Bad Behaviour (2015 book)

Bad Behaviour: A Memoir of Bullying and Boarding School
AuthorRebecca Starford
LanguageEnglish
PublisherAllen & Unwin
Publication date
2015
ISBN9781743319574

Bad Behaviour: A Memoir of Bullying and Boarding School is a 2015 memoir by Rebecca Starford describing her experiences with bullying at boarding school as a teenager. It was adapted into a four-part television drama miniseries released in 2023.

Plot

Starford chronicles her experience attending a prestigious boarding school in Australia she refers to as Silver Creek. At 14, Starford spends a year living on a rugged campus in the bush and staying in Red House with 15 other girls. She is drawn to bully, Portia, and is briefly taken in by her, but ultimately rejected and bullied. Portia and some of the other girls, including Starford, bully another student, Kendall. After ten years, Starford returns to Silver Creek. In her adult life, she attempts to come to terms with her experience as a student at Silver Creek, including her mother's absence and her experiences with same-sex attraction.[1]

Development history

Starford began working on Bad Behaviour 4 or 5 years before its release.[2] She kept a diary while attending boarding school and used this diary to write the book.[3]

Publication history

Bad Behaviour was published in 2015 by Allen & Unwin.

Reception

Bad Behaviour was released to generally favourable reviews.[4] Starford has been praised for her honesty about herself, particularly about her complicity in bullying.[5][1]

Adaptation

Main article: Bad Behaviour (TV series)

Bad Behaviour was adapted into a four-part television drama miniseries on Stan, written by Pip Karmel and Magda Wozniak and directed by Corrie Chen. It was released in 2023. The character inspired by Starford, played by Jana McKinnon, had her name changed to Jo.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b McGirr, Michael (20 February 2015). "Bad Behaviour: Rebecca Starford and the consequences of bullying". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  2. ^ "Bullying, Bad Behaviour and Boarding School Girls". ABC listen. 1 March 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  3. ^ Starford, Rebecca (27 April 2015). "Rebecca Starford on writing Bad Behaviour — Readings Books". Readings. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  4. ^ MG (21 February 2015). "Bad Behaviour". The Saturday Paper. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  5. ^ Ball, Magdalena (23 January 2016). "A review of Bad Behaviour by Rebecca Starford – Compulsive Reader". Compulsive Reader. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  6. ^ Nguyen, Giselle Au-Nhien (14 February 2023). "'I broke out in a cold sweat': could you stomach seeing your memories of bullying play out on TV?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 February 2024.