The unlikely martyrdom of Cassie Bernall
Misty Bernall
ISBN 0-7434-0052-6
Read 2001 September 22 – 23
Reviewed 2002 August 28
This is the story of the life and death of Cassie Bernall, one of thirteen High School students murdered by peers at Littleton High School on Tuesday April 20, 1999, as told by her mother, Misty. The two peers also died. It is the sort of story that I would write about my own children for therapeutic reasons on such an occasion and, as such, is a fast and disturbing read.
It was reported by survivors of the school library massacre that Cassie had been confronted by one of the nihilist killers, asking if she believed in God. With some thought, she said, ÒYesÓ, and was then immediately dispatched from this life. Her mother writes about that day from the beginning when Cassie went off to school for the last time and through the next several days of horror, going progressively through the detailed stages of fear, hoping, waiting, despair, cold reality and finally, having to deal with everything that follows a death.
She then backtracks to discuss CassieÕs life beginning with childhood and proceeding through some very difficult times just a few years prior to her murder when a relationship with a friend turned very dark. Cassie and this friend plotted evil and death for their teachers and parents, hung out together in dark places, discussed spells and vampires and so forth. This, too, is chilling when compared to my own situation but seems a more severe case. CassieÕs parents, with superhuman effort, managed to extract her from this destructive relationship and later Cassie was befriended by some Christians and genuinely saved. My words here trivialize all aspects of this moving story. Certainly CassieÕs life was not all perfect just after salvation, but she was indeed saved and headed in the right direction at the time of her Òunlikely martyrdomÓ. Her life had inestimable value, as do all lives.
The book also contains many excerpts from other friends and family, descriptions of supporting incidents, and heartbreaking pictures from the family photo album, each appropriate to the present chapter. Near the end is a letter of apology from Dylan KleboldÕs parents with sensitive and thoughtful analysis. Dylan was one of the perpetrators. His parents face an even harder reality than the BernallÕs.
Misty has done an excellent job but this complement is hardly relevant in the face of what she has to say.
Like Michael W. Smith, who was involved in comforting the families in the immediate aftermath and who wrote the Afterward to this book, I am without anything meaningful to say about such a tragedy myself. Those who have suffered true loss in this way are profoundly different people than those of us who have not. One does not know from one moment to the next what will happen, what joys or horrors will enter our lives yet, in God, there are hope and a future and strength to carry on through whatever life brings. This testimony and CassieÕs own testimony are powerful witnesses to that fact.