One step by Andrew Daddo
Penguin Random House, 2016. ISBN 9780143573616
(Age: 15+) Adolescence. Bullying. Suicide. This book is an
uncomfortable read on many levels. Being inside the mind of a young
pubescent male with pimples is a difficult place to be. But added to
that it is peppered with multitudinous poor choices, rampaging
hormones, fickle friends, romantic inclinations, bad jokes and a
family that makes his life embarrassingly difficult (as all families
are for teenagers); this is a place that is intrinsically
uncomfortable. When Dylan becomes the butt of everyone's humour and
taunts after a bullying incident and his own lack of wisdom in the
moments afterwards, the story begins to spiral downwards in a
terrifying dive from the high tower (Dylan's sport of choice). And
the degree of difficulty is high, but the landing is far from
pretty!
This is not a book for the faint-hearted. The messiness and
insecurity of teenage life and the difficulties of being the one who
becomes the target for everyone's jests and the difficulties of
navigating friendships and girls when you are not confident is raw
and painful (despite the author's humour in presentation). In fact
as the book progresses, it is obvious that this is not a fun, Diary
of a wimpy kid clone, but rather a serious descent into the
grim issues that confront some teens. As a consequence, the list of
Help and Counselling services in Australia is included at the end of
the book. It is also what makes this book hard to put into the hands
of teenagers. It points out how easily life can turn ugly for some
young people, when they are at the mercy of others. I am not sure
that this book is helpful in presenting a picture of hope.
This is hard to recommend without the highest level of caution, and
definitely not to someone who is already struggling with their own
self-esteem, bullying or mental health issues. Do not conclude that
this is a comedic exploration of teenage life; language and modes of
expression are also vulgar in places.
Carolyn Hull