A Mother’s Reckoning
Accolades for A Mother's Reckoning
#2 on the New York Times bestseller list
#2 on the Publisher's Weekly bestseller list
#3 on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list
People Magazine's Book of the Week
A Newsweek's Favorite Book of 2016
A The Washington Post Best Book of 2016
Bruce Feiler, parenting columnist for the New York Times
“I just spent 24 hours reading Sue Klebold's mesmerizing, heart-stopping book, A MOTHER'S RECKONING. . . .The book is unimaginably detailed, raw, minute-by-minute, illuminating, and just plain gripping. It's also the most extraordinary testament–to honesty, love, pain, doubt, and resilience. I didn't go ten pages, at least in the front half, without weeping; I didn't go ten pages, at least in the back half, without questioning some of what I think about being a parent. I want to say this carefully, because I really mean it: I can't imagine anybody who spends any time around teenagers–especially teenage boys–who would not benefit from reading this story. . . . This book is nothing less than a public service. I beseech you to read it.”
People Magazine, Book of the Week
“At times her story is so chilling you want to turn away, but Klebold’s compassion and honesty–and realization that parents and institutions must work to discover kids’ hidden suffering–will keep you riveted.”
The New York Times Book Review
“[Sue Klebold’s book] reads as if she had written it under oath, while trying to answer, honestly and completely, an urgent question: What could a parent have done to prevent this tragedy?… Eventually, Klebold found her way forward with a mission of suicide prevention, and she provides a precise education on the subject in “A Mother’s Reckoning.” She earns our pity, our empathy and, often, our admiration; and yet the book’s ultimate purpose is to serve as a cautionary tale, not an exoneration.”
The Spectator
“The real triumph of this powerful book is that, in seeking to ‘own the viciousness’ of her son’s ‘final moments on earth’, [Klebold] has managed to craft something that feels both universal and urgent and which, in its deep seriousness, also honours the Columbine victims. Not least, it’s a very moving memorial to a troubled young man who, both then and now, was clearly very much loved.”
The Washington Post
“Reading this book as a critic is hard; reading it as a parent is devastating….I imagine snippets of my own young children in Dylan Klebold, shades of my parenting in Sue and Tom. I suspect that many families will find their own parallels….This book’s insights are painful and necessary.”
Entertainment Weekly
“This book, which can be tough to read in places, is an important one. It helps us arrive at a new understanding of how Columbine happened and, in the process, may help avert other tragedies.” Rating: A
LA Times
“I believe Sue Klebold. So will you."
Sunday Times Culture
“Immensely powerful read that moves from a thriller-like retelling to a polemic on our ignorance about mental illness.”
Daily Mail, Book of the Week
“As harrowing as it is engrossing. . . . Challenges the glib if understandable verdict of all those who felt there must have been signs of impending tragedy and that more engaged parents would have spotted them.”
The Times (London)
“A book of nobility and importance.”