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Book Review of A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy

A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy
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After reading COLUMBINE (by Dave Cullen), I really yearned to hear something from the parents of the two students who wreaked so much havoc in Littleton, Colorado so many years ago. As a parent, I cannot imagine the grief and anguish a parent must feel after such a catastrophic event. I'm not surprised that it took Sue Klebold 16 years to come to some point where she could talk about her feelings.

This is a heart-wrenching baring of Sue Klebold's heart and soul. Until chapter 13, the author seemed clear about Dylan's guilt and culpability. However, it bothered me that she latched onto the common determination of Eric Harris as being a psychopath (see Dave Cullen's book, COLUMBINE), and then traveled down that road with that diagnosis. The Harris's have chosen not to enter into any conversations and clarify their feelings or thoughts. I think the author only has the right to discuss her son's diagnosis, not Eric's.

The real benefit of a book such as this is that Klebold offers so many different avenues of help for teens -- and other depressed individuals. She cites an alarming statistic, 40,000 American's kill themselves each year (that's one person every 13 minutes).

Please note: The author has donated all of her profits for research and to charitable organizations focusing on mental health issues.