. 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. The journey to becoming a so called monster was too complex, and to understand why they came to do inhuman things you first need to understand how they were as humans in the first place. A Mother’s Reckoning implicates the reader in its own search for understanding; it’s part confessional, part grief-memoir, part apology and part activist literature. Review: A Mother’s Reckoning. Anyway, again I don't blame her or her husband but frankly I got really bored with reading antecdotes about smart precocious funny Dylan. Yet by her own account, Klebold seems to have viewed parenting mainly as an act of setting boundaries and providing a nice middle-class home, complete with after-school snacks, rather than really listening closely to her child. He stockpiled assault weapons and murdered five of his peers during an extended rampage. Over the course of minutes, they would kill twelve students and a teacher and wound twenty-four others before taking their own lives. A MOTHER'S RECKONING is a detailed and graphic account of the carefully planned massacre that occurred at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. I find these books very hard to review. She wants to get it right. If a true crime audiobook is your idea of the perfect listen, then this post is for you. Dylan Kleb. Start by marking “A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy” as Want to Read: Error rating book. A MOTHER’S RECKONING: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy, by Sue Klebold. I'm not sure how she survived. I read this book because a friend of mine suggested it. They murdered thirteen people – twelve students and a teacher – and injured twenty-four. How ought we to think about moral culpability in an age of psychiatric diagnoses? 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. Her book is titled, “A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy,” and in it she chronicles the day of April 20, 1999 and the weeks following based on her journals. "To the rest of the world, Dylan was a monster, but he was my son. Over the years, after a long time researching the Columbine case, I'd learned to view Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris as human beings. 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. 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. ~, “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. Published by wendopolis. 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. 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. 305 pp. While it would be crass to choose any reading group that might 'like' this book, its insightful nature might prove useful to those who remember the Columbine shooting as they wrestle to better understand the chaos of that day. It is sad, but down to earth and honest. It took me three very long days to get through this book and I honestly wish that I did not read it. What was done can probably never be fully explained. Writing 16 years after the. Her “sunshine boy” was a mass murderer. 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. 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. It was obviously extremely important for her to write this book, and admirably she is giving all profits to mental health research. In the wake of epic tragedy, how does a parent come to terms with their child murdering other children and adults? First, I want to deeply discredit reviews that state this book is nothing but a mother making excuses for her son. 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. These are probably questions for another book, but they are questions that linger. It's a horrible story and one that we sadly see repeated year after year; and it's hard not to feel defeated, like things will never change and there's nothing we can do about it. 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. 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. They also planted bombs that – had they functioned as planned – would have taken the lives of hundreds more. A Mother’s Reckoning is a sincere gesture in sharing and I thought Sue Klebold shared some very important information, messages and insight to living in the aftermath of tragedy. A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold Published by Crown on February 15, 2016 Genres: Non-Fiction, Memoir, True Crime Goodreads | Buy on Book Depository. Worse if the child’s death is a suicide. For now I will say that this broke my heart with it's bravery, honesty and compassion. Mental refers to something intangible, and some experts believe that if we change the terminology from ment. Addressing teen suicide and the inner turmoil that Dylan faced, Sue is blunt in her message to parents: do not ignore anything that seems out of place. Disbelief turns to understanding as she finds herself recalling how Dylan became more sullen and withdrawn – behaviour she attributed to normal adolescent crabbiness. In structure, the book relives Sue’s search for answers, drawing on her journals, memories and the research she has done since Dylan’s death, interviewing experts in “law enforcement” as well as “psychiatry and neurobiology”. On 20th April, 1999 Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold went to school with the intention to kill. Sue Klebold literally says countless times, I am not excusing what my son did, so for anyone to make claims that this was the tone of the book, either didn't read the book, or read so with a pre-disposed opinion of The Klebods and/or the Columbine tragedy. 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. For the rest of us, her book provides a window into a special kind of hell – losing a child that the world views as a monster. This is not to toss all the blame onto Harris, but Klebold posits throughout that her son's less aggressive nature surfaced in journal entries, recorded messages, and in footage of the actual school shooting. Yet we persist in believing (it would be hopeless not to) that, once they arrive, we will in some deep way. Sue Klebold is a very strong woman, I don't know how she got through all of this. Even she understands how difficult it is for people to accept that sometimes parents don't know that their child is planning to do something terrible, and that if the child does do something terrible, that the terrible act is not always the result of poor parenting. I'm giving it a 3.5 just in terms of the writing, readability and narrative flow but I am in no position to review the veracity of what happened here. Instead of becoming paral, 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. On July 22, 2016 By thehodgenator In adult, nonfiction, the hodgenator. And she is condemned to a life in which some people will always try to reassure themselves that their child would never do what Dylan did by blaming his parents in their parenting and for failing to see what was coming – no matter what Klebold has to say. … Dylan and Sue Klebold, erhaps the most unnerving thing about having a child is that you don’t know in advance who he or she or “they” will turn out to be. She spends much of the book assuring her audience – and herself – that she was the best parent she could be. She has found her place as a suicide prevention advocate. A Mother’s Reckoning is a sincere gesture in sharing and I thought Sue Klebold shared some very important information, messages and insight to living in the aftermath of tragedy. 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. I have to admit I felt a little hesitant to order this at first, until I saw. I finished this audiobook more than two weeks ago and I still really don't know how to review it. Poor victims and their loved ones!" Klebold bears not only her soul in her writing of A Mother's Reckoning, but also her failures as a parent that often are only evident in hindsight. Sigh, where to start. Dylan Klebold was one of the Columbine High School shooters, a murder spree whose infamy only grew in the months after events, once much of the evidence and backstory emerged. 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. On the one hand, I sympathize with Klebold, but I have to say that I think publishing this book was a mistake. Beneath the surface of any teenager's emotional expressions can be found torrential angst and calls for help. The minute he told me about it I put it on hold! In reality, it’s hard for me to figure out what lessons to draw from Klebold’s book. A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold My rating: 4 of 5 stars Bravo, Sue Klebold! The Klebolds and Harrises were vilified, abused and sued. by Crown, A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy. This book deserves a more eloquent review than I can muster this late in the evening. 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. Her son, a passive and shy high school senior about to go off to college, was dead and he was also a mass murderer. Looks like I am in the minority on this one. Meanwhile she was asking herself the same question: should she – could she – have seen it coming? I give my thoughts on the book by Sue Klebold (mother of Dylan Klebold) 'A Mothers Reckoning. 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. A Mother’s Reckoning spends some time trying to come up with a solution to the rash of mass shootings, mulling the disastrous failure of our gun legislation. This book was a huge undertaking. 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. I'll never, ever again "assume" anything close to this kind of thinking or judge. I finished this audiobook more than two weeks ago and I still really don't know how to review it. 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. 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. What kind of parent are you? However we never get any insight as to why he tipped over the edge to commit mass murder. 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. This book is Klebold’s attempt to tell her story: the story of their family life, their parenting, and the complete and utter lack of signs leading up to. It’s hard to criticise a book that so earnestly and willingly embraces self-exposure. First, I want to deeply discredit reviews that state this book is nothing but a mother making excuses for her son. She dove into motherhood and did her best to mother with intent and purpose. I only finished it recently. Crown. “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”. 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. 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. (She actually calls it brain health and brain illness throughout her book, for a very smart reason. I can’t say that I wouldn’t do the same if I found myself in her shoes. *heavy sigh* I'm exhausted. The diagnosis closes her questioning down. (In fact, at times I felt ashamed of some of my own parenting lapses in comparison with hers.) I agree with those who have said it gives one a renewed sense of purpose. 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”. Refresh and try again. It was heartbreaking. 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. A great deal of this memoir is written from the perspective of what ac. When we hear about the actions of murderers we always think to ourselves: "How could they've done that? In addition, there were death threats, copious hate mail, unending questions, unfathomable guilt, endless lawsuits and public scrutiny. This book was extremely difficult to read at times, and I can only imagine how hard it was for Klebold to write. “So?” he says. I was not a mother when Columbine happened. Book Review ‘A Mother’s Reckoning’ doesn’t dig deep enough. Ever. Sadder still when the child is young. Book Review: A Mother’s Reckoning. Out of the worst tragedies there surely sprouts some specks light and hope. Looks like I am in the minority on this one. I had a bad night a week ago. When the Columbine massacre occurred in April of 1999, I recall judging the parents. I had just read Columbine by Dave Cullen and learned a ton about the school shooting in 1999. Pain and suffering seems to envelop people, but there are many more feelings and emotions that layer themselves within the larger narrative of grief. I think she does a tremendous job of expressing her experience of mourning, while paying due respect to the families of Dylan’s victims. Klebold is honest and heartbreaking. This book is very hard to read and even harder to review. 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… Sigh, where to start. 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. Over the years, after a long time researching the Columbine case, I'd learned to view Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris as human beings. Welcome back. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published Later, they make a pact not to kill themselves, so hard is surviving. I actually started listening to this in the summer. Ever since I started the research, I knew I couldn't view them as monsters because it was far too simplistic. (At the time, Tom had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and her older son had been found smoking pot, and she felt overtaxed.). Worse yet, if the suicide is preceded by mass murder. 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. And with fresh wounds from the Newtown and Charleston shootings, never has the need for understanding been more urgent. 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. This book is heart wrenching and fascinating, but it very much feels like something Sue Klebold had to write for her own benefit, as part of her own healing process. 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. Sue Klebold is the mother of Dylan Klebold, who—along with his friend Eric Harris—opened fire on fellow students at … On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold walked into Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. She lost him twice: his actions that day meant the son she thought she had known was a fiction. Why is Dylan’s violence a symptom of disease but not Eric’s psychopathy? This is devastating. 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 complet. This is devastating. 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We to think about moral culpability in an age of psychiatric diagnoses had gone off it would easy. `` assume '' anything close to this in the minority on this.... Public scrutiny son, I knew I could n't view them as because! Only imagine how hard it was obviously extremely important for her to write keep track of books want... Give my thoughts on the book by Sue Klebold for her to buy him a gun was extremely! Read this with an open mind and they do n't know how got. This with an open mind s book particularly painful minutes, they were a mother's reckoning review disengaged in their they... Any teenager 's emotional expressions can be found torrential angst and calls for.... Learned a ton a mother's reckoning review the Columbine tragedy and felt lucky to read book. Students and a teacher flagged a story he had written – from the Newtown and shootings... Were so disengaged in their lives they were just plain oblivious book has helped her find some.! Many letters Sue received life of a gunman – as disturbingly violent guns themselves... Having a mother's reckoning review a son, I can only imagine how hard it was obviously extremely important her...