'Fat Boy' Shares Anti-Bullying Message Through Film, Q&A Session

Bullying isn’t a new concept, but in the digital age it might be more prevalent than it was 50 years ago simply due to the new avenues, such as Facebook, that are available to bullies, making the issue that much more important to address. And that’s exactly what the popular book series, “The Fat Boy Chronicles,” has done.

The book–which has recently been made into a movie–tells the true story of an obese 14-year-old boy who is bullied through his freshman year of high school.

The relatable series struck a chord with Roswell philanthropist Roger Wise Jr. He approached members of the North Fulton Council PTA to request their help in spreading the message of the books to local students.

“His energy, determination and strong belief about the message of this movie captured Barbara Thomas [North Fulton Council president] and myself, “ said Inge Robb, NFC board member.

With help from Mike Buchanan, the movie screenwriter, and John Troutman of the Crabapple Middle School Dad’s Club, Robb has led the effort to share the Fat Boy story with local students.

Together the group, with Wise, went to work obtaining sets of the book series for six schools in the North Fulton cluster, including Roswell and Centennial high schools, as well as Crabapple, Elkins Pointe, Holcomb Bridge and middle schools. The effort was made possible by generous donations from the Horseshoe Bend and Willow Springs homeowners associations who saw the importance in spreading the anti-bullying message.

But the mission to spread the word didn’t end there.

By partnering with Aurora Cineplex, families in North Fulton will get a chance to not only see the Fat Boy Chronicles movie, but also meet the screenwriter and executive producer, Buchanan, the director, Jason Will and the movie’s star, Christopher Rivera, this Saturday, March 5.

“The objective is to show the movie to our middle and high school families, with the idea that it would open up the line of communication between our parents and students,” said Robb. “We’re hoping our families will talk about how the events depicted may relate to their child.”

It’s the hope of Wise and Robb that parents will be able to identify which identity their child has assumed: bully, bystander or the bullied. 

“The story depicts what many of our kids endure on a daily basis,” Robb said. “The movie is an excellent representation of what it looks and feels like. As an audience member, you can feel the pain, the anger, the isolation. It also shows us parents, bullying is not an isolated incident, it is continued, repeated actions, whether these are physical or emotional.”

The Dove Foundation recommends the movie for ages 12 and older.

Saturday’s screening of the movie is open to anyone and will take place at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Audience members may stay after the show for a question and answer session with Buchanan, Rivera and Will. For more information visit auroracineplex.com.