A Thousand Cuts Book

I own this book and I have read it twice over the last two years. The description of the book says it is about a school shooting, but believe me it is about much more. I have never seen a book or any other medium do such a good job showing how widespread bullying is in Western culture; the book not only shows that bullying is widespread but it shows that bullying is accepted and expected because being strong and being able to take care of yourself is part of growing up; and part of growing up is learning how to fight back and stand up and take care of yourself; almost like bullies are a good thing and a vital part of society. That mantra seems to be the Western belief. "Don't be a baby. Stop whining. The same thing happened to me when I was a kid. I got over it."

Anyway, back to the book. The author brilliantly has all the important characters being bullied in the story, right down to the cop working the case. He shows bullying in the workplace as well as in the schoolyard. He shows bullying among parents. He shows it all over and each character deals with the bullying a bit differently and ends up with a different situation at the end.

A Thousand Cuts. You begin to see how pervasive it all is. This is a great book to read. The characters are realistic (you will recognize people you have met and you will remember situations you have been in) and the plot and story are compelling.