I, Bully

by Roy Dimond, Justin Sachs (Foreword)

I, Bully is a middle grade novel about cyber-bullying. What makes the
story unique is that it is told from both the perspective of the bully and his
victim, a young girl.

The two main characters, the victim, Hannah and the bully, Eric, learn from each
other in ways they could never have imagined.

Hannah is a typical young girl in grade 8. She's completely focused on
friends and feels her family doesn't understand. Hannah also feels
invisible and her perception is that her older sister gets all the attention.
It’s a good, middle class family, but struggling.

Eric is also in grade 8, but his family is dysfunctional. Dad drinks and mom is
barely keeping it together. Eric is filled with rage and takes it out on
everyone.

When Hannah runs away, Eric realizes what has happened and tries to find her.
Lost in the woods, a bear, a cougar, and a riotous raven teach them lessons
about bullying and about being a victim.

One teacher and his friend, a Native American named, Stands Alone, help
interpret the lessons that the forest has taught the two protagonists. In this
heroes-journey, Hannah learns why she is always a victim, and Eric discovers why
he bullies, and both learn a new way.

120 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 3, 2017

About the author

Roy Dimond lives with his wife in Victoria, British Columbia.

In his first life, Roy had the honor of helping at risk children and their families. In his second life, he pursues his love of travel and writing. Having explored four continents from Cuzco to Kyoto, Santorini to Tsumago, his wanderings have all found a way into his stories.

Roy’s first book is called The Singing Bowl and is out in its Second Edition by Green Dragon Books. His second novel, Silence and Circumstance is published by Untreed Reads. A fictional account of the elven days that Agatha Christie went missing. The Rubicon Effect is published by Melange Books which has also just launched, A Penny For Your Thoughts co authored with Jeff Leitch. The authors other books are, I, Bully by Authors Place and Converging Paths with co author Lorraine Dimond, by Black Rose Writing.

Reviews

[Diane Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick read with a great lesson. The person who bullies others is really a victim themselves. The person who is a victim allows themselves to be victimized. Each has the ability to change and control how they act. Told in the eyes of Eric (bully) and Hannah (victim) the story deals with a very real high school problem: posting inappropriate pictures on social media. The high school students have all the range of jocks, nerds, in crowd, etc. I liked the way the story unfolded in a way that seemed unbelievable at first but nicely incorporate indigenous legends as both Eric and Hannah find their inner strength to break out of their bully/victim patterns. I loved how helping others (random acts of kindness) is shown in such a positive light for improving self esteem. A great, teaching book for school age kids.....but a nice story for adults.

[Christine J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I, Bully has a good message. It has relevant information about the problem of bullying, the reasons behind it, and ways to deal with it, wrapped up in the story of Eric and Hannah. The dialogue is sometimes unrealistic... written to teach, instead of sound like a teenager or a teacher, but if you can look past that, the story is good. It has adventure, tension, and an interesting conclusion. Some of the characters are recognizable... the captain of the football team, cool kids, jocks, nerds etc. I suppose it places the idea of bullying in a familiar place. However, Eric and Hannah are likeable and their journeys are worth following. This is a quick, worthwhile read.