Columbine. The name is synonymous with one of the darkest days in modern American history. This was the day the romantic ideal of students being safe at school ended. Almost anyone of age at the time remembers seeing the images of Patrick Ireland jumping from the library window, as well as Danny Rorhbough lying dead on the front steps of the school. These were the images that even I remember watching flash across the television screen as I sat in my 7th grade math class on the other side of the country.

Dave Cullen, a journalist for the New York Times, has captured the sheer horror and aftermath that hit Littleton, Colo., like a train hitting a wall full speed. In his book "Columbine," Cullen systematically regurgitates the events of the day, methodically debunking every misconception the press gave Americans about why Columbine happened and who perpetrated the events. He manages to analyze perfectly using detailed reports from FBI agents and well-known psychologist the psyche of gunmen Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. At the same time he shows the world the utter chaos the entire county fell into because of poor judgment on the part of the local authorities handling the case.

From discussing the myth of the "Trench Coat Mafia" to finally telling the truth of evangelical martyr Cassie Bernell, Cullen makes a bold statement about the day where Columbine no longer was a school outside of Denver named for a flower. Reading this reminded me of Jack Nicholson's line in "A Few Good Men." If you think you can handle learning the truth about how truly easy it was for these boys to roll up to their high school and start shooting and want to learn what actually happened, this is the read for you. If you are curious but don't quite think you can handle the fact that the people in this tragedy are real, a great read that will help you understand the terror this high school went through is Jodi Picoult's "Nineteen Minutes."

Jenna Palmer is an employee at Empire Books and News at Pullman Square in Huntington.