The inspiration for this book came from clicking on a link my niece sent me. It led to the most heart-wrenching video I’d ever seen: Amanda Todd’s suicide video.
Amanda was a victim of a capper and cyberstalker who succeeded in ruining her life. As a pediatrician, I’ve worked with a lot of victims—don’t you hate that word? Victim? It immediately puts you on the losing side of a war you didn’t even sign up for. It gives the bullies and the creeps the power.
You are not alone. We are all victims. We all lose when we let bullies and rapists and stalkers act like they’ve won, like they have the right to control any piece of our world, our lives.
We lose a piece of our own humanity every time someone like Amanda takes their own life. We lose the future she could have had, the world-changing ideas she might have come up with, the smiles and laughter and hugs she would have shared.
Watched deals with topics we usually relegate to the shadows, try our best to ignore, and pretend don’t exist. I truly apologize for making you look into those dark recesses of the human soul. It wasn’t an easy book to write—at times I felt nauseous, sick; other times I wept as I wrote, mainly because, as I told Jesse and Miranda’s stories, I relived so many of the stories I heard from my patients.
My hope is that you found Watched empowering. Because we don’t have to be victims or losers. We can stop the predators with the one weapon they have no power over: the truth.
The things happening to Jesse and Miranda in Watched, what happened to Amanda Todd, these things could happen in any country; they could happen in your city; they could be happening right now on the street where you live to someone you care about.
Here’s what you need to do to help: tell the truth.
To a parent, a teacher, a doctor or nurse or police officer, a minister, rabbi, imam, or priest. Visit one of the links on the next page and tell the folks whose job it is to help. Tell the truth and don’t stop until you find someone who not only listens but also helps.
It won’t be easy. It will be the hardest damn thing you may ever have to do. But if we don’t stand up, if we don’t take back the power, if we accept our roles as victims, then what kind of world are we creating for ourselves?
This book started with a link to a video. I hope you click on one of the these sites and help put an end to stories like Jesse’s and Miranda’s.
Truth changes everything.
Thanks for reading,
CJ