20 Jul 2020 Writer out to change the world

Kamille Mohler of Little Rock is a feisty fifth-grader who published a book last year titled “I Am Not.” 

The back of the book jacket states that the work “is not only a short poem. It is a movement.” A book for anyone who has been subjected to any form of bullying, Kamille states, “I am breaking barriers, and I am NOT settling for anything less. It is now time to stop the plague of bullying and self-hatred by leading with I AM just like you.” 

Kamille wrote the book after hearing a sermon about how God could use children to change the world. She and her mother, Lakisha Stevenson, discussed the sermon later, and Kamille said she would like to stop bullying. Her mother told Kamille that if she would write a book on that topic within a week, she would publish it.   

Kamille completed her side of the project using the recurring phrase “I Am Not” (I am not too black, I am not too white, I am not my weight, etc.); now it was time for Mom to uphold her end of the bargain. Lakisha searched the internet and found a Memphis artist, Kenny Williams, to do the illustrations. After being fine-tuned, the book was ready to be uploaded on Amazon.  

After receiving the first printed copies in May 2019, Kamille held book-signings and appeared at a number of events. Classmates, friends and family were very supportive.  

When asked if she was ever bullied, Kamille answers with a resounding, “Yes.” She was always small for her age, and from kindergarten through second grade she was taunted for being so little. She feels that writing the book helped her, and she knows it has also helped others to understand bullying and how to combat it. 

Although her favorite subject in school is science, she is an aspiring actor (or maybe dancer or comedian), and she is well on her way. She has a movie credit to her name, having appeared in “Tablxs,” a short, independent film about bullying in which, ironically, she plays the role of a bully. 

She also is a featured author on the Arkansas PBS digital series “GobbledyBook,” where she read her book. And she has posted a YouTube video of an interview with a friend about her firsthand experiences being bullied.  

Kamille’s book is available online from Amazon or from Pyramid Books in Little Rock. For more information on Kamille, visit her Facebook page.