It's easy to bully someone, especially when they're weak and different, and everyone else joins in the game. That's why they all call Linda 'Blubber', including Jill. Jill can't stop joining in, even though she can see how much Linda is hurting.When I started this book, I was pretty upset with how narrow-minded Jill was. It frustrated me to no end and I really didn't like her character.
But it wasn't until Jill became victimised that I understood what Blume was trying to point out.
They're kids and their focus doesn't extend much past their own problems. It's the popular kid that's the focus point of all the bullying. And everyone takes part in bullying as long as they're not the victim. It's pretty sad to see how it just unroll from there, especially when I've never experienced anything that cruel at that age.
I especially loved the author's note at the end where Blume honestly explained the situation in real life, which really got to me.
The ending was pretty significant too. There was no significant conclusion there; to me, that implies that regardless of the cruelty of bullying, life goes on as normal.
Overall, this book may be a book for younger kids, but reading it is important for all age groups. It gets a very important message through to the reader. That in itself makes this book a very deep one.
my Goodreads review
I hadn't read this book since I was a child, but one of my reading challenges asked me to read a book I enjoyed as a child, so I found this one. I adored Judy Blume--she was pretty much my YA fiction starting in late elementary.
ReplyDeleteHaha. It's a great book tbh. I wish I had read more of her stuff when I was younger. I would have loved them so much.
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