I Swear Paperback – October 8, 2013

A story every teen and their parents should read about bullying and the effects it has on others. When a bullied teen commits suicide, her so called friends claim they had nothing to do with her reasons for killing herself in the first place, but upon closer inspection of their lives, they start to realize that they are indeed guilty.

I felt the author did a great job of making the reader really see the bullies for what they were. If I could have crawled into their world and throttled Macie I would have. I dealt with these things as a teenager but was lucky enough to not be the biggest target. What frustrated me was Jake. He knew what was going on. I think he should have been more involved in protecting Leslie from his wicked sister and her friends, he should not have backed off because Leslie said so. To me, if he truly loved her, he would have fought and risked her wrath regardless. It disgusted me that Leslie had told her folks and the school was aware but nothing was done and everyone, I mean everyone, knew the group behind it all. I didn't like the end of the book. I was hoping to see some prosecution and punishment, not the case is dropped for money and everyone goes on their way.

I Swear... If there is one word that I find perfectly describes this book, it's intense. Lane Davis managed to make me feel so many different things - anger, disgust, sorrow, hurt, surprise and relief. Any book that can prick my heart to a point where all these crazy emotions come out like a torrent is definitely a strong piece of work.One of the best things about the this book is that the revelation of the truth takes place in a very gradual manner. Though Leslie's suicide certainly serves as the catalyst, the secrets don't all pour out into one big confession session at the end of the book. Instead, they come out naturally - one by one until nothing is left. I love that the time was taken to focus on each person's personal problems and to help the reader understand what really was behind these people's actions.Though there are a lot of negative things happening in this book (especially the extreme bullying and the amount of lies), I think that, in the end, there's a positive message to be taken from it. You shouldn't be afraid to be a good person, to be a good friend, to be nicer to other people in general - no matter what other people say is the "better" or "cooler" thing to do. Yes, there may be consequences to choosing to "walk your own way",but they usually just appear to be worse than they actually turn out to be.Honestly, this book just brings to the forefront the fact that bullying is not just hurtful or mean or wrong, but that it can have serious consequences on the person you pick on. In fact, it can have serious consequences on the person who does the bullying as well, as you can see from the stories shared in this book.Though it was tough to read, I Swear was certainly worth it. Lane Davis has crafted an interesting, well-told story about bullying and what it can to to both the bullied and the bullies. I'd highly recommend reading this book, but would advise readers to take note that it may not be the easiest thing to read.

I love reading books where I think I've figured it out and then question my decision and then change it again. Finding the person who caused a suicide and then deciding for myself if the main character could have done something else had me wrestling with my core beliefs.

This was a gift for my 14 year old daughter and she loved it. She said it really opens your eyes about your words/actions. She said she thinks everyone in middle school should read it. I think I will read it next.

I felt like I couldn't follow this book well. There were too many changes of characters and it was boring in some parts. The theme was really good though.

It not only talked about the person being bullied but the bully's & what goes on with them when they see they drove someone to suicide. It is filled with drama, & all around its amazing

this book is amazing. The topic is something very popular in the news today so it was really interesting. The characters were very captivating and the resolution was very realistic. I suggest it- it's a good read.