Egghead - My Story

Outside In to Inside Out - My story

The picture on the left is me, or more accurately, an illustrator's version of the younger me.

It comes from the cover of Egghead, a story rooted in my own experiences of being bullied at school and of feeling that I didn't belong. I really wanted to belong so much. With the help of my imaginary friend, Andrew I managed to muddle through school but I always felt like I was a boy, on the outside, looking in. I never really felt a part of school life, I couldn't afford to be. I had too much to lose so I kept school at a safe distance and tried not to make too much noise. The important thing for me as a child was to remain unnoticed.

And then there is the photograph on the right. That is me, many years later, inside a school, talking to young people about the very experiences that once made me feel so isolated.

Threre is something strangely circular about my own personal story. It began with me wanting to escape from school and then led me back into classrooms not just in Italy, but around the world. The difference now is that I am here by choice, sharing stories, listening to students and talking about bullying and what it means to feel different.

I wrote Egghead with the idea that if it even made one child feel less alone, it would be worth it. I had no idea that the story would resonate with so many young people.

Perhaps that is one of the things that stories do. They allow us to take experiences that were a source of pain and give them a different purpose.

The boy on the left could never have imagined the man on the right. What would I say to that boy now, if I had the chance? I'm not sure. I don't think I would change anything about my life. My negative experiences have made me stronger. What I do know is that thanks to Egghead, I have the chance to 'touch the future' and speak to young people in the here and now, Eggheads of the present. And that is a great privilege.