‘Pottymouth and Stoopid’ by James Patterson

An entire community creates the environment where bullying is condoned. Case in point: Michael and David, protagonists of James Patterson's novel, Pottymouth and Stoopid.

It only took one person, in each case, to saddle the boys with cruel nicknames, but then those nicknames stuck.

Those names gave rise to a collective attitude about who these boys were, and what they had the potential to become.

I take stories about bullying to heart, because I myself am its survivor. I was called names, I was physically abused, and I was shunned by my schoolmates.

Today I work around students, and I worry about the ways that bullying can manifest. Am I observant enough to catch them? Are there behaviors that slip by me? Do I contribute to a problem, or am I part of the solution: an entire community that, instead of condoning, unites in support of the victims?

Patterson and co-author Chris Grabenstein have my enduring gratitude for crafting a book that, while entertainingly funny, conveys a serious message about the hurtful effects of bullying.

Disclosure of material connection: My taxes support local libraries’ acquisition of this and other resources. I consider the access I enjoy to be a “priceless” return on my investment.