My War with Brian - Ted Rall
This autobiographical account of Rall's war with Brian Koff (name changed) in high school was a good deal more violent than I expected. I was expecting more of a typical tale of high school bullying, with perhaps some sneaky tactics by the nerd to finally shame and humiliate the bully. But, no, this was not psychological warfare; it involved box cutters, 5-pound bricks to the head, and hospital trips. Rall confides that perhaps his war with Brian was a good thing; that he's been able to stand up for himself because of lessons learned in high school. Personally, though, I think his growth spurt (he's now over 6 feet tall) perhaps played a bigger role.
An interesting variation to the world of John Hughes teen-angst films.
Fed to jonathan's brain | August 22, 2003
