Diary of a Witness [Hardcover]

Catherine Ryan Hyde (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 25, 2009

One day, something’s going to snap. . . .

Ernie doesn't have a lot of friends at school. Just Will. They have stuff in common—like fishing. But more important, they have common enemies: the school jocks, who seem to find bullying just another sport.

For the most part, Ernie and Will take life at high school in stride. Until Will has one very bad day. Now nothing is remotely funny. Ernie finds himself a witness—to loss, to humiliation, and to Will’s anger—an anger that’s building each and every moment.

Ernie doesn’t want to believe his best friend is changing, but he can’t deny the truth. Soon he has a choice: join or die. Or can he find another way?

Praise for The Day I Killed James:
“Teens who have experienced crushing rejection or who have laughed at the ardent feelings of a classmate will devour this original, gripping story.”—Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up—Ernie and Will stick together to minimize or deflect the regular bullying aimed at them by a cruel group of five jocks. Ernie's mom and his Uncle Max provide a caring support system, but the boy is overweight. Will is lanky with bad skin and a mother who left him and his younger brother, Sam, with an alcoholic father. The friends enjoy fishing together until the day Sam drowns when their boat capsizes. Will's feelings of guilt about his brother's death and sadness about parental neglect cause him to attempt suicide. Luckily, perceptive Ernie recognizes his friend's signals and intervenes in the nick of time. Despite these circumstances, the bullies continue their harassment, until Will has had enough and plans to get even with a gun. Ernie and Will are sympathetically drawn characters who just want peace, one another's friendship, and the little joy that comes their way. Like Gray in Nancy Garden's Endgame (Harcourt, 2006) and Brett in Patrick Jones's Nailed (Walker, 2006), Will faces challenging family relationships plus the torment of bullies, and reaches a breaking point where he strikes back to end the pain. The open-ended conclusion offers readers hope that he gets the help he needs, and leaves them with a great respect for Ernie as he chooses to do what is right.—Diane P. Tuccillo, Poudre River Public Library District, Fort Collins, CO END

About the Author

Catherine Ryan Hyde’s young adult novels include Becoming Chloe, The Year of My Miraculous Reappearance, and The Day I Killed James. She lives in California.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (August 25, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375856846
• ISBN-13: 978-0375856846
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 0.8 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,342,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Catherine Ryan Hyde is the author of 18 published and forthcoming books. Her newer novels are Becoming Chloe, Love in the Present Tense, The Year of My Miraculous Reappearance, Chasing Windmills, The Day I Killed James, Diary of a Witness, Jumpstart the World and the UK titles When I Found You, Second Hand Heart, and Don't Let Me Go. The US editions of Second Hand Heart and When I Found You are now available on Amazon.

Older works include the story collection Earthquake Weather, and the novels Funerals for Horses, Pay it Forward, Electric God, and Walter's Purple Heart.

Forthcoming is When You Were Older (Transworld UK, '12).

Pay It Forward was adapted into a major motion picture, chosen by the American Library Association for its Best Books for Young Adults list, and translated into more than 23 languages for distribution in over 30 countries. The paperback was released in October 2000 by Pocket Books and quickly became a national bestseller. Love in the Present Tense enjoyed bestseller status in the UK, where it broke the top ten, spent five weeks on the national bestseller list, was reviewed on a major TV book club, and shortlisted for a Best Read of the Year award at the British Book Awards. Both Becoming Chloe and Jumpstart the World were included on the ALA's Rainbow List, and Jumpstart the World was a finalist for two Lambda Literary Awards.

More than 50 of her short stories have been published in The Antioch Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, The Virginia Quarterly Review, Ploughshares, Glimmer Train and many other journals, and in the anthologies Santa Barbara Stories and California Shorts and the bestselling anthology Dog is my Co-Pilot. Her stories have been honored in the Raymond Carver Short Story Contest and the Tobias Wolff Award and nominated for Best American Short Stories, the O'Henry Award, and the Pushcart Prize. Three have been cited in Best American Short Stories.

For more information, please visit the author at www.catherineryanhyde.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great teen read -- for guys as well as girls, August 25, 2009

By 

Cathe Fein Olson "Avid reader and writer" (curled up with a book) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Diary of a Witness (Hardcover)

Ernie, the narrator, is an overweight teen and the target of school jocks. He spends his days at high school trying to stay out of their way. His friend Will, on other hand, seems to go out of his way to antagonize the bullies. To make matters worse, Will is having serious problems at home -- his brother dies on a fishing trip and his death was partially caused by Will's actions. As Will sinks into depression and then rage, Ernie has to make some tough choices.

I'm always happy to find a YA from a boy's point of view because it seems most are centered around girls and issues girls can relate to. This is well written and moves fast with lots of suspense. Both guys and girls will relate to the dynamics of school, bullies, and friendship. There is no sex or language so it's appropriate for younger teens. Great book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars thought provoking, December 4, 2010

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Diary of a Witness (Hardcover)

i loved this book i would recommend it to anybody, you know besides younger kids. It really makes you think about situations that can really get to you,it also made a clear image in my mind about what i would do if someone was being put through something like this, i had to pause sometimes just to think about it.it has alot to do with sacrafises and whats right. i also kept thinking will just do this, ernie just do that, I love this book, i frankly think middle schoolers and highschoolers can learn alot from it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Striking and authentic, December 16, 2009

By 

The Compulsive Reader (Big Rapids, MI, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Diary of a Witness (Hardcover)

Ernie and his friend Will are outcasts at their school, teased mercilessly every day for being different and for Ernie, overweight. They have each other, so they manage to endure it, but Will especially hates those that torment them. Then, when Will's younger brother dies tragically, he is plagued with guilt and anger. Suddenly, it's not as easy to shrug off the teasing, and Ernie is left to observe as Will cracks and desperately tries to fight back the only way he knows how.

This strikingly realistic book is told in journal-format from Ernie's perspective. It's descriptive in all of the appropriate areas, but otherwise is blunt, concise, and to the point. Ernie's conversational tone makes the story easy to read and become invested into the story, even for reluctant readers. The male point of view is done well, and it makes you quite sympathetic towards Ernie. His struggles with bullying and losing weight, despite the opposition he faces at home, and his confusion at how to help Will, and his happy moments are all very authentic and heart-wrenching, especially as Will gets into more and more trouble despite Ernie's attempts at helping him. This book has been compared to Jennifer Brown's Hate List, but it is different in the fact that Hyde focuses more on what exactly would drive a teen to the breaking point and how what others might consider teasing and simple joking could have such an intense and damaging effect on someone. Diary of a Witness is yet another excellent, attention-grabbing read from Catherine Ryan Hyde.