Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Call number
B SCO
Publication
Nelson
Description
The Columbine tragedy in April 1999 pierced the heart of our country. In December 1999, we learned that the teenage killers specifically targeted Rachel Scott and mocked her Christian faith on their chilling, homemade videotapes. Rachel Scott died for her faith. Now her parents talk about Rachel's life and how they have found meaning in their daughter's martyrdom in the aftermath of the school shooting. "Rachel's Tears" comes from a heartfelt need to celebrate this young girl's life, to work through the grief and the questions of a nation, and to comfort those who have been touched by violence in our schools today. Using excerpts and drawings from Rachel's own journals, her parents offer a spiritual perspective on the Columbine tragedy and provide a vision of hope for preventing youth violence across the nation.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member n_yay
Journal entires from and stories about a victim from the Columbine HS shooting.
LibraryThing member shorty3793
This book is one of my favorites. I read this book when I was younger and I quite didn't understand it, but then I re read it and I cried at some parts. I recommend that you take the time to read this book.
LibraryThing member Jiujiu
What an incredible gift it was for Rachel's family that after her tragic death, they were able through her writing to discover how deep a relationship she had had with God. I could tell that her parents in writing this book struggled to make sure that their daughter wasn't portrayed as a saint but
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a real human being - the stories about her referring to herself as 'Queen Rachel' and the disaster that ensued when she tried to boil potatoes. She sounds like a wonderful person though and I think this world is a lesser place when it loses people like Rachel. Too often when mass tragedies happen such as at Columbine, the victims to most people become just names and photos in their newspapers. It was really interesting to find out more about one of these names and faces before her senseless murder. I have often struggled with my faith and reading this book I realised that it is okay to have doubts sometimes. Rachel expressed hers so eloquently in her writing. I marvel at the courage it must have taken to "walk the talk" even when her friends turned against her. Even though I know that this must be part of God's plan - I have to wonder what amazing things she could have achieved here on Earth if she had survived? This book inspired me to think again about my own relationship with God. Show Less
LibraryThing member sparkleandchico
It's difficult to give a book like this a low rating due to the subject matter.
Rachel Scott who tragically died in the Columbine school massacre, has been heralded as a martyr in this book. The author, Rachel's father, paints a picture of an almost saintly girl who inspired everyone around her and
It is really her parents and other people that let the side down somewhat. Their theology is questionable, and worrying as her father was a pastor...Having read the extracts from her diaries, I don't think Rachel herself would have wanted to be made into a saint. She was a normal teenage girl who was working out her faith on a daily basis. Her father claims that one of the gun-men asked her whether she believed in God and then shot her when she stood up for her faith. Other accounts have questioned this and suggested that she was smoking on the school field with a friend when she died.
Another friend suggested that Rachel wasn't trying to imitate Jesus or follow Him but was rather allowing Jesus to live through her and that this is what we should all be doing....I don't think this can be reconciled with Scripture. Her father also expresses some odd views about forgiveness stating that he would kill the offenders if he had the chance to get his daughter back. This might be an understandable emotional response for a parent, but from a Christian? There were other strange views expressed as well.
I found it difficult to really get into this as only one side of the picture of Rachel's life is presented and there is a lot of repetition as the parents give their own accounts of what happened and they are similar.
This book was okay, but not very objective. Rachel's diary entries alone may inspire some and challenge them, but maybe without the parents comments running alongside. We can all agree that it was a terrible tragedy for this family and others.
There is no overt bad language, but the author often uses the first letter of various swear words with the correct number of letters blanked out to allow a reader to figure out the word. This isn't helpful as a reader will hear the word in their mind. There are obviously violent scenes although they are not graphic and there is no graphic sexual content.
Rachel Scott who tragically died in the Columbine school massacre, has been heralded as a martyr in this book. The author, Rachel's father, paints a picture of an almost saintly girl who inspired everyone around her and
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spent her time reaching out to the waifs and strays in American society. Some of the portrait may be true, there are certainly testimonies from those who were impacted by Rachel's life and witness. It is also clear that she had a sincere faith in God and was seeking to live her life according to His Will. We can be confident that she was a Christian and that she has gone to be with Jesus now.It is really her parents and other people that let the side down somewhat. Their theology is questionable, and worrying as her father was a pastor...Having read the extracts from her diaries, I don't think Rachel herself would have wanted to be made into a saint. She was a normal teenage girl who was working out her faith on a daily basis. Her father claims that one of the gun-men asked her whether she believed in God and then shot her when she stood up for her faith. Other accounts have questioned this and suggested that she was smoking on the school field with a friend when she died.
Another friend suggested that Rachel wasn't trying to imitate Jesus or follow Him but was rather allowing Jesus to live through her and that this is what we should all be doing....I don't think this can be reconciled with Scripture. Her father also expresses some odd views about forgiveness stating that he would kill the offenders if he had the chance to get his daughter back. This might be an understandable emotional response for a parent, but from a Christian? There were other strange views expressed as well.
I found it difficult to really get into this as only one side of the picture of Rachel's life is presented and there is a lot of repetition as the parents give their own accounts of what happened and they are similar.
This book was okay, but not very objective. Rachel's diary entries alone may inspire some and challenge them, but maybe without the parents comments running alongside. We can all agree that it was a terrible tragedy for this family and others.
There is no overt bad language, but the author often uses the first letter of various swear words with the correct number of letters blanked out to allow a reader to figure out the word. This isn't helpful as a reader will hear the word in their mind. There are obviously violent scenes although they are not graphic and there is no graphic sexual content.
Show Less
LibraryThing member HeatherLINC
A moving story of a beautiful young girl whose life was tragically cut short during the Columbine High shootings on April 20, 1999.
ISBN
9780785268482