Violence 101 - Denis Wright
In Violence 101, we meet Hamish, a 14-year old boy with severe anger and violence issues, who has been sent to a home for troubled boys. He is encouraged to write a journal, and uses it as an excuse not just to tell us about his life, but to also fill us in on his three main heroes: Alexander the Great, Charles Upham, and Te Rauparaha.
The chapters in Part 1 of the book have a set structure of short narrative of (generally) the staff in the home, followed by a section of Hamish's journal. What he chooses to reveal (or obscure) in his entry is then discussed by the staff in the following chapter. This gives us the interesting ability of finding out about Hamish both through his self-perception and through how others observe him. However, it also has the effect of holding us a little at arms-length regarding Hamish for some time.
Especially since Hamish is not a pleasant individual.
Although Hamish does 'mellow' somewhat throughout the book (especially once we as the readers "meet" him in the narrative sections of the chapters), he is not 'reformed' by the end. In fact, he explicitly states that he is not interested in endings where such a reformation take place. He does help various individuals grow, or find a purpose, but he is always doing so for his own reasons rather than because it is the 'right' thing to do.
It was an interesting read, and does ask some interesting questions about troubled youths, but is not one I would race back to in a hurry.
Completed 10 March 2020.
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