You can tell that author Roy Dimond has worked with youth – and that he has respect for teachers who really care about the kids. He draws on his 30 years of experience working in school districts and speaking on topics of school culture, family violence and depression in his latest book I, Bully, published by Motivational Press in the U.S. It’s getting exciting reviews, and the subject is especially timely.
Dimond has written a cracking good read – a young adult novel for ages 12 and up that delivers an engaging and heartbreaking story about the effects of bullying and how bullies can be redeemed. How does Eric become the Grade 8 bully? The obvious cause is that Eric’s alcoholic father beats him and his mother does nothing to stop the destruction of his life. Yet the hidden causes may lie deeper in today’s society. Eric comes across as a boy worth saving, and his teacher, Mr. Clevenger, thinks so, too.
Young Hannah is also struggling, eclipsed by her sister, ignored by her parents, she finally gets the chance to join the cool kids at school – that is, until a vicious cyber bullying attack humiliates her.
Eric and his teachers face one of the biggest bullies of them all: the government cutbacks that shut down programs such as the auto mechanic shop class, something that Eric liked. And when Eric goes to the school counsellor to show his bruises, there are more cutbacks on counselling hours. That door is shut, too.
Though Dimond has recently moved to Victoria, his former home was in Pender Harbour and his love for the area creeps into all of his books. (See The Singing Bowl published in 2013 by Humanics Publishing). When Hannah escapes to the woods to soothe her shattered life, the reader can easily envision the forest on Mount Daniel or Pender Hill.
I, Bully doesn’t stop at the effect on the victim. It poses solutions and shows how an enraged boy and a humiliated girl can move on with their lives.
Find the book at Chapters/Indigo or Amazon. It can also be ordered by any bookstore or through roydimond.tripod.com.
