I borrowed this book from the library after seeing people rave about it on Goodreads. But even once I had it, it took me some time to work up the courage to actually read it. My relationship with bullying is… complicated, and one that I believe would take much longer to explore then what I have to give in this post, which is supposed to be a book review.

However, leaving those personal elements out means that there isn’t much to talk about. It is a very short book, an illustrated poem, a collaboration between Mr Koyczan and 30 artists from all over the world. Some of the illustration appealed to my personal sense of aesthetic more then others, but they were all wonderful, and they made a text that was already powerful even more so.

I wish I could think of a way to talk about this book, without delving into the deeply personal I’d rather leave aside for now. But I think that’s part of the point. This kind of work should bring a personal reaction out of you: that is why it’s so powerful.

A different play on those same words, by different artists, can be found on Youtube.

The video already has 16 million views, but a few more won’t hurt.