Lane Davis

"I Swear" was an intense read about the devastating effects of bullying. The depth and viciousness of the bullying, that led to Leslie's suicide, was revealed to the reader gradually which kept me reading. However, I didn't particularly like the book. It was told from four points of view, but often it was difficult to work out who was narrating, and I have to say I disliked them all except for Jake, Leslie's boyfriend. I also hated the ending. It infuriated me that even though the bullies felt some degree of remorse by the end, they still managed to escape justice. My loathing of Macie, the instigator of the hate campaign, is indescribable. Not once did she show any signs of guilt, instead she felt as though she had done nothing wrong, and sickenly, her father's wealth saved her from criminal charges. Despite the unsatisfactory ending and slow plot line, this was an interesting novel.… (mehr)

SPOILERS
The story begins with Leslie. She's just recieved an email that has her convinced that no one will miss her when she is gone. She cries a bit, and then gets into her mothers car. Her intentions are, supposedly, to go to her aunt's, but she never makes it out of the garage. As people find out about Leslie's death, there are many different reactions. Some are devastated, thinking about what they could have done to help instead of hurt. Some are shocked and hurt: How could she do this to us. And some take advantage of the situation, working the system in their favor. As the story progresses, we learn what the reasons for Leslie's friends' betrayals are. Last but not least, we find out who was behind what... and who wasn't.

The story was told very honestly. Nobody-with the exception of Macie- can do something so horrible-something that ends another's life- and not feel at least a little guilty about it. This is so realistic it hurts. Bullying and cyberbullying happen all the time. YOu probably know someone who's been a victim. The sad thing is, nothing can stop it entirely. There will always be people who continue bullying mercilessly, with no thought to what consequences their actions will lead to.
What people need to remember is this: Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Last month, a man named Aaron Schwartz comitted suicide. He was facing up to 35 years in prison and the prosecutors couldn't locate his documents. Aaron was still paying his lawyer and he was running out of money. Fast. He was accused of a felony- illegal downloading- in 2010, and 2 years to his prosecution, he comitted suicide. Aaron was, in all the senses of the world, a genius. He helped create Recap, an alternate version of Pacer, in his teens, and was attending conferences with very important people at the young age of 14. Suicide and bullying often target the smartest of the human race- those too afraid to speak up for themselves.… (mehr)