The Great Read: He Tried to Protect His Son From Bullies. He Didn’t Know How Far They Would Go.
After his son was repeatedly attacked, Rick Kuehner reached out to his suburban school, to the police and to other parents. The violence only got worse.
The New York Times
The Great Read

December 15, 2025, 2:01 p.m. Eastern time

On weekdays and Sundays, we recommend one piece of exceptional writing from The Times — a narrative or essay that takes you someplace you might not expect to go.

A father and son standing on either side of a short wall, both in black T-shirts and facing left. The son is leaning back against the wall, while his father stands behind him with his right arm on his son’s shoulder.

Wayne Lawrence for The New York Times

He Tried to Protect His Son From Bullies. He Didn’t Know How Far They Would Go.

After his son was repeatedly attacked, Rick Kuehner reached out to his suburban school, to the police and to other parents. The violence only got worse.

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