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

by Wendy Murray Zoba (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Plodding prose and stale analysis mar Christian journalist Zoba's rehashing of the grim details of the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School. Her argument seems to be that Columbine is a reflection of problems with America's soul. She is particularly interested in the Cassie Bernall question: Did Cassie proclaim herself to be a Christian before being shot? (Zoba admits that we can never know for certain, but she sides with the martyr theory.) Though rich in interviews with survivors and parents, the book skimps on interpretation; what analysis appears here is borrowed from other sources. Zoba too frequently quotes other reporters, sprinkling the book with references to Time, the New York Times Magazine and other publications. She suggests that Columbine sparked a spiritual revival among American teens, but doesn't offer enough supporting evidence to convince the reader that this is the case. Zoba's self-conscious positioning of herself as a mother and a journalist quickly wears thin; one wishes for an end to comments like "my journalistic instincts to get to the bottom of it went full throttle." Finally, the writing is often clumsy: "Many studies have shown, and experts agree, that teen violence, in many cases, easily could be preempted by more parental vigilance." While this may have worked as a magazine article (indeed, it began as a piece in Christianity Today), Zoba doesn't share enough original insights to sustain readers' attention through a whole book.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This is not just another rehash, reveling in the details of the shooting at Columbine High School. Zoba, senior writer for Christianity Today and former Time correspondent, is interested in the religious ramifications of the events, but she does not join the chorus of simplistic finger-pointers. Zoba presents the facts, claims, and counterclaims, as best as she can determine them, but is content to let them speak for themselves. The hurt and bewilderment of the killers' parents are juxtaposed with the killers' heartless attitudes and deeds. Zoba carefully brings us to the paradoxical nature of our predicament: it is too simple to blame society, guns, cultural violence, bullies at school, and so on, yet all are guilty. In the end, we are led to see a strong element of evil in our society. For Zoba, the tolerance of violence and of rootless relativism, which allows a Klebold or Harris to decide that he has evolved to a higher level and thus may live by his own code, is coupled with such a fear of religion that expression of religious feelings must be denied by the media and censored from school memorials. A thought-provoking alternative to other works on this tragedy. Eugene O. Bowser, Univ. of Northern Colorado, Greeley
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 228 pages
• Publisher: Brazos Press (January 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587430010
• ISBN-13: 978-1587430015
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,242,256 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Sensational, May 4, 2001

By A Customer

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.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Different angle on tragedy, March 6, 2001

By	Cathy A Belben (Bellingham, WA United States) - See all my reviews

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deeply moving and ultimately inspiring, May 23, 2001

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

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.