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A Mother's Reckoning

Living in the Aftermath of the Columbine Tragedy

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A Mother's Reckoning

By: Sue Klebold
Narrated by: Andrew Solomon, Sue Klebold
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About this listen

On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold walked into Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Over the course of minutes, they would kill 12 students and a teacher and wound 24 others before taking their own lives.

For the last 16 years, Sue Klebold, Dylan's mother, has lived with the indescribable grief and shame of that day. How could her child, the promising young man she had loved and raised, be responsible for such horror? And how, as his mother, had she not known something was wrong? Were there subtle signs she had missed? What, if anything, could she have done differently?

These are questions that Klebold has grappled with every day since the Columbine tragedy. In A Mother's Reckoning, she chronicles with unflinching honesty her journey as a mother trying to come to terms with the incomprehensible. In the hope that the insights and understanding she has gained may help other families recognize when a child is in distress, she tells her story in full, drawing upon her personal journals, the videos and writings that Dylan left behind, and countless interviews with mental health experts.

Filled with hard-won wisdom and compassion, A Mother's Reckoning is a powerful and haunting book that sheds light on one of the most pressing issues of our time. And with fresh wounds from the recent Newtown and Charleston shootings, never has the need for understanding been more urgent.

All author profits from the book will be donated to research and to charitable organisations focusing on mental health issues.

©2016 Sue Klebold (P)2016 Random House AudioBooks
Disaster Relief Mental Health Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Social Sciences Health

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Heartbreaking

Sue Klebold has been incredibly brave in telling her story knowing that by opening up her family’s lives for others to critique she’s potentially inviting more criticism into her life. My heartbroken for her as she discussed the pain and confusion she felt following the massacre and I sincerely hope she finds peace.

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traumatic but important

I cried and worried about myself and son. To share this deeply personal story has helped me in many ways. Thank you and Kia Kaha Sue.

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heartwrenching

Such an amazing story and well narrated. I really feel for sue klebold and her cause. I learnt so much from her story. so heart wrenching.

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wow

very powerful and thought provoking, cannot recommend highly enough for those suffering from mental illness or not

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Must read for anyone raising teenagers

I found this reading compelling and heartbreaking. As a mother of a 16yr old boy in 2021 my eyes have been opened to the unknown impossible possibility’s that may well be being felt in my home.
Thank you Sue for telling your family’s story.

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A lifetime of attonement for a sons deeds.

In a heart breaking story i could feel the grief of the author with every passage. A fascinating take on the Columbine tragedy this book makes a strong statement about the importance of mental health in our youth and gives real meaning to the phrase "there but for the grace of god go I". Sue Klebold is very brave for sharing her thoughts, feelings and years of pain with us. The book also says a lot about connectedness with our children and how difficult it can be for teenagers it can be to share their innermost feelings but why this is so important.

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heartfelt and hard

I feel your pain Sue, as you try to piece together answers. I feel Dylan's pain and sense of hopelessness too. Thankyou for reaching deep within and sharing.

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A rare and important contribution

An intense but beautifully crafted memoir. I chose it as a mother but was surprised to find healing in it as someone who’s been bereaved by suicide. I expected a personal account but Sue Klebold offers so much more — a humble, insightful and educative exploration of parenting and mental health. I’m so grateful this book exists.

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Brilliant

Wow this book was amazing . It was not only well written but the way the story was told has made me view the whole incident differently then I did before I read this book. I can not recommend this book more than I have. Read this book it will change your view on the whole situation

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heart wrenching

I admire Sue for her strength to speak out but also her strength to carry on and speak about the importance of mental health in teens

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