Customer Reviews

Diary of a Witness

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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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!

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.

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.

How do you deal with bullies who make every day at school a nightmare, especially when you're very, very fat? Obese.

How do you deal with bullies who target you for fun, especially when you are overly thin and have horrible acne? Ugly.

Ernie and Will live in fear each day, forced to go to high school, but not enjoying it. Teachers don't seem to notice the bullying, are unable to prevent it, and do little when it becomes obvious. Classmates laugh when the bullies make fun of and trip and torment these two boys. It's a sad, confusing world found in most American high schools, one we wish didn't exist, but all kids must go through to reach adulthood.

Hyde did an excellent job of appealing to a wide audience of male readers, posing opposites throughout. A child raised by their single mother and one raised by a single father. A boy who loves to fish in the ocean and one who enjoys fresh-water fishing. A boy with a little brother he hates and an only child. A fat kid and a skinny kid. A boy who speaks his mind and one who never says anything.

But the bullying leads from fear to anger, and friendship is tested as one must make a decision. Do I intervene? How? Read this book and find out...

Gold Star Award Winner!

Ernie lives with his mother. She loves him dearly and provides well for him, but practically every day is a living nightmare for Ernie. He's a loner, interested in videos games and not sports, and at about 100 pounds overweight, he's the object of ridicule from his fellow classmates.

For Ernie school days are torture. Teachers seem to turn a blind eye when he is made the butt of every joke. There are five jocks that have made Ernie their special target. In the hallway between classes and in the locker room before and after gym, they tease and taunt and play endless pranks. When opportunities arise to report the pranksters, Ernie always senses that if he does complain his tormentors will only find ways to make his life more miserable.

Ernie does have one friend. His name is Will, and he constantly promises that he has Ernie's back. Will is skinny and suffers from chronic acne, which makes him another frequent target for the jocks. Since his mother left, he and his younger brother have lived with a father more interested in finding his next beer than in raising his two sons. Together, Ernie and Will help each other through the agonizing world of their small town high school.

After a fishing trip that ends in tragedy, the teasing and taunting of the two teens increases. The attacks are more deliberate and result in potentially dangerous injuries. Ernie can't bring himself to discuss the problem with his mother, but he finds some comfort and release in writing about the incidents in a journal given to him by his uncle. Will, now living with his mother since the fateful fishing trip, reacts in more negative ways that have Ernie worrying about Will's sanity and safety.

DIARY OF A WITNESS addresses the growing problem of bullying in today's society. Catherine Ryan Hyde takes readers into the lives of two teens facing bullying on a daily basis. As with many victims of this increasing problem, they feel helpless to change their situations, which make them even more vulnerable to the vicious verbal and physical attacks. This emotionally charged novel will hopefully make readers take notice of and become more active in the prevention of the bullying behavior they witness in their communities.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

There are so many 'issues' books written for teens; this isn't an 'issues' book. It isn't preachy or depressing. It's a real story, with very real characters that I think anyone can relate to, in very real situations, not at all 'soap-opera' format. This is a story about a young man, Ernie, trying to survive the cruel kids at high school, manage his weight, and, despite the hardships in his life, enjoy the love of his family. His best friend, Will , does not have such inner calm and family support. As this other boy's already miserable home life falls to pieces with the death of his younger brother, he finds no refuge at a school, where he is openly made fun of for not having saved his brother's life, and because of his brother's life in general. As Will watches his only friend harassed, even attacked, he becomes angrier and angrier at the bullies at school, to the point where he sees their death as the only solution. Meanwhile, Ernie tries to stand by his friend, and makes good choices that change and save lives. These choices are obviously not easy for Ernie; he's not sure of himself, but he still follows his instincts. This is a great book that I will always remember. The characters are very real, as we get to know about their interests, from the girls they dream of dating to their passion for fishing (which actually isn't boring, it's not described too much; we learn about it as certain scenes in the story are told it's very interesting).
This book is a good story, with a likeably character who's hardly perfect but shows great courage, and that shows us why someone might try to commit a massacre as the line between self-defense and too extreme measures blurs - and how they might be prevented.

This is book is absolutely gripping, gut wrenching, and horrific. I've read bully stories, but this one is heartrending. It's different in the way its written, in that it isn't just Ernie, the character telling the story, who is being bullied and it isn't just him having to deal with it. Ernie is watching his best friend- his only friend and ally- slowly waste away with every torment thrown on them. Coupled with a horrible home life, Will deteriorates. Not only does Ernie have to deal with everything thrown at him, he has Will's issues as well.

There have been worse cases of bullying in books, but this one got to me because even when things in Will's home life became public knowledge, it didn't stop. If anything, those events seemed to spark his tormentors and neither boy could really stand up for themselves or the other without bigger consequences. That particular aspect is one I found a little unique to the bully story- their decisions to stand up for the other, knowing it would be worse them but because it meant the friend didn't have to suffer, it was better, right?

Ernie was caught between a rock and a hard place more than once in this book and it was rough to watch him go through this. His home life wasn't great but compared to Will's it was kind of like paradise- and he recognized that. This was another aspect I really enjoyed because despite everything, in the right circumstances, Ernie could see the good things. But that means Will still didn't have it and that was even harder to read.

As the book progressed, I had the same growing sense of trepidation Ernie did but because I got to know Will so well also, I didn't want to see what was clear. Hyde did a magnificent job showing that- showing how Ernie could not see what was right there, and vouch for his friend. It happens- and as an outsider, it is so easy to point fingers and place blame but Hyde shows the impossibility of it when it's your best friend.

Anyone who has ever been bullied will relate to this book- and should read it. Because everyone has a breaking point- and consequences they might not be able to see because they are too blinded by hurt and hate. This book doesn't shy away from that- Hyde went in with tormented characters and she carried it all the way through until the spark hit the powder. And anyone who is doing the bullying also needs to read this because it doesn't hold back on just how much even the smallest things can tear a person apart.

High school, in many ways, can make or break a person for their future. You either gain interpersonal skills and confidence or you don't- and more often than not, what pushes it one way or another, ultimately, is genetics and family status. What makes a person popular? It isn't who they are, it's how they look, how well they can play sports or jump up and down with pom poms, and how well off their parents are. The rest of the students? Ignored, pushed away, and sometimes even ridiculed. And everyone knows it happens- even saying kids are cruel and that's high school for you- but it never stops. As parents and educators, it isn't seen- the tormented ones don't want to admit it and the parents of the tormentors never want to recognize their child is making the life of someone else hell. Books like this one really thrust that into light because there always will be students like Ernie- overweight, no matter what the reason and already embarrassed and unsure of them, only to have it preyed on and spotlighted. There will still be kids like Will with severe acne problems and ears that stick out with parents who aren't the greatest. And they are an easy and constant target- and it is a scenario that plays out over and over, happening in our high schools everywhere right now. I applaud Hyde for broaching this subject and not holding back on it because I firmly believe it needs far more attention.

This book easily deserves 5 stars. It is a very real, very rough subject from all sides, tackled strategically. This book left me with plenty of things to think about and I know it will stick with me for a long time. The characters are in depth and their growth and decisions are very realistic, even if hard to read. I most definitely recommend this book to everyone because it is eye opening, maybe even more so than some other bully books I have read because of the way it is presented and the way the plot plays out. In some ways, the ending was satisfying and perfect and beautiful- the kind that I love. Read it, because even though it is a fiction, it mirrors real events entirely too well and could easily become a biography or the next breaking news story.

Catherine Ryan Hyde's DIARY OF A WITNESS provides a fine saga in telling of Will and his group of friends, who are always in conflict with the jocks of the school. Will is the protagonist's only friend - until one day when everything changes. A fine coming of age story.