In this book 70 different authors contribute their stories, advice and reflect on their past bullying experiences. Even today, bullying is always an issue and this book is a good way to see how real it is and how strongly it affects people. I found this to be a good resource to further my understanding of bullying.
I give this book 4 stars (out of five). I really really liked this book, I think it was really important that it wasn’t written by just one or a few authors but had a wide variety of authors and it didn’t only focus on victims although it gave many victims a platform and place to share their stories, advice and experiences but also a place for bullies or bystanders to share their stories and what they wished they had done differently.
I think this book was a really good opportunity to heal and process things that have happened to people, everyone’s experiences are different but lots of authors in this book have experienced similar things and bullying is an ever changing and present issue. I also quite liked how there didn’t seem to be any or many restrictions in how the author’s story was presented, some of them were poems, letters, comics and others were formed more like stories or advice pieces. Either way all the writing was very genuine and real and it told people’s stories in any way that fit the authors best form of expression, which was very good to see.
As someone who is a student right now I always want to educate myself about the experiences of others, how they could be different and how I can make a difference even if it’s only a small one. Reading this book was a very good opportunity for me to understand what school was like for other people in other situations, places and times, etcetera. It was slightly appalling to see how much bullying had (and continues to) greatly affect people and as someone who is still a teenager I never really realized that the effect of bullying continues to linger with people and still affect them even into their adulthood.
I was also surprised by stories coming from college or university and the workplace, as I had assumed that there wasn’t much or any bullying past high school. I also found it sadly interesting to see how bullying varies and changes over time, as nowadays cyberbullying is a lot more common than physical bullying. I found it worrying to see how much people can/could get away with without any adults stepping in or making any sort of influential difference. I know that there are always complications and not every situation is as simple as it would ideally be, but even now it just seems like teachers and staff hardly ever step in or actually help when they are needed or could really make a positive change.
Bullying is a really big issue, so I am very glad that this book was published and is available for teenagers at local libraries. I honestly think that this book could also be a good resource for adults like teachers, as well as young people who are still in these types of situations on a daily basis.