Bullying sucks.

Bullying is NOT cool. It's not funny. It doesn't help you be more popular. It's cruel and cowardly.

I think we were all made achingly aware of this after Netflix started streaming Thirteen Reasons Why and gave millions more people a look into the life of fictional Hannah Baker, who died by suicide. Because of a few rumors, Hannah suddenly found herself bullied, harassed, and preyed upon by her classmates. Whether you read the book or watched the show, Hannah's story helped us understand the snowball effect that bullying can have on someone, and how tragic it can be.

And we want it to stop.

To raise awareness and to inform parents and teens about bullying and cyberbullying, Sgt. Timothy Ruoff from the Palmer Police Department will give a 30-minute talk and Q&A with teens and parents about cyberbullying on Thursday, July 27 at 6:00pm

Following Sgt. Ruoff's discussion, library staff members Ashley and Katie will host a book talk of Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher at 6:30pm. This will NOT be a discussion comparing the show to the book, or how certain things in the show were depicted. This is a straight up book talk of Jay Asher's 2007 book and the effects of bullying.

All teens who participate in both Sgt. Ruoff's talk and the book discussion will earn one hour of community service time. Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend. You can even RSVP on Facebook.

Got questions? Contact Katie Cardell (katiec@eastonpl.org) at the Palmer Library. Copies of Thirteen Reasons Why are available through the library in print or as an ebook.