The Columbine Effect

Beth
Winegarner, Author of The Columbine Effect and Sacred Sonoma

 Columbine
High School shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold weren't goth kids who played
more Doom than their classmates. But after news outlets reported they were,
teen goths and gamers felt the backlash for years. As police and journalists
have rushed to explain other unthinkable massacres, heavy metal music,
paganism, Satanism, occult practices and role-playing games have unfairly
gotten caught in the crossfire. Adolescents' brains may still be developing,
but they recognize the rich benefits of pastimes adults have deemed dangerous.
The Columbine Effect is filled with teens' stories of self-discovery and
healing-and the research to back them up. It reveals how we arrived at sch
gross misunderstandings of common but controversial interests. The Columbine
Effect is the book that will make us stop blaming teen violence on the wrong
things-and help us understand how slayer, satanism and grand theft auto can be
a healthy part of growing up.

Beth
Winegarner is an author, journalist, poet, blogger, and mom. Her journalism has
appeared in numerous publications including the New Yorker, Wired, Mother
Jones, USA Today, and the San Francisco Examiner. She's authored several books,
including Beloved, Read the Music:Essays on Sounds, and Sacred Sonoma.