Today we have author Lane Davis who has shared with us, the idea as to where he got the idea and inspiration to I SWEAR. Lane has also been generous enough to donate a copy for a giveaway.
I SWEAR by Lane Davis
The idea for I SWEAR was sparked by real-life events in Massachusetts In
2010, 15-year-old Phoebe Prince committed
suicide, hanging herself in the stairwell leading to the second floor
of her family's apartment. After months of bullying by other students—one of
whom she had been in some sort of romantic relationship with—the strain
apparently became so great that she ended her life.
I was teased a little in junior high and high school, but nothing compared
to what Phoebe apparently endured. However, I remember seeing others bullied far
worse than I ever was. There was a young man I'll call Brian who was a year
behind me in high school. He was was mercilessly tormented by a guy I'll call
Kurt who was in my class. Even though I got teased from time to time about
having a high-pitched voice and "big girl lips" I was always grateful that I
escaped the worst cruelty for the most part. Kurt picked on Brian all the time,
always threatening to put his head in the toilet, or trying to give him a
"wedgey" by pulling his underwear up in the back. One day when we were changing
in the locker room after P.E. Kurt actually lifted Brian up by the back of his
underwear and hung him on a hook from the elastic in his briefs, which was both
painful and humiliating. It made Brian cry and his underwear tore after a few
seconds while he was trying to get down.
I felt so conflicted in that moment— like a coward for not standing up for
Brian and trying to stop Kurt, but so relieved that Kurt wasn't picking on me. I
remember the fear that clawed at my throat, and the helplessness I felt. I was
powerless to help Brian without calling attention to myself. I wasn't strong
enough to stand up to Kurt. When I read about the story of Phoebe Prince, the
shame and fear of those memories came rushing back. It seemed we were all at
Kurt's mercy so long ago.
As I read that the District Attorney in Massachusetts had taken the unusual
step of filing criminal charges against Phoebe Prince's tormentors, I wondered
who these students were, and what they would say if I could talk to them. Would
they feel remorse for joining in? Were there other students who watched silently
like I did when I was in high school? What happened in the offices of the
lawyers when these young men and women were asked to enter a plea?
Fortunately, Brian did not commit
suicide because of Kurt's teasing, but Phoebe Prince's death brought me
face-to-face with the reality that Brian very easily could have given up. Some
people do. What does it take for a young woman to give up on life? And how does
it feel to know that you were the reason she did? These are the questions I
wanted to answer by writing I SWEAR. In some small way, this book is my apology
to Brian—and to Phoebe—for not being able to speak up for either of them, and my
encouragement to students everywhere to be more bold than I was.
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Thank you for sharing this story. It is very hard to stand up for people out of fear of being treated the same way. I stood up for a few friends in school who were being picked on, but unfortunately it didn't really help. It would stop when I was around, but I couldn't always be there.
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