“Friendship in younger years can be especially hard because our worlds are small. In high school and beyond, I found many supportive, lifelong friends. If you haven’t found your “group” yet, hang in there. Your world will keep growing larger and wider. You deserve to have friends, the kind who treat you well and get how amazing you are.”
(From Author’s note at the end of this beautiful book).

I loved this book. There was a lot of nostalgic moments in this. I related a lot to Shannon, and not just because she has a great imagination, love for books, and that old fashioned computer (which is exactly like what my family’s computer looked like). I also related to Wendy just because she was the oldest. But seriously this was so good.

In elementary I too suffered from being bullied. A lot. I didn’t have a “hiding-shrub” like Shannon did so it was harder to avoid being bullied. High school and on was a lot better. Then I joined the Navy in 2003 and served for 4 years.

Reading this now as someone who has lost connection from “civilian life” and “The Group”, this book is a bit of a tear jerker but also empowering. That last quote (the one above) is something I’ll remember. Thanks Shannan.