Brutal School Ties - The Parktown Boys Tragedy (Paperback)

Reviews

"A tragedy bigger than you think." by Michelle M. - 11 January 2021

You begin this book knowing what happened, a young water polo coach, an old boy of the school, molested many, many boys. I know how I felt about him at the start of the book, how would I feel by the end? What you know at the start of the book, the bare bones of Brutal School Ties is like looking through a keyhole and thinking that you have the whole story. You don't, you need to open the door and step inside before the tragedy unfolds. The full story begins almost a decade earlier, and even before that. As you near the end you realise that the story that you started reading thinking it was about a young water polo coach is about more. It's about a toxic code of silence stretching back further than anyone can pinpoint, it's about masters and old boys looking away, it's about the normalisation of abuse and it's about boys having nowhere to turn. It's about belittling and humiliating 13 year olds so that they become compliant, silent victims, waiting for their turn to have a go at 13 year olds that were just like them a handful of years ago. It has stayed with me this book. I think how many have passed through that school, what has happened to them and wonder how they are doing today. The ones that no one knows about. The ones with no book that tells their story, anonymously or otherwise. And the water polo coach? Well, I'll leave you to read the book to see how you feel about him after you've turned the last page.