The Prize

John Murphy and Sydney Schuster go way back to high school, where John seemed to take special pleasure out of making Syds life hell. After John and his cronies beat him so badly that he ends up in the hospital with a broken clavicle and ribs, Syd must learn to live with the terror and the psychological damage, a process that takes years. Forty-five years later, John, a priest, meets with Sydney, now a millionaire, with a proposition, hoping to get money to save his school. During the dinner they exchange recriminations...John insists that though he was wrong to hurt Syd, that Syd somehow brought it out in him. Syd, whose careful treatment of his own children didnt keep them from being bullies...instead, theyre bullies of the worst kind...blames many of the same things that John thinks would be the salvation of many of these kids. Thinking about their discussion later, Syd hits upon an idea...why not find an environment where they can explore the relationship between bully and victim, where they can see if, without the authorities (who never did Syd any good) the kids can somehow work things out for themselves. Hell give them the best incentive, a half a million dollars a piece, to be used for their education. All they have to do is follow a few simple rules...no pregnancies, no meetings behind locked doors, not fights...basically, behave themselves. The ten students they eventually pick create an interesting mix...Jenna and Becca, a pair of twins who, until recently were going to a fancy private school. Mohandas, a shy Indian boy and Maria, an even shyer Italian girl. Tashina, a street hard African American who doesn't need no man. Karter, a smart aleck whose quick temper and constant desire for sex and domination show him to be the nastiest kind of bully. Eddie Cortez, whose parents run a barely successful restaurant and expect him to continue the business. Demon, who can barely read, but plans to become a carpenter with his father. Sam, who is just a normal kid, neither good, really, or bad, and Melissa, whose book worm preferences mask a deeper fear. Watching these ten students interplay with each other is as fascinating as it is sometimes heartbreaking.

When I first looked at this book, frankly, I wasnt sure Id really want to read it. It is subtitled, A Novel about Bullies and Victims...and What Drives Them. Hardly the type of world I would want to revisit. I figured it would be very hard to care for any of these people...but once I started reading, I found myself having a hard time putting the book down. It's a very short book...and so things happen very quickly. Even so, you have a strong understanding of each student's attitudes and goals, the desperation with which each lives their life. This is further made evident by a contrast LaCourt creates...Syd and Denise, who is also working on the project, rekindle their relationship. Melissa, whose mothers boyfriend is stalking her, comes to Denise for help, and she ends up staying there. Her involvement in Syd and Denises new relationship, including a scene where they all stay home and act like the typical Ozzie and Harriet couple, and Melissas reaction to this never before seen life, tells us more clearly than anything about the realities that these kids face.

I would highly suggest this book to any person who works with kids. LaCourt herself helped create a bully prevention program, and while Im not sure if she used her actual study in this book, I can see that she took a lot away with her from her experience, and used it to create a truly clear picture about the realities of the bully victim relationship. It is not always an easy read because of this...the problems feel very immediate, and the book offers no easy solutions -- nor should it. Any educator or person who wants some insight into this relationship should pick up this book. It is a relationship that is having increasingly violent and tragic consequences (this study was inspired by the Columbine tragedy), consequences that parents and teachers can no longer ignore in the hope it will work itself out.
4 out of 5 textbooks
Cindy Lynn Speer, GWN Reviewer
April 25, 2003