While reading Wonder, I wondered: Why did the author, R.J. Palacio, exclude the perspective of Julian, the boy who “bullies” the main character Auggie Pullman? Auggie narrates his story of starting school for the first time, as a fifth grader, with a severe craniofacial abnormality. We also hear his story from the perspective of other young characters (friends, sibling, sibling’s friends) who care about him. Told in chapters of their own, their perspectives add sensitivity and movement. Why don’t we hear from the bully? Is there a backstory that explains his behavior without condoning it? 

It turns out others wondered too. On her FAQs page, Palacio lists why she chose to leave out Julian’s voice. She clinches her reasons with: “The book is about Auggie, the boy that Julian never bothers to get to know. As a result, Julian’s voice has no place in the book.” And yet, Julian has enough voice to make us wonder: Why was he so mean? Could he change? Would he? As the summer ends, he sends a postcard with his “precept” (a proverb or gem of wisdom) to his class teacher. I was surprised that he sent one at all since we learn he is switching schools. He wrote: “Sometimes it’s good to start over.”

Did Julian feel regret for bullying Auggie? Perhaps seek his forgiveness? Was he changing schools to trade up his reputation for good? When I learned that Palacio wrote an eBook, The Julian Chapter, a short book or long chapter of 86 pages, I read it immediately. As a separate entity, it does not steal from Auggie’s story but rather fulfills a bigger picture. Many readers – including myself – felt a hole was filled. The chapter shows how we can and must have compassion for the bully, too. Otherwise, we risk becoming bullies ourselves.

We all need role models and guides, the right person in our lives at the right time, who can shine light on our traumas, from wherever they come, and dispel their shadows. For Julian, when his grandmother tells him, for the first time, her childhood experience in occupied France, he is able to face his own shadows and overcome them. Sometimes another person’s story has the power to unlock our own. Julian’s chapter inspires us to confront, articulate, and overcome our fears, with courage and tears.

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