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Born into a family with special needs in a small, Dutch Michigan town in the early 1950s and raised by his deeply religious grandmother, Sherwood De Visser navigates the horrors of bullying at home and at school.

He tries to create safe spaces wherever he goes, which include hiding his plastic football in different spots before school and acting as the class clown. He says “hi” to Norma, the scary neighborhood outcast, finds safe moments with his grandmother, and delights in Aunt Mae’s happiness-all attempts to stave off the bullying.

Respite comes when summer vacations with family friends open his world to the joys of farm life. He gains a sense of order and self-esteem. Until he’s forced to choose between living with family friends or his grandparents. Here he must learn what it means to choose a life of faith, love, and joy in the midst of chaos. Raspberry Wars is the story of a kid who navigated bullying and thrived.