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The Boxer Rebellion - Minnesota Not-so-Nice
THIS SELF-PUBLISHED EDITION IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT.
Sixteen-year-old Nick is relentlessly pursued and bullied. No one cares until one of his bullies becomes a psychotic killer, sucking everyone around into the nightmare.
The bullies of Tranquility High dominate a school of sheeple where cyber bullying and physical attacks are resulting in one gut-wrenching suicide after another. When the violence turns to murder Nick and his only friend, Penny, begin The Boxer Rebellion in a bold attempt to save other young lives, and just maybe their own.
Teenage cruelty puts a lie to Minnesota Nice in this dark coming of age novel set in suburban Minneapolis. Both viciously brutal and poignantly wistful, The Boxer Rebellion is a merciless account of teen suicide and murder, told in multiple points of view by troubling characters who give voice to those affected by the thousands of students bullied to death in America every year.
The Boxer Rebellion evokes the works of Carson McCullers and S.E. Hinton, a thrilling novel of teen bullying that will keep you turning pages long into the night. If you've ever been bullied or stood by helplessly watching it happen, this novel is your next must read. If you were once a bully or helped someone else to bully, this book offers redemption. If you've ever wondered if you could make a difference, The Boxer Rebellion offers inspiration.
DISCLAIMER - WARNING:
* People who have experienced teenage bullying firsthand report being triggered by this book.
* Although The Boxer Rebellion is about teenagers, the subject matter is frankly mature and the language used by the bullies utilizes crude colloquialisms.
Sixteen-year-old Nick is relentlessly pursued and bullied. No one cares until one of his bullies becomes a psychotic killer, sucking everyone around into the nightmare.
The bullies of Tranquility High dominate a school of sheeple where cyber bullying and physical attacks are resulting in one gut-wrenching suicide after another. When the violence turns to murder Nick and his only friend, Penny, begin The Boxer Rebellion in a bold attempt to save other young lives, and just maybe their own.
Teenage cruelty puts a lie to Minnesota Nice in this dark coming of age novel set in suburban Minneapolis. Both viciously brutal and poignantly wistful, The Boxer Rebellion is a merciless account of teen suicide and murder, told in multiple points of view by troubling characters who give voice to those affected by the thousands of students bullied to death in America every year.
The Boxer Rebellion evokes the works of Carson McCullers and S.E. Hinton, a thrilling novel of teen bullying that will keep you turning pages long into the night. If you've ever been bullied or stood by helplessly watching it happen, this novel is your next must read. If you were once a bully or helped someone else to bully, this book offers redemption. If you've ever wondered if you could make a difference, The Boxer Rebellion offers inspiration.
DISCLAIMER - WARNING:
* People who have experienced teenage bullying firsthand report being triggered by this book.
* Although The Boxer Rebellion is about teenagers, the subject matter is frankly mature and the language used by the bullies utilizes crude colloquialisms.
330 pages, Paperback
First published May 31, 2012
1 person is currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Genta Sebastian
32 books70 followersGenta Sebastian runs with scissors, always laughs without shame, sometimes writes naked, and can’t help dreaming big.
A multiple award-winning author, she sometimes writes Sapphic romances, like the Troublemaker series:
When Butches Cry (2nd ed. rel. August, 2023)as:
A Troublemaker Never Cries
A Troublemaker May Surprise (rel. August, 2023)
A Troublemaker Sometimes Lies (exp. rel. date Nov. 2023)
A Troublemaker in Her Eyes (exp. rel. date May, 2024)
She’s also written two novels for children living in Rainbow Families: Riding the Rainbow (GCLS award winner 2015) for middle-school readers, and A Man’s Man for Young Adults.
She stepped into the horror genre with: We Don’t Say Gay in Tranquility Bay! a trigger-warning horror story with a twist.
Lost is a novelette right out of the Twilight Zone. A grieving widow finds a strange child lost in a snowstorm, made of snow and ice.
But she started out writing wlw (women loving women, i.e. lesbian) erotica short stories that range from super-hot sexy sci-fi Martian/Human first contact, to culinary cunnilinguists, to drag kings, to college and tropical vacations, exotic settings, unforgettable characters, and quirky situations. These stories are fully adult and not intended for young audiences.
See her Amazon Author Page for current releases.
A multiple award-winning author, she sometimes writes Sapphic romances, like the Troublemaker series:
When Butches Cry (2nd ed. rel. August, 2023)as:
A Troublemaker Never Cries
A Troublemaker May Surprise (rel. August, 2023)
A Troublemaker Sometimes Lies (exp. rel. date Nov. 2023)
A Troublemaker in Her Eyes (exp. rel. date May, 2024)
She’s also written two novels for children living in Rainbow Families: Riding the Rainbow (GCLS award winner 2015) for middle-school readers, and A Man’s Man for Young Adults.
She stepped into the horror genre with: We Don’t Say Gay in Tranquility Bay! a trigger-warning horror story with a twist.
Lost is a novelette right out of the Twilight Zone. A grieving widow finds a strange child lost in a snowstorm, made of snow and ice.
But she started out writing wlw (women loving women, i.e. lesbian) erotica short stories that range from super-hot sexy sci-fi Martian/Human first contact, to culinary cunnilinguists, to drag kings, to college and tropical vacations, exotic settings, unforgettable characters, and quirky situations. These stories are fully adult and not intended for young audiences.
See her Amazon Author Page for current releases.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 31, 2013
This is a really hard review to write.
As a parent of high-school age kids, I found the subject matter very disturbing. Several times I had to put the book down and take a emotional break from the unrelenting intensity. Be prepared, the language and the cruelty will make your stomach turn. I took some (false) salvation that I was reading “fiction.”
Having said all that, everyone SHOULD read this book. Cyber-bullying and discrimination are realities that every parent needs to know about and “The Boxer Rebellion” is one way to educate people.
My hat is off to the author for braving this deeply emotional subject matter.
As a parent of high-school age kids, I found the subject matter very disturbing. Several times I had to put the book down and take a emotional break from the unrelenting intensity. Be prepared, the language and the cruelty will make your stomach turn. I took some (false) salvation that I was reading “fiction.”
Having said all that, everyone SHOULD read this book. Cyber-bullying and discrimination are realities that every parent needs to know about and “The Boxer Rebellion” is one way to educate people.
My hat is off to the author for braving this deeply emotional subject matter.
September 18, 2016
*ARC provided by the author in exchange of an honest review*
It's really difficult to rate a book like this one without feeling the need to explain exactly what it is that's being rated here. This is a book that, through the macrocosmic scenario of a high school of Minneapolis, explores several aspects of human behavior. At first, it may be a book about bulliying (in many forms), but it deals in depth with many other very serious issues that affect society, including the naturalized reaction of turning our eyes away from those problems, and the snowball effect that negligence causes.
This is not an easy book to read: it sure doesn't sugarcoates anything; furthermore, I'd say it goes a long way to use the ugliest terms possible to paint the picture it wants the reader to see. And in that sense, I couldn't agree more with the author's approach.
If you asked me, even acknowledging that this is a very hard book to read, that it deals with the ugliest truths about humans as part of a society (although at this point we can all see that "society" is just the label, because historically the human behavior has followed the Law of the jungle- and every individual lives to embody that word), I would strongly suggest that everyone, maybe from the age of thirteen onwards, needs to read this book.
I think that putting "trigger warnings" on it just defeats the point it's trying to make; it would only protect the wrong people. This book gets across a message that, although it pains me to say, maybe this blunt, harsh way is the only way to get it across. And if we want to learn, as a society, and we want to appear as advanced as we pride ourselves to be, we should be facing the realities this book is trying to point out, because we simply cannot keep ignoring them.
To put it into a non-spoilery kind of way, this book could be read as if it were a snowball. There's one thing that happens at the beginning, that goes unpunished, and leads to another- which leads to another, and another, and... By the end of the book we have a town that can no longer turn their heads away from issues that had been polluting their people for generations, because there's literally no "worse than this" scenario.
I really encourage people to read this book. I know that to some, this world the author depicts may seem unbearable to read past a few pages. Believe me: living in it is even worse. If this book stirs something inside the reader, then maybe there's something to be said about what we're doing (or allowing to be done) as a society.
It's really difficult to rate a book like this one without feeling the need to explain exactly what it is that's being rated here. This is a book that, through the macrocosmic scenario of a high school of Minneapolis, explores several aspects of human behavior. At first, it may be a book about bulliying (in many forms), but it deals in depth with many other very serious issues that affect society, including the naturalized reaction of turning our eyes away from those problems, and the snowball effect that negligence causes.
This is not an easy book to read: it sure doesn't sugarcoates anything; furthermore, I'd say it goes a long way to use the ugliest terms possible to paint the picture it wants the reader to see. And in that sense, I couldn't agree more with the author's approach.
If you asked me, even acknowledging that this is a very hard book to read, that it deals with the ugliest truths about humans as part of a society (although at this point we can all see that "society" is just the label, because historically the human behavior has followed the Law of the jungle- and every individual lives to embody that word), I would strongly suggest that everyone, maybe from the age of thirteen onwards, needs to read this book.
I think that putting "trigger warnings" on it just defeats the point it's trying to make; it would only protect the wrong people. This book gets across a message that, although it pains me to say, maybe this blunt, harsh way is the only way to get it across. And if we want to learn, as a society, and we want to appear as advanced as we pride ourselves to be, we should be facing the realities this book is trying to point out, because we simply cannot keep ignoring them.
To put it into a non-spoilery kind of way, this book could be read as if it were a snowball. There's one thing that happens at the beginning, that goes unpunished, and leads to another- which leads to another, and another, and... By the end of the book we have a town that can no longer turn their heads away from issues that had been polluting their people for generations, because there's literally no "worse than this" scenario.
I really encourage people to read this book. I know that to some, this world the author depicts may seem unbearable to read past a few pages. Believe me: living in it is even worse. If this book stirs something inside the reader, then maybe there's something to be said about what we're doing (or allowing to be done) as a society.
October 9, 2013
3.5 Hearts
Review written for MM Good Book Reviews
I feel that this story has been told way too many times, with exactly the same events and same drama, but this is one of the best executed when it comes to how it affected me emotionally.
This book was a sucker punch there is no way around it. It grips you by the throat, shakes you up, turns you upside-down and then when you think you’ve had enough it still comes down on you relentlessly. It’s brutal, and it’s unapologetic for its brutality. Bullying is one of the most serious problems of our times and this book opens up that wound and let you take a good look at the abyss of the horrors it causes, the roots of the problem, the escalation as the misery caused by bullying simmers and boils until it explodes with a big BAM.
In this case we have Nick, a fourteen year old kid, who has not yet discovered his sexuality, has no idea himself what or who he is, yet has been labeled gay and thus thrust into a Hell upon earth that shocks you with its cruelty cause by his very own peers. The bullies themselves are few in numbers, the cheering crowd are more and the silent bystanders the majority. If by some miracle some stands by and gives a helping hand the abused, that that person too is labeled and joins the ranks of the abused kids.
It’s amazing really how close this author has come to the reality of the feelings kids feel when abused/abusing or simply by standing. I should know, I’ve been there myself in all three places. It’s real, it has been, it will be. But it was shocking reading this book, how easily one can be transported back to their own memories and experiences with the topic. It’s a really overwhelming read.
The characters themselves are quite fabulous, every single one of them unique, every single one of them a masterpiece. The plot, while it had many twists and turns and a new horror waiting in every corner was well-balanced. I didn’t feel for one moment that it was too much. Well yeah, the emotions cause were too overwhelming and I needed “healing” breaks from time to time, but the plot did not make me feel uncomfortable with incredulity, or too much drama. The balance was literally perfect.
However I did have a huge, enormous even, problem with the head-hoping. It was a pain, mostly in the first 100 pages, reading this book from almost every character’s and its cat point of view. It caused me a headache, and it tampered my connection with the characters too much. I do not feel at the moment as if this book has a main character and secondary leads. I feel as every single person – student, parent, teacher – had a leading role of itself. Nick, his mom, his dad, his girlfriend, his admirer, his bullies and the list goes on and on, everyone had a spotlight here and in my eyes it hurt, a lot. I feel strongly that if this book had a better grasp on this account it would have been easily worth the five start and more.
In the whole though I very much loved reading this book. The message is strong, it’s well written and managed to get through in a brilliant read that I strongly recommend.
Thommie
Review written for MM Good Book Reviews
I feel that this story has been told way too many times, with exactly the same events and same drama, but this is one of the best executed when it comes to how it affected me emotionally.
This book was a sucker punch there is no way around it. It grips you by the throat, shakes you up, turns you upside-down and then when you think you’ve had enough it still comes down on you relentlessly. It’s brutal, and it’s unapologetic for its brutality. Bullying is one of the most serious problems of our times and this book opens up that wound and let you take a good look at the abyss of the horrors it causes, the roots of the problem, the escalation as the misery caused by bullying simmers and boils until it explodes with a big BAM.
In this case we have Nick, a fourteen year old kid, who has not yet discovered his sexuality, has no idea himself what or who he is, yet has been labeled gay and thus thrust into a Hell upon earth that shocks you with its cruelty cause by his very own peers. The bullies themselves are few in numbers, the cheering crowd are more and the silent bystanders the majority. If by some miracle some stands by and gives a helping hand the abused, that that person too is labeled and joins the ranks of the abused kids.
It’s amazing really how close this author has come to the reality of the feelings kids feel when abused/abusing or simply by standing. I should know, I’ve been there myself in all three places. It’s real, it has been, it will be. But it was shocking reading this book, how easily one can be transported back to their own memories and experiences with the topic. It’s a really overwhelming read.
The characters themselves are quite fabulous, every single one of them unique, every single one of them a masterpiece. The plot, while it had many twists and turns and a new horror waiting in every corner was well-balanced. I didn’t feel for one moment that it was too much. Well yeah, the emotions cause were too overwhelming and I needed “healing” breaks from time to time, but the plot did not make me feel uncomfortable with incredulity, or too much drama. The balance was literally perfect.
However I did have a huge, enormous even, problem with the head-hoping. It was a pain, mostly in the first 100 pages, reading this book from almost every character’s and its cat point of view. It caused me a headache, and it tampered my connection with the characters too much. I do not feel at the moment as if this book has a main character and secondary leads. I feel as every single person – student, parent, teacher – had a leading role of itself. Nick, his mom, his dad, his girlfriend, his admirer, his bullies and the list goes on and on, everyone had a spotlight here and in my eyes it hurt, a lot. I feel strongly that if this book had a better grasp on this account it would have been easily worth the five start and more.
In the whole though I very much loved reading this book. The message is strong, it’s well written and managed to get through in a brilliant read that I strongly recommend.
Thommie
October 7, 2013
review written for http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/
: I want to start out saying this is some very tough subject matter to write and read. Kudos to the author for having the gumption to tell this story. This subject is like a bad accident, you know what you see is going to be frightening, hard to take and perhaps life changing but you have to look anyhow. Once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down. I literally read last night until the kindle said battery was low to charge and saw it was 330 am. I was devastated to not be able to finish.
A quick rundown. Nick moves to a new school. He is so happy, he is c going to get to start new no one knowing him here. He has new designer clothes, new gear and the first thing happens he sets off the weapons check with his new boots and a second time with his necklace. He gets over that then at his locker he hears the voice of his tormentor from the old school and gets beat up, to make it worse he fights back and the teacher sees him not the bully and he gets suspended and labelled trouble maker on the first day. To make matters worse for him, Julian his tormentor from the old school is living with his cousin Brent that has his own demons. Brent finds himself looking to hard at boys, not really finding girls attractive and keeps telling himself he isn’t gay. When he sees Julian bullying the new boy he steps in and eggs it on spreading it all over school and most of the school joins in.
There are lots of characters in this story, though its mostly about Nick, Penny his one true friend, Julian the bully, Brent the in denial gay boy that bully’s to deflect the attention, and Angela the other new girl with a past of her own, that is overweight and trying to start new and gets in with Brent and Julian are all featured and we get into their minds as well as Nicks.
Also we get into the thoughts of Nicks parents a couple teachers and the principle.
The story is dark and at times sad and tragic. I think we can all relate to each of these characters at one time or the other and the message is clear… we should join in or sit back and do nothing. My heart went out to both Nick and Penny and id loved to have strangled that principle.
I highly recommend this to everyone both teens and adults. It should be a mandatory read in high school both students and teachers. If you like dark tragic stories with great messages this is a must.
: I want to start out saying this is some very tough subject matter to write and read. Kudos to the author for having the gumption to tell this story. This subject is like a bad accident, you know what you see is going to be frightening, hard to take and perhaps life changing but you have to look anyhow. Once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down. I literally read last night until the kindle said battery was low to charge and saw it was 330 am. I was devastated to not be able to finish.
A quick rundown. Nick moves to a new school. He is so happy, he is c going to get to start new no one knowing him here. He has new designer clothes, new gear and the first thing happens he sets off the weapons check with his new boots and a second time with his necklace. He gets over that then at his locker he hears the voice of his tormentor from the old school and gets beat up, to make it worse he fights back and the teacher sees him not the bully and he gets suspended and labelled trouble maker on the first day. To make matters worse for him, Julian his tormentor from the old school is living with his cousin Brent that has his own demons. Brent finds himself looking to hard at boys, not really finding girls attractive and keeps telling himself he isn’t gay. When he sees Julian bullying the new boy he steps in and eggs it on spreading it all over school and most of the school joins in.
There are lots of characters in this story, though its mostly about Nick, Penny his one true friend, Julian the bully, Brent the in denial gay boy that bully’s to deflect the attention, and Angela the other new girl with a past of her own, that is overweight and trying to start new and gets in with Brent and Julian are all featured and we get into their minds as well as Nicks.
Also we get into the thoughts of Nicks parents a couple teachers and the principle.
The story is dark and at times sad and tragic. I think we can all relate to each of these characters at one time or the other and the message is clear… we should join in or sit back and do nothing. My heart went out to both Nick and Penny and id loved to have strangled that principle.
I highly recommend this to everyone both teens and adults. It should be a mandatory read in high school both students and teachers. If you like dark tragic stories with great messages this is a must.
December 10, 2012
For adult readers
I don't give this a 5-star because of the subject matter; This is why I give it a 5-star:
Having no safe haven and confused over his sexual orientation, Nick endures bullying to the nth degree. He has a friend in Penny but soon she’s being bullied in cyberspace along with him. It’s a year-long account of the madness of what they and others endure at the words and bloodied hands of others.
The Boxer Rebellion is a hard-hitting account of bullying. It is brutally honest in dealing with what goes on in schools, over the internet, in private, and in public as it deals with coming to grips with one’s own sexuality. Children have enough to deal with in life trying to understand where they fit it, wanting to be liked. Add to this the peer pressure to be like everyone else and to be expected to make choices they’re not ready for, and it causes confusion especially at such a young age.
Bullying has been going on for decades and previously I had struggled as to why children today commit suicide over it when suicide wasn’t an issue decades ago (or had I been blind to it?). We handled it; Why can’t they? The Boxer Rebellion, while not addressing the difference between bullying today and decades ago, answers this. Cyberspace is a place for hate and bigotry to spread it’s ugly tentacles, causing hurt, shame, and humiliation to others when videos for a laugh or to prove one’s orientation go public. Cell phones in school makes this easier with video cameras, allowing instant uploading and downloading of damaging media to quickly spread along with gossip through group texting.
WARNING - This book deals with sexual situations, some in more detail. Adults who read it will be made aware of the brutal honesty of the minefield which awaits our youngsters daily. And yes, our children are hit with a lot more than what we were. It’s a tsunami unto them.
I don't give this a 5-star because of the subject matter; This is why I give it a 5-star:
Having no safe haven and confused over his sexual orientation, Nick endures bullying to the nth degree. He has a friend in Penny but soon she’s being bullied in cyberspace along with him. It’s a year-long account of the madness of what they and others endure at the words and bloodied hands of others.
The Boxer Rebellion is a hard-hitting account of bullying. It is brutally honest in dealing with what goes on in schools, over the internet, in private, and in public as it deals with coming to grips with one’s own sexuality. Children have enough to deal with in life trying to understand where they fit it, wanting to be liked. Add to this the peer pressure to be like everyone else and to be expected to make choices they’re not ready for, and it causes confusion especially at such a young age.
Bullying has been going on for decades and previously I had struggled as to why children today commit suicide over it when suicide wasn’t an issue decades ago (or had I been blind to it?). We handled it; Why can’t they? The Boxer Rebellion, while not addressing the difference between bullying today and decades ago, answers this. Cyberspace is a place for hate and bigotry to spread it’s ugly tentacles, causing hurt, shame, and humiliation to others when videos for a laugh or to prove one’s orientation go public. Cell phones in school makes this easier with video cameras, allowing instant uploading and downloading of damaging media to quickly spread along with gossip through group texting.
WARNING - This book deals with sexual situations, some in more detail. Adults who read it will be made aware of the brutal honesty of the minefield which awaits our youngsters daily. And yes, our children are hit with a lot more than what we were. It’s a tsunami unto them.
June 6, 2013
Wow...this was melodramatic, sad, and violent. No romance here at all. A real indictment of adults who let kids get away with bullying as a matter of policy. And by the way? The idea of having a nice sit-down with a violent homophobe to explain to him that he's really gay? Ranks among the worst ideas *ever*, although maybe, given the tenor of the book, it could be considered a suicide attempt.
The blurb describes this book as darkly comedic, but mostly it's just dark. And I believe this book based on a real-life Minnesota school district that had just these exact problems with bullying and suicide and a policy of not interfering with *anything* having to do with sexual orientation. Whatever it's flaws, I won't be forgetting this book soon.
The blurb describes this book as darkly comedic, but mostly it's just dark. And I believe this book based on a real-life Minnesota school district that had just these exact problems with bullying and suicide and a policy of not interfering with *anything* having to do with sexual orientation. Whatever it's flaws, I won't be forgetting this book soon.
November 15, 2014
This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 rounded up because of the author's ability not to lose you in this story. This is told from every side, with so many protags you should get lost, but don't.
This story, I believe (correct me if I am wrong), is loosely taken from the Anoka-Hennepin school district suicides, and several characters in this story correlate with victims and antagonists from what is known as suicide ground zero by the press.
This is a story that needed telling and Genta Sebastian did a wonderful job bringing the reader into the middle of a very difficult, and unfortunately real situation; extreme bullying.
She shows the reader how one simple decision (Penny's) can change a whole life. I note this particular part of the story because very few authors have touched on this VERY real condition of the bullying cycle.
A person might read this book and at some point say; no way, no way can this actually happen. Especially where the authority figures are concerned. But when you think that, go research the above mentioned school district and you will find it really does happen.
I would have liked to see a bit more emotion in this book. It is rather clinical in the way it is written. But it would have been difficult to go into the details and still tell the whole story from every standpoint. So I could forgive this.
Now you may wonder why I didn't give this five stars. The ending. It came off rushed. One part in particular...Kenneth. What goes on with Kenneth in the end didn't fit into the rest of who he had been built up to be. The final 25 percent was rushed, a few mistakes made that send you back several pages in order to verify them. But don't let my dislike of the ending prevent you from reading this book.
With what I have said here I want to point something out. I was bullied as a child for reasons I couldn't hide. My sister on the other hand was targeted by one girl, and the bullying she suffered that year was very similar to that which Nick suffered. There was no discernable reason for it and it almost was her end. Written honestly, this book may be hard to read for those that have been a target of extreme bullying. Despite that, I am glad I took the time to read this story. Thank you to the author for writing it.
3.5 rounded up because of the author's ability not to lose you in this story. This is told from every side, with so many protags you should get lost, but don't.
This story, I believe (correct me if I am wrong), is loosely taken from the Anoka-Hennepin school district suicides, and several characters in this story correlate with victims and antagonists from what is known as suicide ground zero by the press.
This is a story that needed telling and Genta Sebastian did a wonderful job bringing the reader into the middle of a very difficult, and unfortunately real situation; extreme bullying.
She shows the reader how one simple decision (Penny's) can change a whole life. I note this particular part of the story because very few authors have touched on this VERY real condition of the bullying cycle.
A person might read this book and at some point say; no way, no way can this actually happen. Especially where the authority figures are concerned. But when you think that, go research the above mentioned school district and you will find it really does happen.
I would have liked to see a bit more emotion in this book. It is rather clinical in the way it is written. But it would have been difficult to go into the details and still tell the whole story from every standpoint. So I could forgive this.
Now you may wonder why I didn't give this five stars. The ending. It came off rushed. One part in particular...Kenneth. What goes on with Kenneth in the end didn't fit into the rest of who he had been built up to be. The final 25 percent was rushed, a few mistakes made that send you back several pages in order to verify them. But don't let my dislike of the ending prevent you from reading this book.
With what I have said here I want to point something out. I was bullied as a child for reasons I couldn't hide. My sister on the other hand was targeted by one girl, and the bullying she suffered that year was very similar to that which Nick suffered. There was no discernable reason for it and it almost was her end. Written honestly, this book may be hard to read for those that have been a target of extreme bullying. Despite that, I am glad I took the time to read this story. Thank you to the author for writing it.
January 12, 2015
***I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review***
First let me start off by letting you know that this is not an easy book to read. The subject of this story is bullying due to sexual orientation in a high school setting. It is YA, but with very mature content.
Bullying is a problem worldwide. Sexual orientation seems to be the most common topic for bullying amongst this age group. With the days of social media, it makes it harder for the victims to escape the abuse. Adults don't want to get involved because they don't know what to do. I believe this book provides a message to readers of every age about bullying. This book is written from multiple POVs so that readers can place themselves not only in the shoes of the victims, but in the shoes of bullies, teachers, parents, and friends so that you can understand the full scope of the situation.
I cried when I read this book. A lot. I cried for the victims and the pain they suffered, both physically and emotionally. For the adults who felt their hands were tied when faced with a situation. For the families who didn't understand or lost a loved one. And for the bullies thinking their actions were acceptable.
Yes, I am going to tell you this was a great book. Not only because it was written very well, but because of the powerful message within it. It's a sad and disturbing story. Not a romance that is so often at the forefront of the YA and NA genres. I would like to think we ALL would want to support this book to help get the message out that bullying is not ok. Bullying is a sensitive subject to some and I can see why some groups would shy away from this book. It's a shame really. I hope others who read this book, will come away with a renewed understanding of the this issue that plagues us.
First let me start off by letting you know that this is not an easy book to read. The subject of this story is bullying due to sexual orientation in a high school setting. It is YA, but with very mature content.
Bullying is a problem worldwide. Sexual orientation seems to be the most common topic for bullying amongst this age group. With the days of social media, it makes it harder for the victims to escape the abuse. Adults don't want to get involved because they don't know what to do. I believe this book provides a message to readers of every age about bullying. This book is written from multiple POVs so that readers can place themselves not only in the shoes of the victims, but in the shoes of bullies, teachers, parents, and friends so that you can understand the full scope of the situation.
I cried when I read this book. A lot. I cried for the victims and the pain they suffered, both physically and emotionally. For the adults who felt their hands were tied when faced with a situation. For the families who didn't understand or lost a loved one. And for the bullies thinking their actions were acceptable.
Yes, I am going to tell you this was a great book. Not only because it was written very well, but because of the powerful message within it. It's a sad and disturbing story. Not a romance that is so often at the forefront of the YA and NA genres. I would like to think we ALL would want to support this book to help get the message out that bullying is not ok. Bullying is a sensitive subject to some and I can see why some groups would shy away from this book. It's a shame really. I hope others who read this book, will come away with a renewed understanding of the this issue that plagues us.
September 27, 2016
The Boxer Shorts Rebellion is an in-your-face, full on engaging book. I can't go on with the review though, without first saying it could easily trigger certain people, BUT even with that in mind, I would still say you MUST give the book a chance. Award-winning author Genta Sebastian paints vivid, mind-blowing pictures as the reader glides smoothly from chapter to chapter.
Reliving high school, the older reader may grasp the characters and associate them with names from their memories. We probably all know athletes from our school years that pushed others around simply because they could. Younger readers, those in their older teens for example, will know exactly how it is ... if they are honest. It does get better, but it takes work, trust and communication. Engaging the fear mechanism in others does not work even though some may think it does.
Genta's characters ring true and come alive, not only on the pages, but in your mind's eye. The conversations written are believable and flow naturally in a way that adds to the story instead of consuming it. I could go on for ages about the book but as I despise having to issue "spoiler alerts", I will leave it to you, the future reader to take the journey ... trust me ... you will find it worth every minute.
Reliving high school, the older reader may grasp the characters and associate them with names from their memories. We probably all know athletes from our school years that pushed others around simply because they could. Younger readers, those in their older teens for example, will know exactly how it is ... if they are honest. It does get better, but it takes work, trust and communication. Engaging the fear mechanism in others does not work even though some may think it does.
Genta's characters ring true and come alive, not only on the pages, but in your mind's eye. The conversations written are believable and flow naturally in a way that adds to the story instead of consuming it. I could go on for ages about the book but as I despise having to issue "spoiler alerts", I will leave it to you, the future reader to take the journey ... trust me ... you will find it worth every minute.
dnf
December 3, 2016*review of a received advanced copy*
I'm truly sorry to say I couldn't finish this book, even though I'm not usually sensitive to this, it really was too triggering. What I can tell you is that I understand the message the author is trying to get through and it's a beautiful one.
This books speaks of bullying and the terrible effects it can have on the victim. It needs heavy trigger warnings for both bullying and self harm, and seeing as I didn't finish it there might be some more.
What terrifies me is that, at least until the point that I read, all of that really does happen (the heavy bullying), and people don't react to it or try to solve it the way they should, and the author tries to explain that and other high school real, terrible issues through multiple points of view.
I still recommend this book to those of you who have no problems with triggers and that sort of thing. I applaud the author for the writing and the intention, though.
I'm truly sorry to say I couldn't finish this book, even though I'm not usually sensitive to this, it really was too triggering. What I can tell you is that I understand the message the author is trying to get through and it's a beautiful one.
This books speaks of bullying and the terrible effects it can have on the victim. It needs heavy trigger warnings for both bullying and self harm, and seeing as I didn't finish it there might be some more.
What terrifies me is that, at least until the point that I read, all of that really does happen (the heavy bullying), and people don't react to it or try to solve it the way they should, and the author tries to explain that and other high school real, terrible issues through multiple points of view.
I still recommend this book to those of you who have no problems with triggers and that sort of thing. I applaud the author for the writing and the intention, though.
September 28, 2015
I read The Boxer Rebellion over a year ago and since then I have encouraged many friends to look it up. In my opinion this is a book that should be in every school library... every library.
It hits home on bullying and dealing with concerns about sexuality. In schools today these subjects are major issues and The Boxer Rebellion not only touches on them, but shows young people they are not alone, it even helps them see things from the bullies perspective. (Not that I advocate or accept bullying)
I look forward to reading any new books Ms. Sebastian publishes.
It hits home on bullying and dealing with concerns about sexuality. In schools today these subjects are major issues and The Boxer Rebellion not only touches on them, but shows young people they are not alone, it even helps them see things from the bullies perspective. (Not that I advocate or accept bullying)
I look forward to reading any new books Ms. Sebastian publishes.
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