Rating: 
Summary: A Necessary Read: Can We Deal With It?
Review: After reading just a portion of this book, I was breathing a sigh of relief that the other side, the side that has been consistently attacked and/or ignored has been published. The shootings and the bombings that occurred on that day were devastating to all of us who live in the community. What has been just as devastating is(1)the assertion of students and others that there were warnings and they were ignored REPEATEDLY and(2)the denial of the behaviors of those in a position of trust that they received warnings and that they were ignored.This book points out all that occurred from a student's perspective:a student who experienced the intensity of the trauma resulting from Dylan's and Eric's behavior: a student who has experienced the continued trauma of being attacked for knowing Dylan and Eric and repeatedly saying that the authoities were told about Eric. After all, didn't Eric initially plan on Mr. Brown's house as the first stop on that day? It is important that people know the rest of the story. It is important that Mr. Brown be allowed to write about the events as he experienced them WITHOUT being bullied and receiving diatribes from people only involved on the periphery. Afterall, isn't it this intolerance and the need to visciously attack anything/anyone who was different that was the catalyst for all of this? Read the book, learn from the eyes of a then, young man, who experienced a horrific event. He is just is saying "Here is more of the story"; the story that hasn't been allowed to be told.He writes with a style that creates a setting for the reader to feel the intensity and the frustration of a nasty and ongoing(in high schools, communities, anywhere people lack the ability to tolerate and NEED to dominate)problem. In writing this book, Mr. Brown gives us an opportunity to examine what we do and how we respond when we are presented with situations that interferes with a belief we hold.I have recommended it to many who have asked me"What was it like?" It tells the story better than I could do.
Rating:
Summary: Columbine isn't an ordinary high school
Review: Brooks Brown and Rob Merritt came to my school on Thursday to discuss the events at Columbine and what high school is really like. Brooks told us what everyday life was like at Columbine and I was in complete shock. He told us how students would bring alcohol into class and drink it right in front of the teachers. He told us how students getting "swirlies" and "trash canned" and beaten by other students with baseball bats were seen daily. I, on the other hand, have been in high school for over two years now and know many more people who have been around even longer and I don't know anyone who has ever seen any of those things at my school or at any other school. Sure I've seen fights at school every now and then, but nothing compared to what Brooks described to us. There is no way that anyone can consider Columbine to be a normal high school. Something is seriously wrong there and that's what Brooks was trying to tell everyone. I would highly recommend this book. It truly does give a real insight to what actually happened.
Rating:
Summary: 5-Star Book!
Review: Brooks Brown's & Rob Merritt's writing is smooth reading. I appreciated the sidebar information with things like Regina Huerter's report to the Governor's Columbine Review Commission on Dec. 1, 2000. This type of information was critical to validating the truth of the experiences Brooks Brown was subjected to as well as the truth of his perceptions. Perhaps the most profound thing in one of the sidebars (printed in the book as italics) was from Huerter's report, "Huerter noted 'a strong perception from nearly everyone I spoke with that there was no reason to say anything about the bullying - no one was going to do anything.' "And more importantly in Huerter's report was the following: "I was told by adults working in the district that they were afraid to speak up about school issues, including school culture and bullying behavior, because they feared losing their jobs..." This book zeros in and gives a no-holds-barred account of what Brooks Brown witnessed and it is supported at the highest levels through honest, impartial investigation by the Governor's Commission. It also discusses the less-than-honest investigation by the sheriff who was in office at the time of the shootings as well as many other interesting facets of the entire Columbine puzzle. This is absolutely a MUST READ book!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Answers!
Review: I am a college student that has written MANY research papers on the Columbine tragedy. I had heard Brooks Brown mentioned before, and had read a few other limited books on the topic written by the parents of victims. However, at a professor's recommendation, I purchased this book, and found in it one of the best resources for the tragedy. It does not try to glorify the tragedy, nor does it present it from an outsider's view. This book presents one of the most tragic, interesting tales of one person's struggle with not only being bullied in high school, but dealing with the consequences of being friends with Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. So I offer my sincerest thank you to you, Brooks, for writing such a poignant look into the tragedy at Columbine High School.
Rating: 
Summary: Heartfelt, but misses the point
Review: I am glad that I read "No Easy Answers" and I recommend it as one the most up-close-and-personal accounts of the Columbine tragedy in print. However, I was struck by how much the title of the book contradicts it's content.
Brown and his co-author tell Brooks' facinating story well, but I thought they give a very simplified answer to the question of why did this happen. Brown's answer - years of being ostracized and bullied made Harris and Klebold into monsters capable of gunning down their classmates and teachers.
I have no doubts that bullying did indeed turn these two into big wads of rage. But guess what: That's been going on since the dawn of the hormone. Generations and generations of kids have been pushed around, made fun of, beaten up, etc. My Jewish grandfather used to tell stories of being terrorized by the Catholics, and that was in 1915, and it wasn't news then either. None of those kids broght pipe bombs and automatic weapons to school. So what's different now?
There truly isn't an easy answer to that one. Increased levels of violence around us (games, movies, TV, etc) plays it's part, despite Brown's assurance that it does not. Access to vast numbers of weapons plays it's part, again regardless of Brown's views on that subject. The Harrises and the Klebolds are painted as model parents. I'm sorry, but if a depressed kid is holed up in his room playing with his computer all day and night, that's not model parenting. Good gosh - put the computer in the family room, at least.
Despite a lot of really insightful passages, good points, and general good sense throughout the book, I thought that Brown blew it on the central point of his work. My impression was that, despite his choice of a title, he did try to give us an easy answer. Further, I thought that he blew it in his "call to action": According to Brown, if we're going to avoid future Columbine-like events, we had better get the bullying under control. While that's a nice sentiment, and I fully endorse it as a wonderful goal to have, that's far from the only thing we need to concentrate on, and Brown takes the easy way out by saying differently.
Brown's book held my interest throughout. He made me consider some things I had not previously thought about, and gave me fresh insight into some things I had. His book definitely contributes to the body of work on this tragedy, and I think it's well worth reading. It's just not as simple as Brown would have us believe.
Rating:
Summary: First hand account on the killers
Review: I find the writings to be to the point. Brown's first hand account of growing up with the killers provides a great insight. I could'nt help to think that Brown was motivated to write this for attention with something to prove. I could'nt help to feel that Brown was whining, making the book too bias. He references in the beginning of the book that video game violence had played no influence in the killings. He later refers that one of the killers settles into their own reality of playing video games, because it was the only thing they knew. He refers in the book that the brutal act resembled levels in the video game Doom. This discounted Brown on his previous statement that video games played no influence in the killings. In a whole I felt that it was okay, but unfinished.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellect Book !!!!!
Review: I highly recommend this book. It was just excellent.
I could not put it down. Definitely a must read.
Thank You Brooks!!
Rating:
Summary: Brooks, I like you now. Get out of here. Go home.
Review: I just read Brooks' book (in less than a day, which surprised me). The book, in general, is very good. Especially for people who have an active interest in the tragedy. The details of his personal experience with Dylan and Eric was enlightening. The picture I now have of Columbine, and the events of that horrible day, are more vivid than ever before. Another subject that Brooks touches on, is the interest that people have in the Columbine tragedy. There are those who glorify Eric and Dylan, fall in love with them, or pretend to be from Columbine themselves. Most people don't even think about Columbine anymore, yet there are a small group left who still find themselves drawn to it's ominous presence. That in itself, is just as mysterious. Brooks has a lot of hurdles still ahead of him...and this book was a great first step in his process of bringing reason to the unreasonable.
Rating:
Summary: A wake up call
Review: I recently ordered this book and read it cover to cover in one afternoon. Brooks Brown has hit the nail right on the head when he says that 'although Eric and Dylan are responsible for the murders, it took a school like Columbine to create people like Eric and Dylan' or something to that effect.Everyone knows what the real reason is, but nobody wants to really come out and say it because the truth hurts. It's more convenient to blame it on music and television, guns or video games.All of these are scapegoats. The fact of the matter is that our schools are not only a reflection of our society, but a look at what the future of our country holds.I somtimes wonder how many more innocent, dead American children these administrators and teachers need to see before they wake up and realize that they created a hostile and offensive atmosphere.As teachers, as administrators, coaches, counselors, etc. they have an obligation to create a learning atmosphere that is safe, that is equal, and that is non-discriminitory. Those in charge of Columbine prior to the shooting failed on all three counts. They failed those children, they failed the community, and they are an example of the decline in modern American education.Is it any wonder that so many parents have opted to homeschool? The day after the shootings the National Homeschool Legal Defense Association was literally jammed with phone calls from parents who had finally made the decision. I was homeschooled myself and thank God every day that I had parents who cared enough to prevent me from having to be exposed to atmospheres like that. I was never a 'jock'. The only sport I've ever felt passionate about is surfing. I also like classical music, art, the theater and reading. I probably would have fit in quite well in places like Columbine. (sarcasm)Ayn Rand once said that "the only purpose of education is to teach a student how to live his life-by developing his mind and equipping him to deal with reality. He has to be taught the essentials of the knowledge discovered in the past-and he has to be equipped to aquire further knowledge in the future by his own effort."Not to bash athletes. Some of my closest friends as a teenager were athletes. But to those who have the attitude that athletics is everything, that the jocks are 'untouchable' as was said in this book, who is it that these people think really runs this country and keeps America going? (Hint: the star jocks who care nothing about learning are not the ones you would want operating on you, or helping you manage your finances, or the people that operate multi-national corporations, or the people that run the weapons systems that defend our country. You want someone with a brain for that.)As much as I pray that nothing like Columbine ever happens again, I can't help but thinking that until we address the real causes of schools like that, that it's simply a matter of time.We're failing our kids, and it's high time that people wake up and realize it. Anyone who works in the school systems of this country needs to read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Best Book About Columbine To Date
Review: I thought that this book was well written and that the author really knows what he is saying in the book. No one knew Eric and Dylan more than Brooks and while it may be disturbing to some people, I think that if anyone who wants to know what happened at Columbine and what people like Eric, Dylan and the author went through there(before, during and after the shootings), then I would definitely recommend this book to everyone.
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