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Dave Cullen

Dave Cullen is an acclaimed American journalist and author, best known for his comprehensive works on significant historical events. He gained widespread recognition with "Columbine," a meticulously researched account of the 1999 high school shooting, earning numerous accolades. With a background in investigative journalism, Cullen's insightful narratives delve into the human psyche and societal issues, as seen in his subsequent books exploring topics like the Parkland shooting and broader cultural phenomena.

Book summaries for books written by Dave Cullen

Quotes

We are all capable of such extremes. That’s the most frightening aspect, the real lesson of Columbine.

Dave Cullen

human natureviolence

They weren’t goths or loners. The two teenagers who killed 13 people and themselves at suburban Denver’s Columbine High School 10 years ago weren’t in the “Trenchcoat Mafia,” disaffected videogamers, or members of one of the other outcast groups that one might assume would hatch a diabolical plot.

Dave Cullen

stereotypesviolence

The Columbine killers are not the jocks, the good ol’ boys, or the cheerleaders. They are not even the losers, the outcasts, or the weirdos. The killers are those who are most invisible, those who could act with the most freedom.

Dave Cullen

violenceinvisibility

Kids who felt like nobody ever saw them. Kids who felt completely ignored and alone. Kids who were totally convinced that they were invisible. These kids are not seen by anyone; they’re just completely overlooked.

Dave Cullen

lonelinessinvisibility

They were not simply victims of monstrous bullying. They were also bullies. They wouldn’t just take it.

Dave Cullen

bullyingviolence

The case has been made that they were not just bullied but also were bullies themselves. That is clearly true. They were both at different times, and they were both frequently.

Dave Cullen

bullyingviolence

They were not the targets of bullying; they were the perpetrators.

Dave Cullen

bullyingviolence

The best thing we can do is to keep talking about it, keep remembering, and keep working for change.

Dave Cullen

remembrancechange

The boy’s deaths stunned them, but it was the murders that horrified and confused them. The deaths were expected, and in some ways, understandable. The murders were incomprehensible.

Dave Cullen

deathconfusion

We all want to believe that we are better than the killers. We want to believe we would never do that. But what if we’re wrong?

Dave Cullen

self-reflectionviolence

The lesson of Columbine is not that bullying is the root of all school violence. It’s not. The lesson is that kids are capable of unspeakable evil.

Dave Cullen

violencebullying

The killers were not ordinary. They were extraordinary. They were not just kids. They were monsters.

Dave Cullen

violencemonsters