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They Call Me Mr. De: The Story of Columbine's Heart, Resilience, and Recovery
After the tragic shootings April 20, 1999 that left thirteen dead, Frank DeAngelis mourned with the Columbine community. He vowed to never forget those who were murdered and dedicated his life and career to helping his students - his kids - recover. He committed to staying on as principal to help the students and the community heal. Columbine was his family.
For the first time since the event that rocked the nation and forever changed his life, DeAngelis offers a personal narrative of tragedy, hope, and resilience. He walks readers through the school on the day of the shooting and openly shares the struggles he and the community endured in the months and years that followed. Offering insights on leadership under pressure and on how to rebuild a community after the unimaginable happens, this book will inspire readers as it equips them to become better leaders themselves.
For the first time since the event that rocked the nation and forever changed his life, DeAngelis offers a personal narrative of tragedy, hope, and resilience. He walks readers through the school on the day of the shooting and openly shares the struggles he and the community endured in the months and years that followed. Offering insights on leadership under pressure and on how to rebuild a community after the unimaginable happens, this book will inspire readers as it equips them to become better leaders themselves.
268 pages, Hardcover
Published March 31, 2019
4 people are currently reading
299 people want to read
About the author
Frank DeAngelis
1 book5 followersColorado native Frank DeAngelis retired from his position as principal of Columbine High School after thirty-five years of service. He began his career there as social studies teacher and filled the roles of head baseball coach, assistant football coach, dean of students, and assistant principal before becoming the principal in 1996.
After the tragic shootings on April 20, 1999, DeAngelis mourned with the Columbine community. He vowed to never forget those who were murdered, those who were injured, and all who were impacted by the tragedy. He dedicated his life and career to helping his students--his kids--recover. He committed to staying on as principal to help the students and the community heal. Columbine was his family.
In the years that followed the shootings, DeAngelis was named the Colorado High School Principal of the year and was one of three finalists for the National Principal of the Year. He has also received the Jefferson County Lifetime Achievement Award and the Gandhi, King, Ikeda Community Builders Award.
DeAngelis is often asked to speak and consult with schools and communities as they recover from acts of mass violence. He currently serves as a consultant for safety and emergency management for the Jeffco School District in Colorado and continues to deliver speeches in the United States, Canada, and Europe.
After the tragic shootings on April 20, 1999, DeAngelis mourned with the Columbine community. He vowed to never forget those who were murdered, those who were injured, and all who were impacted by the tragedy. He dedicated his life and career to helping his students--his kids--recover. He committed to staying on as principal to help the students and the community heal. Columbine was his family.
In the years that followed the shootings, DeAngelis was named the Colorado High School Principal of the year and was one of three finalists for the National Principal of the Year. He has also received the Jefferson County Lifetime Achievement Award and the Gandhi, King, Ikeda Community Builders Award.
DeAngelis is often asked to speak and consult with schools and communities as they recover from acts of mass violence. He currently serves as a consultant for safety and emergency management for the Jeffco School District in Colorado and continues to deliver speeches in the United States, Canada, and Europe.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 6, 2019
I am so proud of my principal. This was absolutely incredible.
April 8, 2019
Wow. Powerful. All educators and parents should read this. As a child who was in high school during the events at Columbine, this was more powerful than i could have expected.
August 14, 2019
Full Disclosure: My two children graduated from Columbine High School and my son was in the school on April 20, 1999. I knew Frank DeAngelis and worked with him on a parent/teacher advisory board at Columbine for several years.
If you want to understand the Columbine tragedy and gain insight to the many mass shootings since then this book will help you. For Columbine specifically, I would recommend this book as well as "Columbine" by Dave Cullen. Each book takes an accurate look at all the events surrounding Columbine and dispel some of the myths surrounding those horrible events.
This is an honest look at the tragedy and how it affected 'Mr. De' for many years after. I was witness to his care for the students and school, he seemed to be everywhere. I have trouble recalling a student event, athletic or otherwise, where Mr. De was not in attendance. His descriptions of the time he put into the students is accurate and he discusses the sometimes detrimental effect on his health and family. He really was at the school most days until 9 or 10pm.
Throughout the book Mr. De stresses remembering the victims and describes the efforts he makes to that end. It is clearly important to him and his actions towards the victim's families demonstrate his commitment.
He also gives his perspective on some of the larger societal issues around education that is valuable because of the exposure (in many cases world wide) that Columbine has given him.
The book is well laid out with a compelling narrative that takes the reader on the journey towards healing that Mr. De was forced to travel. His struggles, failures, successes and constant emotional investment are all there. It is an honest and moving story.
If you want to understand the Columbine tragedy and gain insight to the many mass shootings since then this book will help you. For Columbine specifically, I would recommend this book as well as "Columbine" by Dave Cullen. Each book takes an accurate look at all the events surrounding Columbine and dispel some of the myths surrounding those horrible events.
This is an honest look at the tragedy and how it affected 'Mr. De' for many years after. I was witness to his care for the students and school, he seemed to be everywhere. I have trouble recalling a student event, athletic or otherwise, where Mr. De was not in attendance. His descriptions of the time he put into the students is accurate and he discusses the sometimes detrimental effect on his health and family. He really was at the school most days until 9 or 10pm.
Throughout the book Mr. De stresses remembering the victims and describes the efforts he makes to that end. It is clearly important to him and his actions towards the victim's families demonstrate his commitment.
He also gives his perspective on some of the larger societal issues around education that is valuable because of the exposure (in many cases world wide) that Columbine has given him.
The book is well laid out with a compelling narrative that takes the reader on the journey towards healing that Mr. De was forced to travel. His struggles, failures, successes and constant emotional investment are all there. It is an honest and moving story.
April 25, 2021
This book was good. I think I expected the book to be more about the experiences Frank had endured during the tragedy that occurred on April 20,1999 and what he heard and saw. Where as the book focuses a lot on how to be a successful leader. He talks about his life lessons he has learned from being a principal/teacher at Columbine High and offers quite a bit of great advice. Though I would not recommend this book to someone who is interested in learning about the events of April 20,1999. Great Job Frank!
April 3, 2019
I highly recommend this book! Frank DeAngelis is an engaging storyteller, and you can tell through the entire book how much he cares about his students and his school. I was young when Columbine happened, so I never learned too much about it. This book was really informative with a lot of background and inside information that I wouldn’t have learned just by looking info up online.
Definitely have tissues ready though, this was a tough read emotionally!
Definitely have tissues ready though, this was a tough read emotionally!
April 15, 2019
Grab a few tissues before you dive into this one!
May 27, 2024
A coworker loaned me this book 2 years ago. I'd seen it in my TBR piles occasionally and wanted to read it but just wasn't in the right head space. It was 12 years after I graduated from Columbine that the tragedy there occurred. Who knew you could be so impacted by something like this happening in your hometown?
It was a difficult read for me but I'm glad I read it. One of my first realizations about the book was after reading the list of staff that worked at CHS when the tragedy occurred. I was surprised at how many names on the list I recognized. That was a connection that I hadn't thought of and I wonder how those teachers faired and how they were doing now.
This book is part personal recollection/ memoir from principal Frank DeAngelis' perspective and part of what as an educator I know to be true and that is what's to be done and the current state of education. I worry about today's youth and maybe it's no different than how people have worried about them for decades, but I believe that social media, smartphones, and parenting changes have made things more concerning today. Prayer is even more important now.
It was a difficult read for me but I'm glad I read it. One of my first realizations about the book was after reading the list of staff that worked at CHS when the tragedy occurred. I was surprised at how many names on the list I recognized. That was a connection that I hadn't thought of and I wonder how those teachers faired and how they were doing now.
This book is part personal recollection/ memoir from principal Frank DeAngelis' perspective and part of what as an educator I know to be true and that is what's to be done and the current state of education. I worry about today's youth and maybe it's no different than how people have worried about them for decades, but I believe that social media, smartphones, and parenting changes have made things more concerning today. Prayer is even more important now.
March 21, 2022
I loved this book! And I loved it for personal reasons. I did not live in Colorado when Columbine happened, but I eventually moved there and worked for a police department that sent its SWAT team and victim advocates and others to help. I knew them and heard their stories. I also had a volunteer who was there when Columbine happened and needed to be found and led out by SWAT. I knew of Mr. De. I heard him speak, saw him on the news during anniversaries. And I became a part of the Littleton community when I lived there.
Reading Mr. De's story of the event and recovery helped me see victim recovery in its raw, vulnerable truth. It didn't seem like he held anything back. Ah shared all of his emotions, the good, bad and ugly. We need more people in the world like Frank DeAngelis.
Reading Mr. De's story of the event and recovery helped me see victim recovery in its raw, vulnerable truth. It didn't seem like he held anything back. Ah shared all of his emotions, the good, bad and ugly. We need more people in the world like Frank DeAngelis.
June 5, 2019
Not a great piece of literature but an interesting read by a man whom I have long admired. He is very loving, folksy, loving, quick to give praise to all sorts of people who have crossed his path in a significant way. He makes a lot of nerdy jokes, but also gets at the impact of the Columbine shooting. He minces no words about the shooters and the horror they unleashed. He talks about the day of the shooting, gives a summary of the timeline & strategies used, the terror of it. He addresses the heartbreak of seeing Columbine so misrepresented by media, the frustration of giving a three-hour interview and then seeing just a few sentences quoted, perhaps to support another slant than he intended. Mr. De reminds us about the shooters' original plan for the bombs; if those had been successful, not only would the cafeteria have blown but the floor above would have collapsed and perhaps hundreds would have been killed; their intent was to be outdoors and shoot people as they ran out after the bomb exploded. He talks about how successful in school the two of them were; after watching The Basement tapes, he realized the real evil of them and is sad the tapes were destroyed because of their potential use to a select group of authorities who could be aided in the present & future by them.
May 13, 2019
In the 20 years since Columbine became synonymous with school shootings, there has been so much written about the killers; true crime fraught with speculation and salacious, gory details.
DeAngelis' memoir does none of that.
Written with grace, humility, and unashamed of the faith he shares liberally, Frank is passionate about the learning that can be derived from an experience of horror and deep, deep sorrow. He is a crusader for prevention, and understands (perhaps better than anybody) how preventing events like what happened at Columbine far transcends the one-dimensional approach of gun control. (Not to say gun laws aren't something - they are just far from the only thing).
For anyone who wants to understand how a devoted professional survives, and thrives, after the Worst Thing happens, this memoir is a must.
4 stars
DeAngelis' memoir does none of that.
Written with grace, humility, and unashamed of the faith he shares liberally, Frank is passionate about the learning that can be derived from an experience of horror and deep, deep sorrow. He is a crusader for prevention, and understands (perhaps better than anybody) how preventing events like what happened at Columbine far transcends the one-dimensional approach of gun control. (Not to say gun laws aren't something - they are just far from the only thing).
For anyone who wants to understand how a devoted professional survives, and thrives, after the Worst Thing happens, this memoir is a must.
4 stars
June 17, 2019
3.5 stars. I loved how this book focused on healing and leadership after the horrific shootings at Columbine. Even though I've lived in Colorado my entire life, I learned new things about my community, and especially about Frank DeAngelis that made me appreciate him even more. I'm grateful he wrote this book, clearing up some misconceptions about the culture at his school and speaking to his motivations about staying at Columbine. I would have given this book a higher rating if it hadn't been a bit repetitious, but its theme bears repeating. At the end, I found myself grateful that this man rose above his personal pain and trauma to help ALL of us heal. As the book shows, DeAngelis continues to use his experience to help others impacted by school shootings and to use the lessons from Columbine as a way forward. He is a great example of leading forward to light through love.
August 8, 2019
I am not yet finished with this book, however I am over halfway done with it. This past school year my whole school had an assembly on the Rachel Scott Challenge and I thought it was super inspiring. I then came across this book and knew I wanted to read it. I think this book is truly inspiring and enlightening about what happened at Columbine that day and leading up to that day. I do believe everyone needs to read this especially school principals. I would recommend this book to just about everyone because it tells a story about the Beloved 13 and not the killers that are always constantly talked about in mass shootings everywhere.
June 9, 2019
My Dad passed along this book and said it should be required reading for all high school administrators. I have to agree. Mr. De was the principal at Columbine in 1999 when 13 lost their lives. Not only did it change him and his school, it changed education and our schools forever. (Lockdown drills, barriers and lights out were not part of my early career as an educator!) His journey of recovery as a school and personally and how he remained a beloved educator is inspiring and proves that the best leaders lead with their hearts!
January 18, 2020
The style of writing didn't work for me personally. It felt more conversational. It was hard to get into. I knew a lot of the stuff he talked about from other sources so, given the conversational tone and the info I already knew, it felt like a retread.
That said, he certainly is someone I admire. He's been through a lot and has done so much for his community and others touched by gun violence. It's interesting to hear his thoughts. I was glad, too, that he ended with a chapter dedicated to some words about the victims.
That said, he certainly is someone I admire. He's been through a lot and has done so much for his community and others touched by gun violence. It's interesting to hear his thoughts. I was glad, too, that he ended with a chapter dedicated to some words about the victims.
February 14, 2020
This book is a amazing book, and I would highly recommend this book. The way Frank DeAngelis described the scene made you feel as if you were going through the heart ache with the community. When I read this book it really gave me a better perspective on what actually happen that day. I never really realized how manipulative the media can be. Through this book I learned a lot of life lessons that I can implement in my own life now.
December 12, 2021
I hate to give books like this bad ratings… but this just wasn’t for me at all. I had to skim through to finish it. The style was distracting (random input mid-story from his wife, fellow teachers, friends).. and a lot of name dropping. I’m more interested in the story than how many times Bill Clinton called you. Again, it bothers me to give bad ratings, especially to someone who survived a tragedy.
March 31, 2019
I loved this book where Frank DeAngelis tells his own personal story of the Columbine tragedy and the recovery efforts. He gives us details of his state of mind and emotional health and how he helped the community to heal. Frank gives us insight into the struggles the whole community faced and honors the victims through his book.
December 8, 2019
A great insight into the mind of Frank DeAngelis, the former principal of Columbine High School. A look at what truly happened with the Columbine massacre, changes made afterward. I encourage all to read this book. I love my school and my principal. WE ARE COLUMBINE!
November 17, 2022
This was an informative and insightful look into the Columbine School shooting without focusing on the actual shooting or the killers. This is a hopeful and encouraging book focused on what to do now.
July 17, 2019
Love this book! Everyone working in education should read this book! Mr. De is a great man and this gives an insight into why his students love him so much.
August 11, 2019
To read Frank’s story was difficult and inspiring. His love for his students was amazing. A book that all should read-teachers, parents, politicians, human beings. Relationships matter❤️
November 27, 2019
Must read for anyone in education. Chapter 23, State of Public Education, is especially significant.
July 22, 2023
Frank is speaking to other schools about his experience and how to overcome this tragedy
September 25, 2023
Don't waste your time on this book!
October 11, 2023
They Call Me Mr. De by Frank DeAngelis is a painful read, but it’s essential for all school leaders, counsellors and law enforcement. It’s hard to imagine what this guy has been through and how much he wished he could’ve done better. There are a lot of accounts from other witnesses who despise Mr De’s efforts, but this book is full of residency and care. He was a man who never quit his job, even during the darkest of times.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews