To This Day: For The Bullied And Beautiful (2014) - Plot & Excerpts
In 2013, Shane Koyczan, a spoken wordartist, uploaded a video entitled ‘To ThisDay’ on his YouTube channel. The videowas a visual and spoken word collaborationbetween Koyczan and over 80 animationartists from all around the world. The videohas been viewed over 14 million times.The poem is written for anyone that is beingbullied, anyone that has witnessed bullyingor anyone that may be bullying somebodyelse. It speaks of the things people are oftenbullied about, the feeling of loneliness thataccompanies bullying and the long lastingeffects that bullying can have on people.The book is a continuation of the originalvideo project, and comprises the poem,written by Koyczan, with original artworkfrom 30 artists from all around the world,from Germany to Japan, Peru to Canada,Australia to the UK.Having been bullied myself, I found the bookextremely empowering, and recommend toabsolutely everyone.Such an outstanding work of stunning,original artwork and literary excellence.I will be very disappointed if Shane Koyczandoesn’t produce any more books like thisone, I think it would be a great shame to meand everybody else on the planet. Review ARC courtesy of NetGalley.comRelease date: September 2014Maybe some of you readers have already witnessed this amazing piece of material. Author and poet Shane Koyczan first performed TO THIS DAY as a spoken word poem on stage. From there it became a hit on You Tube, first as a recording of his performance and later as a video highlighted by the work of visual artists. Now TO THIS DAY can be found in book form complete with Koyczan's poem, art from select graphic artists, and a detailed background of the history of the piece and the message Koyczan hopes to convey to the world about bullying.TO THIS DAY expresses the conflicting feelings of an individual growing up in a vicious, intolerant world. Whether suffering emotional or physical attacks, the victim of bullying struggles with how to carry on as each day presents what feels like insurmountable challenges. As Koyczan explains, "Sticks and stones may hurt your bones, but words can never hurt you," are words that offer empty comfort to a child facing torment from his peers. The power of the bully is overwhelming for those under attack.Koyczan hopes his poem will speak to victims, perpetrators, and bystanders alike. The power of his words combined with eye-catching and emotional artwork should ensure that his message touches anyone who turns the pages of this brilliant piece. Those who have suffered at the hands of a bully will no doubt be able to see themselves at some point in the poem, and hopefully, rejoice that Shane Koyczan has been able to present their feelings for the world to see.
What do You think about To This Day: For The Bullied And Beautiful (2014)?
I really liked this book. The illustrations were beautiful, the poetry was compelling.
—drhe17
As always, 5 stars.Review to come but that artwork was phenomenal
—epark
Beautiful art beautiful quotes beautiful message
—Katrina88
