In The Hate Game, Gary Trew shares his recollections of growing up on the south coast of England, in the area around Brighton and Hove, focusing on his school days at The Knoll School for Boys. Locally, this seat of (un)learning was nicknamed Knollditz after the famous German prisoner-of-war camp in World War II. Trew experienced unrelenting bullying, torture, attacks, and cruelty for five miserable years. The staff turned a blind eye, the teachers did not care and humiliated and punished the pupils, often those who were innocent. When Trew’s father died, he was bereft. The youngest of three children, his siblings were a lot older than him and there was no one to turn to. He fought his demons alone, not telling anyone at school he was the son of a single parent. His mother tried her best, but it took several months for both of them to get on a more even keel. Life for Trew was made even more difficult with two bouts of illness, mumps and meningitis. The latter altered his brain patterns causing him to make some unwise decisions. It took many years for him to realize his earlier dreams, but he covers this briefly in the latter part of the book. This book opens the doors to the coming of age of a sensitive, shy young man growing up in the 70s in England.

As I read The Hate Game by Gary Trew, I kept asking myself were schools this bad in England only fifty years ago? The cruelty of some of the students, and the lack of control by the staff took my breath away. Before you even start reading, it states that you will laugh and cry with Gary, and I did. His story shocked and amused me, and I wanted to sit and explain life, feelings, and behavior to help him. His mother was amazing, not always there to say the right things, but she was more understanding than most. The absence of a father figure after his dad died affected Trew more than anyone imagined and you can only applaud his indomitable spirit in rising above his poor start in life. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, especially his mum’s driving habits. It was also a trip down memory lane for this Baby Boomer.

Gary Trew bravely pours his heart out in his memoir, The Hate Game, a collection of his darkest and best memories. When 11-year-old Gary first sets foot in Knoll School for Boys, he has no idea what horrors await him in those dark corridors. Wayward students are allowed to do as they please, and the teachers, indifferent to the daily abuse, merely look the other way; it's the golden rule of Knollditz, the infamous nickname given to the school. When they first play a game based on the victimization of Jews in the Holocaust, Gary cannot believe that no one is lifting a finger to stop the madness. However, the endless torment is not Gary's worst experience. When Gary's dad passes, he undergoes a complete personality change; the once-happy boy is now angry and resentful toward everyone. How could his father abandon him when Gary needed him the most? One day, due to a horrendous injury, Gary has his first encounter with God and decides to make positive changes to his life and that of others. This is Gary's story.

Dark and grave in tone, The Hate Game is not for the faint-hearted. The abuse Gary and other students suffered due to an inadequate educational system is horrendous and one can only wonder what kind of education was received from antisocial teachers with zero sympathy for their students, with some even taking part in belittling and mercilessly bullying the children. Because of the horrors he and other kids suffered at the hands of the older students, Gary often used humor as a coping mechanism and still does to this day. As a social worker, minister of religion, and police officer, Gary has made it his mission to help others heal from their trauma and inspires many with his book.