Shane Koyczan. Stickboy. Parlance, 2008.
I have been a fan of this BC writer for 25 years, since I first
heard about his win in San Francisco of the top Slam Poetry prize. Saw him
perform at an early-century Café Deux Soleil on Commercial, Vancouver. Read &
enjoyed Visiting Hours. Acquired some sort of CD, since disappeared. Revelled in his 2010 Olympics ceremony performance
which includes this same theme of bullying. Watched the doc about his search
for a father on Knowledge Network. Followed him on IG, when it worked. And jumped on this copy of Stickboy found
at the Rotary Book sale.
I really enjoyed this book. Read most of it aloud to myself.
It is smooth and affecting at the same time. I kept thinking: should be
required reading for every teacher-in-training. Shane takes us inside the head
of an unhappy child and how that unhappiness manifests in the real world of
school and sport fields.
For a bit, I thought I must have missed the reference
explaining the title, but info on Amazon or Goodreads suggests: an ironic
reference to “sticks & stones may break my bones but names will never hurt
me”; an ironic contrast to nicknames “Fatboy” or “Fatass”; & a stick-drawn figure
with firecrackers and dynamite sticks as appendages, ready to explode at any moment.
Accessibility. Insight. Humour. Survival.
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