Customer Reviews

Day of Reckoning: Columbine and the Search for America's Soul

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I feel this book is overall a sensational one and the writer seems to focus on the most negative aspects of the Columbine tragedy. It seems to be more of a recount of all the headlines the newspapers had. Spent way too much time debating the 13 verses 15 victims. The fact is 13 people did not have a choice about dying that day and 2 of them did. I personally know some of the victims families and the writer did not do very good research on some of her facts. There are a lot of people willing to talk about Columbine who just want there 15 minutes of fame. They did not know the people they talk about. I wish the book was not a "religious one" but rather a secular one. I have read the books on Cassie and Rachel and they were excellent. This book seems more to be sensational, negative, and tries to wrap up some sort of spiritual spin on it. Though I did not disagree with many of the things written I do feel that the writer overall just wanted to make a buck.

Strengths of Zoba's account of the Columbine tragedy are the numerous firsthand accounts of the event from the people who were affected most: the parents of victims and the friends and classmates of the students who were killed. In addition, the recreation of events at the high school that day from the perspective of students and adults who were involved offers details that are both chilling and powerful. Because of the author's decision to focus on how Christian faith affected the victims, their friends, and their families before and after the killings, she tends to concentrate on the stories of the Christian students and their families and we learn less about the other victims as a result.

The heavy focus on the question of whether or not Cassie Bernall said "yes" when asked if she believed in God and was killed as a result detracts from other issues in the story, as does the chapter devoted to the placement and removal of the 15 memorial crosses. Although these are part of the Christian angle the author is taking in examining the tragedy, they failed to convince this reader that this was a story about the loss of soul in America--the problem that resulted in the Columbine tragedy can hardly be simplified to just a loss or lack of faith in the killers or their community.

Non-Christian reades like myself may be put off by the point of view the author takes, but there is much to discuss and learn from the book, particularly in the portions where Zoba attends to the other issues--such as the culture that produces kids who kill and the actions of law enforcement officials on the day of the shooting. As more is written about the Columbine tragedy, this book will offer a useful alternative perspective that is likely to be ignored in mainstream publications and media.

In Day Of Reckoning: Columbine And The Search For America's Soul, Wendy Zoba draws upon her experience and expertise as an award-winning journalist to separate fact from fiction to present an informative account and compelling assessment of one of the most startling contemporary tragedies to shock the American public because of its very nature and place -- the deliberate mass murder of children by children within the context of a public school on April 20, 1999. Day Of Reckoning is a careful, literature, accurate account of confusing, controversial events. But it is also a deeply moving and ultimately inspiring and motivating testament of the need for love, tolerance, and the infusion of spiritual values to overcome the isolation, alienation, apathy, and violence of today's secular society that can erupt anywhere and at anytime.

Examining the Columbine incident with a religious analysis obtains mixed results in this case.

The author makes a point of focusing on the "15 versus 13 crosses" debate (the inclusion of two crosses for the killers caused much controversy). However, she also attempts to frame the motivations for the rampage in religious overtones - asking if and how forces of good and evil were acting on that day. This discussion lacks detail about the killers themselves apart from details gleaned from police reports (the author did not have access to the infamous pre-rampage videotapes) and some small pieces of information from schoolmates. As a result, the discussion of supernatural factors versus psychological factors seems unbalanced.

The text does work as a religious meditation, and the account of the day itself is gripping. The author succeeds in revealing the somewhat creepy religious symbolism evoked before, during, and after the shootings.

I have read many books about Columbine and I have found that this one was by far the best researched and written that I have read. Mrs. Zoba was very logical and thorough and you can tell that she did her homework. There were many facts in this book that I had either never read or heard before or had overlooked. Excellent for anyone wanting a good throrough book on the tragedy.

the book was good. very nice details about the day of the shootings. but what struck me as odd is that in the first sentence of chapter 1 ( you can see the page on this site) she says 15 died, yet on the back cover shes says that 13 died. any help with this one?

This is a ok book about columbine. I am olny giving it 3 stars because it was to religious for me. I would read the parts on the details of what happened at columbine and skip all the religious stuff. It does tell you interesting facts about eric and Dylan.
It also tells what it was like for the author to visit the area, see the Graves and the school. It talks about Rachels Life and Cassies and tells there storys .

Like others said before, the book does shed some light on the characters involved and affected by the massacure but the author's religious beliefs sometimes outshine the subject matter. Her stance on the shooters is at least somewhat sympathetic so I praise her for not making them out to be one-dimensional human beings with the KILLKILLKILL feelings dominating their personalities. But her writing is often punctuated with other's words and not her own.
Also, the whole pretending she's a columbine mother is rather annoying as well. So, if you're a seasoned columbine expert you don't need this book but if you're curious and just recently got interested in columbine/don't know your information/whatever the book would be good to check out from the library(but don't buy it!) its a waste of money.

I think that the book is all right, since it does give some intresting info about people like Rachel, Cassie, Eric and Dylan and I do like that the author has shown at least some sympathy towards the Harris and Klebold families.

But I do think that the author should have had more info on Eric and Dylan. I'm also personally very skepticial on the notions that Cassie was the one who said "yes" and that Rachel Scott was the Rachel that was named on the "basement tapes".