Columbine, the killers’ sex lives, and what really happened

May 7, 2009 at 12:04 PM | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Westword media critic Michael Roberts did a good piece today on my book Columbine: A True Crime Story that ranges from the sex lives of the killers to other theories about the shootings.

It’s actually a blog titled “The Latest Word,” and this is one of the quotes I have:

“I think both Eric and Dylan died virgins. And even though it’s sort of a weird topic to get into — their sex lives — I really think it’s illustrative of how well-connected, or not connected, they were to the school community. I feel they were outcasts. I feel they were among the most unpopular kids in the school — and my evidence is their diaries. Pick up almost any page and all they talk about is how much they are outcasts, how they don’t feel part of the school or any community.”

Overall the piece discusses a number of issues surrounding Columbine, from bullying to my observations on how school shootings mostly occur in the South and West of the United States.

It’s fitting, in a sense, that the media critic took up the issue. As I say in the piece, there is plenty of room for many books on a major social issue such as school shootings. But I would argue that since the 10-year anniversary of the shootings that occurred on April 20, a number of new media myths have popped up.