It was easy, in the days that followed, to blame the parents. If they were at fault then we could protect our children by being better parents. The newspapers sensationalized an act that was so horrific that journalists didn't really need to exaggerate. We were told that the two boys were depressed, were bullied and displayed signs that everyone overlooked.
Years later, in A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy, Sue Klebold tries to make sense out of the senseless. She uses journals, tapes, interviews and memories to try to understand what happened to her sweet and gentle son. She is hard on herself and never takes the easy way out. She wants to believe he was led astray by Eric but faces facts when they are presented. She tries to share as much information as possible so she might help prevent another Columbine.
One thing I believe as I read through these heart wrenching pages, they did not suspect that anything was wrong, not because they weren't good and attentive parents, but because Dylan acted like a typical teen. He kept his feelings hidden from those who would have saved him. They did what we all do when raising teens. They loved him, they disciplined him, they held him and they tried to teach him right from wrong.
Something went terribly wrong, and while this book can not explain it, it does show us how impossibly difficult it was for this seemingly normal family to go on after the tragedy that ended in the suicide of the son that they loved. This was a terribly difficult book to read, but I commend Sue Klebold for writing it. I am sure that it will help many parents as was her intention.
- Beverly
​Publisher - Broadway Books
Date of Publication - February 15, 2016