Dear Bully - Anthology

Author: Anthology

Length: 339 pages

Release Date: September 1 2011

Publisher: HarperTeen

Blurb

Discover how Lauren Kate transformed the feeling of that one girl getting under her skin into her first novel, how Lauren Oliver learned to celebrate ambiguity in her classmates and herself, and how R.L Stine turned being the ‘funny guy’ into the best defence against the bullies in his class.

Today’s top authors for teens come together to share their stories about bullying – as silent observers on the sidelines of high school, as victims, and as perpetrators – in a collection at turns moving and self-effacing, but always deeply personal.

Review

We’ve all been bullied at some point; you have, I have. You may not have realised you were being bullied, but no one is free of this little demon, no matter where they are and how old they are. Even your favourite authors have been bullied at some point; those invincible, anonymous people who wield the power of words so elegantly; Dear Bully is a beautifully written and touching anthology that calls forth our inner demons and makes us question them, analyse them; see the bully inside yourself and others.

There are so many gorgeous stories in this anthology it is almost impossible to choose a favourite; all of the stories were powerful and moving, but one certain one really made me stop and feel and this one was ‘When I Was A Bully, Too’ by Melissa Walker. I don’t know why this story got its hooks into me but I may have read this story a dozen times in the two days I have owned this anthology. To be even more specific, one particular line really got me. This was ‘and then I heard her start to cry’. This line ravaged my emotions; it made me question why I felt so awful hearing it, why those words repeated again and again in my head like some kind of hideous tape recording and whether, in some small distinct way, I was wondering whether anyone I have ever hurt has cried over something I have done. Let me take this moment to apologise; if I have ever hurt you, my friends, or said something callous or made you feel small, I am truly sorry. I just hope you have given me another chance to prove to you that I can be a good friend.

This really was one of the most powerful books I have read this year; seeing the souls of seventy people laid bare like this has a profound effect on any reader; these authors admitted to being frightened and belittled, to being vindictive and cruel. These authors were honest with themselves; they left no stone unturned and delved into crap they thought had long ago left them. The authors who contributed to this book deserve all the praise they can get; this was a fantastic piece of work, soul-searching and emotional, repenting and forgiving. Dear Bully is crammed with stories that make you think, make you sad and happy, make you want to go back in time and stand up to her or apologise profusely to him; Dear Bully is that strong, so emotionally penned.

Overall, Dear Bully is a book that I recommend everyone reads. To see bullying shown for what it is; not dramatised or exaggerated, is rare and provides the reader with both a sense of victory and defeat, casts your minds back to the past as you wonder; was I bullied? Or perhaps, even worse, was I bully? Dear Bully is an asset to any young adult shelf; laced with beautiful emotion, crushing memories and simply some of the most well written stories around, it leaves the reader wanting to be a better person by its end; at least, it did with me.

Dusty :]