This book is a very powerful and very painful read. Having been "the outcast" myself as a child, I very much identified with the author's experiences. I knew as soon as I finished it that this was a book that I only needed to read once, and that I very much wanted to pass along so it could help others.

From the back cover:

"While other kids were daydreaming about dances, first kisses, and college, Jodee Blanco was just trying to figure out how to get from homeroom to study hall without being taunted or spit upon as she walked through the halls.

This powerful, unforgettable memoir chronicles how one child was shunned - and even physically abused - by her classmates from elementary school through high school. It is an unflinching look at what it means to be the outcast, how even the most loving parents can get it all wrong, why schools are often unable to prevent disaster, and how bullying has been misunderstood and mishandled by the mental health community.

You will be shocked, moved, and ultimately inspired by this harrowing tale of survival against insurmountable odds. This vivid story will open your eyes to the harsh realities and long-term consequences of bullying - and how all of us can make a difference in the lives of teens today."

Offered and accepted as a RABCK for Soraidh, to be mailed the next time I get to the post office.

Mailed to Soraidh this afternoon.

I have wanted to read this since I first heard about it on the yahoo group associated with BC. Thanks so much for the RABCK; I'll pass it along the same way when I'm finished with it!

I haven't forgotten this book! I'm going through my piles of accumulated books now that I'm finally done with my MS and organizing them into "keep" and "release" piles. I really do want to read this book; it sounds incredibly moving. It's going on the short list for not only "keep" but "read. now!"

Thanks again for sharing this with me. Once I'm done with it I'll pass it on as a RABCK.

This was quite the powerful book. I was reminded again that everyone in high school has something to deal with. Some of us have harder things than others. More than a few times during my reading of this book I said a prayer of thanks to whomever was listening that my life was never threatened, that I was never attacked physically, and that I had an understanding Mother who didn't seem to think the problem was with me. Still, I have my scars from childhood and high school; my scars though are emotional rather than physical in nature.

This book resonated with me even more since I just came back from my own class reunion, my 10 year reunion. I encountered much the same sort of mentality that Blanco did when she was at her reunion. People who never said a word to me in high school were suddenly congratulating me on my acheivements and having conversations with me. I found myself wanting to ask them what had happened, who they were. The boy (now man) who spray painted my house when we were in middle school came up and shook my hand and asked if my mother had gotten in touch with his (they had been good friends) and wanted to know how I was doing. It took every ounce of self-control I had not to mention the incident.

My one problem with this book was that it offered very little in ways to help prevent the bullying and the teasing. When I read the back I was hopeful that the author would provide at least resources for parents or recommendations of professionals that could help. I found only three resources listed in the back of the book, one of them a website from the UK. While I understand Blanco is not a mental health professional, with her connections and her previous experiences I had hoped that she'd be able to provide more assistance than what she did. How are we going to help prevent this behavior--which is not normal behavior for children, no matter how much teachers and parents want to pretend it is--if we don't have outlets and resources to turn to? I do realize that those things are out there for the looking, but this is a rather popular, mainstream book. I'd think more parents and education professionals would be likely to pick this up than a dry academic text or article in some magazine or journal.

Otherwise, this book did provide me with hope. Hope that the wounds will heal completely, hope that the conversations and compliments I got at my reunion were sincere, hope that eventually--for I don't think we're quite there yet--my classmates and I can find a new sort of relationship in our adulthood. And hope that my grandchildren (or dare I hope--my children) won't have to fear going to school.

I'm going to see if anyone has this on their Wish List and RABCK it to them since it was thoughtfully RABCKed to me. Otherwise I think I'll hold onto this until someone wants it in trade or perhaps start a ring/ray with it.

No one accepted this when offered as a RABCK so I posted it on PaperBackSwap for someone that wanted it and found a good home for it there.