My War With Brian

by Ted Rall

Outrageous Ted recounts his junior-high years in the hands of a merciless bully who just wouldn't let up. Ted, now a strapping fella over 6 feet happily lost in the Big Apple, was at the time a wimp egghead lost in the middle of Nowheresville, Heartland, USA, and hated it with a passion. This no-holds-barred recollection begs the question: was his attitude such that maybe he deserved it?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Memoir, Graphic Novels Comics

60 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Ted Rall is a prominent left-leaning American political columnist, syndicated editorial cartoonist, and author. He draws cartoons for the news site WhoWhatWhy.org and the email newsletter Counterpoint, and writes for The Wall Street Journal opinion pages.

His political cartoons often appear in a multi-panel comic-strip format and frequently blend comic-strip and editorial-cartoon conventions.

The cartoons appear in approximately 100 newspapers around the United States. He is a former President of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and twice the winner of the RFK Journalism Award.

He is the author of 20 books.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most chilling accounts of bullying I have ever come across...would make a great movie. Ted Rall has done some really good stuff; you should look him up if you are not acquainted with his work. Got this autographed copy at a library book sale - here is my pitch to everyone to go support your library by going to book sales!

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vengeance porn, if you like that kinda thing.

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark and with moments of black humor, this documents a brutal middle & high school war between a bully and the author, his tormented victim. It doesn't fall into the trap of offering a neat conclusion. It's a fast read.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was good. Funny, good, weird, sad, funny again. Violent.

[Kenneth Daley · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone who's ever been "there", this is a meaningful book. Some parts were laugh-out-loud funny, despite the darkness of the humor.

[Rocco Versaci · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a slim (88 pages) graphic novel that's a vicious and viciously drawn story about Rall's middle- and high school days, when he was tormented ruthlessly by a bully. Aside from the dark, dark humor at work here, what makes this such an interesting book is Rall's examination of how his methods of dealing with his tormentor affected his later life.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, bad illustrations. I was a bullied student, so naturally, these types of stories appeal to me. It’s amazing how a single person can consume your life and make every day a living hell. My War with Brian taps into that.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

A crudely drawn graphic novel about a junior high kid's troubles with a bully. It's rather violent and shallow, but might work better for someone younger.