Please Stop Laughing at me
Sean Bowyer
Summary
Most kids wake up happy to go to school, some others just don't like to learn, but very few wake up scared to go to school. Jodee Blanco is one of these people. Jodee has been consistently bullied since the 5th grade. All of Jodee's classmates participate In her tormentation, even the ones she once thought were friends. The bullying doesn't let up until the last day of her senior year when she runs away from her school. After her school experiences, she writes a book about all the bullying and pain she endured during her school years. And at her high school reunion years later she forgives all of her bullies.
Character Analysis
Jodee Blanco is a troubled girl who is bullied everywhere she goes. Jodee enjoys to read and write and listen to music. She doesn't have many friends at school, so see relies on her family to bring her joy. Jodee wishes that she could just be a normal girl who is not tormented everywhere she goes.
BULLY
Conflict/Resolution
I believe Jodee encountered character vs. society conflict. Jodee has been bullied ever since 6th grade. Her parents want to help her but don't what to do. She has switched schools multiple times but nothing seems to stop Jodee's tormentation.
Theme
I believe the theme of my book was simply, treat others how you want to be treated. In the book Jodee always questions why the kids hate her so much, and at the high school reunion at the end of the book, all of her past bullies say that they just didn't understand her. Everyone just makes excuses as to why they bullied Jodee.
Quote
“You don't get to pick who you are in this life, but you can decide what you become.”
This is my favorite quote from the book for many reasons. First, it encourages kids to pursue the careers and dreams that they want to accomplish. And I belive it fits well with the book because, in her childhood, Jodee was tormented and bullied an unimaginable amount but she pushed this aside and went an with her life and became a best selling author and a very highly demanded motivational speaker
Book Rating
On a scale from 1-5, I would rate this book a 4. It's not that I didn't find the book important or interesting, I just felt that too many unimportant details where put in the story and some important details where left out.
Bullying Statistics
An estimated 1/3 of America's population has experienced some type of bullying. The vast majority are from the age of 15-20.
Why do people bully each other?
-To prtend they are tough
-To try to get others to like them
-To hide their own fears
-They copy others who bully
-They are unhappy
-They don't like who they are
Bullying Statistics
-85% of people who witnessed a case of bullying had no intervention
-11% of peers spoke up or intervened in the case of bullying
-4% of teachers encountered bullying and intervened
Bully Trailer #1