was unimpressed and a little confused when I first read this. I was a teenager. The person who gave me it, did so after she finished it. I read (ha ha) -far- too much into what she was doing at the time. I finished it, gave it to a consignment shop, and put it out of my mind for the next twenty years. Now, a few days ago as of this writing, I read it again via ebook. It's no wonder I was confused by this book as a teenager.
This is a memoir. I had thought it was fiction upon first read because of how poorly it was written, I thought back then. Surely no one would write about such bullying as an adult and it would never be a popular read. As an adult who is uninterested in memoirs, I neutrally note: any memoir can be published and popular for any reason. I'm not being snide; I'm neutral on the whole.
I believe the author went through what she said she did. I believe the teachers indeed ignored the whole thing and gaslit her. I believe her parents indeed victim-blamed her and sent her to a shrink. And in the seventies, when there was an enormous stigma attached! I am truly sorry for what she went through.

There's an incredibly insightful introduction...she wrote to her own memoir...which is a huge sign of her own ego. Uh, wow, okay. One of her colleagues makes wonderfully astute remarks about bullying and -why it's pardoned.- I do not -care- why people bully. I care about why it's pardoned! I care that victims are just told to get over it, by teachers and others! I care that bullies are totally shocked when victims can violently lash out. The author's colleague addresses all these, and the author reflects on that.
And promptly ignores it for the entire book. Lots of cognitive dissonance going on there. Gross.

She's writing about her childhood and teen years through an adult lens. She is fucking insufferable. I kept reading, waiting for her to cool off. Not for a moment did she stop being pretentious. Sure, she dialed it down when describing the harms, but that's because she's still understandably affected. Her Catholic worldview is slathered on every single page. In fanfiction, she'd get called a Mary Sue and told to go to counseling. Seriously, your bullies -magically- think you're so hot all along? And at the reunion, one of her tormentors sheepishly asks if she's in the bullying memoir. Indicates the bully knew what she was doing was wrong! Teenagers share qualities of sociopaths, some branches of psychiatry note. It's evident here. She -magically- forgives every single bully at that reunion. WHAT THE FUCK IS SHE ON?!
Or more nicely: why the hell did she decide to forgive them at the snap of her fingers?
-That- would be an excellent time to link it to her Catholic worldview. Her reasons for forgiving them are never, ever examined. It's like the audience was just supposed to go, "Oh, horrific treatment and physical beatings are totes okay, it was the seventies, it was a different time haha kids will be kids." Because that's how the adults around her treated it. But no, there's no stated reason.

Why did she even go to the reunion? I just can't wrap my mind around that one. She glosses over a -lot- of her own emotions, simply recounting bullying incident after bullying incident at different schools and how adults blamed her and refused to intervene. Multiple bullies said to her "Let me know if I can help writing your book!" which I took to be a cruel joke of the "laugh off my behaviors and thank me in the acknowledgments section! You came to the reunion, so clearly you're not upset" variety.
She...smiles in the center of a photo with all her bullies at the end, and forgives them all, and they put their arms around her.
I just--what?. In fanfiction, this is what would happen to a Mary Sue. It's explained with the same amount shallowness and "if -you- don't get this, reader, then -you- are emotionally stunted."
I wish I could wish upon her healing and peace. But uh, happy photo so she's already got it?

I don't recommend this book for -anyone-, ever.
AND THERE'S A SECOND MEMOIR?!
(original paragraph was so mean-spirited that I decided to redact it)
Save time and brain cells and skip this. ( )

The memoir of Jodee's school years and how she was continually bullied by fellow students. The fact she was an only child didn't help- she had no sibling to confide in. Her problem was that she would speak out when she saw others being teased, thus making her another target, thus making her another target you abuse ( )

This was a terrible book. I saw it at the grocery store and thought the cover looked interesting.. But the book itself was shallow, dishonest and lacking in depth. The author writes about being bullied at every school she went to. She portrays herself as a a good do-be, while bragging about her intelligence and accomplishments, and expressing bewilderment as to why she is being picked on. Well, maybe it has something to do w/her bragging and arrogance. Her self pitying , whining, condescending tone is annoying, and you come to disbelieve what she says pretty fast. I have no idea why the title states it is 'inspirational' Definitely a waste of time to read. Pass on this one. ( )

It was a quick read and the writing was average but the message was important. The amount of mistakes made by everyone that contributed to the author's horrific experiences being bullied prompted me to ponder what can be done by parents and teachers to prevent similar situations. I'm really not sure! There were no real solutions proposed.

Most of the time I told myself that bullying to this extreme (the violence) just doesn't happen anymore. I hope that's true! I can't imagine any of my students going through this!

I have to say, though, that the ending was irritating and unrealistic. ( )

A memoir chronicling the school years of author Jodee Blanco as she endured endless bulling at the hands of her classmates. Blanco recounts instances of bullying and reflects upon them now that she is an adult. I was surprised at just how cruel and relentless her classmates were as they went from name calling to threats and even physical abuse. This book is recommended for grade 10-12 students who are concerned about bullying. ( )