Robert Fass narrates this account of the February 14, 2018, shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and its aftermath. In fact, the aftermath is the true story here. Most of the audiobook is dedicated to the group of surviving Parkland students who, mere hours after the shooting, mobilized a gun-safety movement with astonishing speed and strength. Fass is a naturally commanding narrator, though his deep-voiced gravitas sounds a little awkward when paired with the extensive quoting of the Parkland teenagers. Otherwise, Fass strikes an effective journalistic tone that isn't too somber or overly performative. Author Dave Cullen's warm, conversational voice—heard as he reads the prologue, acknowledgements, and endnotes—is also a welcome addition. A.T.N. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

★ 01/28/2019

School shootings are horrors, but, as journalist Cullen (Columbine) depicts in this page-turner, something hopeful has risen phoenixlike from the Valentine’s Day 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.: an eloquent, organized group of survivors who have become nonpartisan activists for reasonable gun control. “There are strains of sadness woven into this story,” he writes, “but this is not an account of grief.” Cullen, who got to know the students over 11 months, recounts how the movement began the day of the shooting, with David Hogg’s first plea for calls to congresspeople on national television; grew as the Parkland activists forged connections with less-heralded teens advocating against gun violence in Chicago; and led to the March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C. Along the way, he draws nuanced portraits of several students, among them Jackie Corin, a preternaturally organized junior who handles logistics and event planning, and Cameron Kasky, a theater kid who was the first to tweet #NeverAgain. Cullen makes sure they come across as “kids, because that’s who they are”; despite their unusual maturity, they get tired, act out, break down. Both realistic and optimistic, this insightful and compassionate chronicle is a fitting testament to a new chapter in American responses to mass shootings. Agent: Betsy Lerner, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner. (Feb.)

Parkland is exceptional. I really look forward to it being unleashed to the world, because the Parkland students really did something. They are a political force to be reckoned with in our country.” — Elise Jordan, NBC political analyst

“[Parkland is] written with the clarity and depth and time… that the students who died and the students who live deserve, and that the nation grappling with it all needs. I was moved and informed and, most of all, heartbroken by it — even though it’s written with authentic hope.” — Chicago Tribune

“Part character study, part media analysis, part political critique, Parkland ends up being many things. Thanks to Dave Cullen’s gift for clear, involving storytelling, it ends up being, above all, a compelling “year-in-the-life” tale of a group of ordinary, yet also extraordinary, teens.” — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“In the hands of a less-skilled writer, a project like Parkland might risk becoming the type of uplifting but empty text that typically arrives with aspirations of cashing in on a cultural moment. Instead, Cullen utilizes the moment to amplify the Parkland students’ calls for actions while situating his views within a structure of quality reporting that emphasizes facts above emotions.” — San Francisco Weekly

“Parkland is a moving petition to America that it not look away from the catastrophes at Columbine, Newtown, Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech, and, yes, Parkland. It succeeds as an in-depth report about the “generational campaign” in the aftermath of the Parkland tragedy, a bi-partisan movement advocating serious gun reform.” — Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“Parkland is one of the most uplifting books you will read all year. . . . [it] is a balm. . . . genius.” — Washington Post

“[Parkland] provides nuanced, sensitive portraits of the Parkland kids who have become media stars. . . . These are extraordinary young people, and Cullen does them and us a great service by showing their ordinary lives.” — San Francisco Chronicle

“Parkland is the first book about the shooting that’s not marketed toward teens and young adults. It also may be the most optimistic of the bunch. . . . an inspiring read.” — The Atlantic

Parkland is an unexpectedly lively chronicle with a powerful message. — Newsday

“If any nonfiction writer is equipped to tell this story, it’s Dave Cullen.” — Book Forum

“In both Columbine and this up-to-the minute portrait of the Parkland tragedy, Cullen has produced masterpieces that are simultaneously heartbreaking and hopeful about a saner future.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“[A] page-turner. . . . Both realistic and optimistic, this insightful and compassionate chronicle is a fitting testament to a new chapter in American responses to mass shootings.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Cullen brings his eloquence, expertise, combination of deep research and concision, and unbiased perspective to yet another mass school shooting, revealing its deepest layers and resonance. . . . [a] moving, defining, and important account of an essential and vital youth movement.” — Booklist (starred review)

[Parkland] provides nuanced, sensitive portraits of the Parkland kids who have become media stars. . . . These are extraordinary young people, and Cullen does them and us a great service by showing their ordinary lives.

Parkland is a moving petition to America that it not look away from the catastrophes at Columbine, Newtown, Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech, and, yes, Parkland. It succeeds as an in-depth report about the “generational campaign” in the aftermath of the Parkland tragedy, a bi-partisan movement advocating serious gun reform.

“Parkland is the first book about the shooting that’s not marketed toward teens and young adults. It also may be the most optimistic of the bunch. . . . an inspiring read.

[Parkland is] written with the clarity and depth and time… that the students who died and the students who live deserve, and that the nation grappling with it all needs. I was moved and informed and, most of all, heartbroken by it — even though it’s written with authentic hope.

Parkland is an unexpectedly lively chronicle with a powerful message.

Part character study, part media analysis, part political critique, Parkland ends up being many things. Thanks to Dave Cullen’s gift for clear, involving storytelling, it ends up being, above all, a compelling “year-in-the-life” tale of a group of ordinary, yet also extraordinary, teens.

Parkland is exceptional. I really look forward to it being unleashed to the world, because the Parkland students really did something. They are a political force to be reckoned with in our country.

In the hands of a less-skilled writer, a project like Parkland might risk becoming the type of uplifting but empty text that typically arrives with aspirations of cashing in on a cultural moment. Instead, Cullen utilizes the moment to amplify the Parkland students’ calls for actions while situating his views within a structure of quality reporting that emphasizes facts above emotions.

If any nonfiction writer is equipped to tell this story, it’s Dave Cullen.

Parkland is one of the most uplifting books you will read all year. . . . [it] is a balm. . . . genius.

Cullen brings his eloquence, expertise, combination of deep research and concision, and unbiased perspective to yet another mass school shooting, revealing its deepest layers and resonance. . . . [a] moving, defining, and important account of an essential and vital youth movement.

[Parkland] provides nuanced, sensitive portraits of the Parkland kids who have become media stars. . . . These are extraordinary young people, and Cullen does them and us a great service by showing their ordinary lives.

Parkland is a moving petition to America that it not look away from the catastrophes at Columbine, Newtown, Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech, and, yes, Parkland. It succeeds as an in-depth report about the “generational campaign” in the aftermath of the Parkland tragedy, a bi-partisan movement advocating serious gun reform.

[Parkland is] written with the clarity and depth and time… that the students who died and the students who live deserve, and that the nation grappling with it all needs. I was moved and informed and, most of all, heartbroken by it — even though it’s written with authentic hope.

Parkland is one of the most uplifting books you will read all year. . . . [it] is a balm. . . . genius.

Part character study, part media analysis, part political critique, Parkland ends up being many things. Thanks to Dave Cullen’s gift for clear, involving storytelling, it ends up being, above all, a compelling “year-in-the-life” tale of a group of ordinary, yet also extraordinary, teens.

Cullen brings his eloquence, expertise, combination of deep research and concision, and unbiased perspective to yet another mass school shooting, revealing its deepest layers and resonance. . . . [a] moving, defining, and important account of an essential and vital youth movement.

Parkland is an unexpectedly lively chronicle with a powerful message.

Parkland is the first book about the shooting that’s not marketed toward teens and young adults. It also may be the most optimistic of the bunch. . . . an inspiring read.

[Parkland] provides nuanced, sensitive portraits of the Parkland kids who have become media stars. . . . These are extraordinary young people, and Cullen does them and us a great service by showing their ordinary lives.

Parkland is one of the most uplifting books you will read all year. . . . [it] is a balm. . . . genius.

If any nonfiction writer is equipped to tell this story, it’s Dave Cullen.

Robert Fass narrates this account of the February 14, 2018, shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and its aftermath. In fact, the aftermath is the true story here. Most of the audiobook is dedicated to the group of surviving Parkland students who, mere hours after the shooting, mobilized a gun-safety movement with astonishing speed and strength. Fass is a naturally commanding narrator, though his deep-voiced gravitas sounds a little awkward when paired with the extensive quoting of the Parkland teenagers. Otherwise, Fass strikes an effective journalistic tone that isn't too somber or overly performative. Author Dave Cullen's warm, conversational voice—heard as he reads the prologue, acknowledgements, and endnotes—is also a welcome addition. A.T.N. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

★ 2019-01-13

An incisive study of one of the past year's most significant mass shootings, with publication tied to the one-year anniversary.

Cullen spent 10 years researching and writing his book Columbine (2009), which meticulously documented the Colorado high school massacre, with an emphasis on the two students who planned it. This time, in the aftermath of the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, committed by a former student on Feb. 14, 2018, the author has produced an impressively deep account in just 10 months. Never naming the murderer of 14 students and three staff members, the author focuses on surviving students who coalesced to promote gun control by spreading their message, encouraging voter registration, and seeking to influence legislatures at the local, state, and national levels. Starting with his initial coverage of the story for Vanity Fair just after the shooting, Cullen immersed himself with the students, many of whom left classes to tour the nation. Throughout the book, the author demonstrates his rapport with the students as well as Parkland parents, teachers, and community leaders. When he deems it appropriate and relevant, Cullen effectively compares and contrasts the Columbine and Parkland experiences. As he notes, his years of immersion in the Columbine tragedy left him with secondary PTSD, so diving in to the Parkland aftermath felt personally risky. However, he persisted, believing that the hopeful messages of the students would outweigh the darkness. Chronicling how the mostly middle- or upper-class Parkland students eventually expanded their crusade to address other issues related to guns, Cullen memorably captures many of the interests they share with often stereotyped inner-city teenagers from violent neighborhoods. In nearly 60 pages of detailed endnotes, the author expands on the revelations in the main narrative, discusses his information-gathering methods, and discloses potential conflicts of interests due to the close relationships he has formed with survivors.

In both Columbine and this up-to-the minute portrait of the Parkland tragedy, Cullen has produced masterpieces that are simultaneously heartbreaking and hopeful about a saner future.