I recently re-read a story entitled "So Can You." It is a true story about a Japanese woman's journey from a tumultuous childhood of being bullied to that of a Yakuza-wife and finally, a successful defense lawyer. Bullying is such a common phenomenon in Japan that both girls and boys every year commit suicide as a result of helplessness. The main character talks candidly about her struggles of wanting to belong in the education system and how the adults did nothing to protect her from some of the physical harm she experienced. She is also a victim of an attempted suicide gone wrong. It is chilling to think that a student will get harassed to the point of desperation and ultimately takes their own life! Bullying is such a silent epidemic in many school systems. Luckily, the main character incredibly manages to get her life together and gains her sense of equanimity and self-respect at the end. It is a must read.
"So Can You." (It is translated from Japanese. You can get it at Kinokuniya Bookstore in Japantown.)
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