Columbine Killer: A Mother’s Story |

Sue Klebold's A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy comes 16 years after the massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado. Klebold's youngest child was one of the shooters who murdered 12 students, one teacher and injured 24 others before killing himself.

On April 20, 1999, Klebold's husband left a frantic phone message about a shooter at their son's high school. Terror morphed into horror with the sickening realization that her son was the shooter.

How could a mother fail to notice that her child was planning mass murder? Klebold's book grapples with this question and addresses issues of accountability, atonement, grief, guilt and mental illness.

Some critics state that Klebold's memoir and her advocacy in the areas of mental health and gun control are laudable. Others argue that her book speaks to issues of race and class. Some insist that it continues to spotlight the killer at the expense of his victims. Critics are divided on the extent to which Klebold succeeds in striking the right balance. Read here: Slate, New York Times, Washington Post, Vanity Fair, CBC, Huffington Post and the Toronto Star.

It's a harrowing read that will evoke strong feelings. Readers will scrutinize, judge (or not), and empathize (or not). And in the wake of continued school shootings, the issues this book raises are far from over.

A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold, 2016