From Bullied to Black Belt, a Love Story?

From Bullied to Black Belt by Simon Morrell

From Bullied to Black Belt, a Love Story?

Simon on his first book, “When Geoff Thompson first asked me to write a book about my life, my troubles, poor mental health, abuse, but also the happy times, Julie and the kids, achieving my first Black Belt and the glories that went with that, I think, when it came to choosing the title, I became a little blindsided and went with a title that screamed Martial Arts all over it. After all, From Bullied to Black Belt was, on face value, the journey I took.

However, it went deeper than that, so much deeper. It has only been over the last couple of years, as we have talked to more and more bona fide film companies, that I realised that the title sold the story short.

Anybody who knows me will, by the nature of our relationship, know my wife Julie and the pivotal role she played in addressing my mental health, the abuse (non-sexual) that my father put me through and the panic attacks that filled my life. You will know how she guided me to my first Black Belt, how she accompanied me around the country as I fought, grappled and learn to protect.

You will have heard how she comforted me in my darkest hours, and hours that were filled with anxiety. You will also know of our children, how we adore them, how they too brought me so much inspiration and gave both Julie and me the strength to go on when a local drug dealer saw fit to do us harm.

You will know how very much we love each other, and so yes, the title From Bullied to Black Belt did in fact do no justice to what is actually a beautiful love story. If you have read it and didn’t get that, then read it again and see past the punches, kicks and throws. Instead, see the beauty Julie brought to our lives. See our family, how we stand by each other through the good and the not-so-good. See the strength that we have.

If you haven’t read it, do so now and do so with an open mind. Don’t see the man in the white Karate suit, see the husband, the father, the survivor and quite possibly the luckiest man on earth. Read the love story that is From Bullied to Black Belt.”

Signed copies and digital downloads are available here