UNDER DANNI'S WINDOW

“Under Danni’s Window” was released in 2014. But it was written long ago. Or at least, it was lived long ago.

As with most authors, most of my stories are drawn from experiences; places I’ve been, people I’ve known. Friends and relatives who have read “Danni” have commented on the familiarity of the locations, the locales rather obvious but slightly camouflaged with the odd name or the major landmark that’s either missing or invented. And more often than not, they’ll ask if “so-and-so” we grew up with is this or that specific character in the story. Funny, some of them are able and ready to identify others in the book, but not themselves; human nature at work, readily identifying with the protagonist, the victim, or the underdog.

As life can sometimes be, “Danni” is a little dark. The topic of bullying has been around forever; it may seem as it’s a relatively new phenomenon given all the recent focus it’s engendered. But it was quite prevalent when I was young and it certainly predated my birth. My experience was that everyone was a bully. It was situational. As surely as the dim-witted giant that used to pound my face into the mud after class, I was just as mercilessly bullied by those of the superior genetic class or those who happened to occupy the economic rungs above the one my family was perched upon. And I used that as my impetus to bully others who happened to be lacking in whatever specific trait I was exploiting at any given time.

As the boys in “Danni” discover, there is no one description of a bully. There is no one cause. But just as with my past friends who cannot see themselves in any of the bullies in “Danni”, the young boys in the story never question who they are other than those being victimized. Life will often hold a mirror to our faces; many refuse to see, unable to accept or recognize the ugliness inherent in most humans.  The role of the sympathetic victim is far easier to play; it causes one far less emotional guilt.

If we were to be able to see the complete history of others, and have them see the history of ourselves, would we still feel the same way about each other? Would we be able to admit that we too, were bullies, as surely as we were victims? And would we recognize that as we age, it never really goes away? We just refine it, use it discriminately, maybe at work, maybe in our relationships.

“Under Danni’s Window” is that mirror. Whether you are looking through the misty image to your past or seeing yourself as you believe you are now, which character are you?

Please enjoy “Under Danni’s Window.” It can be purchased here on Amazon.

Best Wishes;

Jp