An omnipresent concern of parents is for the safety of their children. Parents go through life making decisions that they hope will benefit the child. One of the decisions parents have to make for their child is where he or she will go to school. School should be a safe haven, a place where a child is encouraged to grow and thrive. Tragedy strikes, however, when that safe place is distorted and transformed into a place of fear and anguish. This was the shocking reality for parents of high school students in Columbine, Colorado. Two shooters, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, seniors at Columbine High School, entered the school and opened fire, killing thirteen people, wounding twenty-four, and firing a total of 188 shots. Although Harris and Klebold committed suicide at the scene, their actions are a living reminder of the possible dangers that schools can succumb to and the necessary precautions that must be taken to prevent future events like this from occurring. Evidence supporting the motive behind the shooting, a depiction of the event itself, and the aftermath are described in the gripping manuscript, Columbine, written by Dave Cullen. With in-depth descriptions and an even-handed tone, Cullen reveals the mystery and calamity that has amazed many for years: the Columbine massacre. Columbine provides a detailed account of the massacre, from the premeditation of the killers to the memorial built in honor of the victims. It is clear that Dave Cullen, the author, put incalculable effort into constructing the novel. According to the “Biography” article, “Cullen spent ten years writing and researching Columbine. He was driven by two questions: why did they kill and what happened to the survivors? (Biography). Cullen wrote for The Ne...... middle of paper ......ch and for every student's life. Although the Columbine massacre was a tragedy, it served as a wake-up call to parents and students across the United States and will forever be remembered as a significant event in American history. Works Cited "Biography". Colombina online. Dave Cullen and Web. 17 November 2013. “Columbine Memorial”. Colombina online. Dave Cullen and Web. November 17, 2013 Cullen, Dave. Columbine. New York: Twelve, 2009. Print.Shen, Aviva. “A Timeline of Mass Shootings in the United States Since Columbine.” ThinkProgress RSS. Center for American Progress Action Fund, December 14, 2012. Web. November 17, 2013. Toppo, Greg. "10 Years Later, the True Story Behind Columbine." United States today. USA Today, April 14, 2009. Web. November 17, 2013. Toppo, Greg, and Marilyn Elias. “Lessons from Columbine: Increased safety, awareness in schools.” United States today. USA Today, April 13, 2009. Web. November 17. 2013.