Official Review: A Victim of Bullying by Travis Bughi

asmaahsan · Post by **asmaahsan** » 28 Jan 2013, 18:58

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Victim of Bullying" by Travis Bughi.]

For anyone looking for advice on how to help their child survive the evils of bullying in his early years, "A Victim of Bullying" by Travis Bughi is a hands-on guide with a lot of good advice based on the author's personal experiences.

The book begins with a rather shocking account of a suicide that takes place in Turlock CA, and as the story unfolds, the author explains how he was himself a victim of bullying in elementary school. He writes how he was naughty as a child and a part of a renegade group in kindergarten, but became the prime target of bullies once he decided to turn over his life to become a model student.

One chapter of the book is dedicated to his feelings after being bullied, day in, day out, for an entire year, something that caused him to lose his self-worth and made him determined to end his existence. It's heart-wrenching to read the planning of an eight-year-old to end his life, and heart-warming to discover that his love for his family, especially his mother, motivated him to choose another plan of action - to fight back!

As the book progresses, you are charmed to find out how this brave young man stands up for himself, braves all insults, and maintains such a cool profile that in his late teens, not only does he become accepted in society around him, but earns the respect of his fellow students who marvel at his coolness and self-control. His deep respect for his father and his love for his mother is felt throughout the book as he stresses, in many a place, how they have served to be the beacons of light in his life. However, one is a bit concerned about why the parents didn't physically step in to help him fight this problem in school? The only mention the author makes of them is that they told him to ignore the bullies, and though he did that, one wonders if the struggle could have been easier on him had the parents stepped in more effectively.

A heart-felt story of a boy who grew up defiantly standing up to the bullies around him, sometimes choosing to be seen in bad company just to be accepted by his peers, but mainly, trying to get his life back on track, so he could be a success in life. It is a message for all parents to check up on their kids and ensure that they are not a target of bullying in school, as peer pressure like that can deplete the self-worth of a child, making him a social outcast, and eventually seeking a way out of it all that is not always a happy one.

An eye-opener, written in a very simple and honest style, this narration of a fighter who won the war over the bullies in his life, gets a rating of 4 out of 4 for the interesting writing style and good flow of sentences throughout the book. From an editorial point of view, the book loses one point only, and that is only because the author didn't add any dialogues in the first chapters, something that makes them read more like a journal entry than a story. All in all, an excellent read, and a very good guide for all parents out there whose kids are facing the problem of bullying in school.

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