“The Fan Club” is a short story written by Canadian writer and speaker Rona Maynard. Maynard wrote the story around 1961, when she was 14, after witnessing a peer being bullied. Maynard, coming from a literary family, went on to become a magazine editor and writer, as well as a strong advocate for mental health. The story follows Laura, a student anxious that she will be bullied by the “in” group. As a work of young adult realism, the story presents a familiar school environment and examines themes including Class, Ethnicity, and Appearance as Sources of Social Power, The Impact of Peer Pressure on Behavior, and Bystander Silence as Complicity, which has contributed to its popularity in academic settings. 

This guide uses a digital version of “The Fan Club” written by Rona Maynard in approximately 1961. 

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of bullying, emotional abuse, mental illness, racism, and religious discrimination. 

Laura dreads going to school on a dreary Monday, worrying that the “in” group—Diane, Terri, Carol, Steve, Bill, Nancy, and others—will bully her. She wonders if she brings on their bullying with her appearance or her interest in poetry and Latin. As Laura arrives at school, she notices the “in” crowd laughing and wonders if they are planning to humiliate her. Reflecting on how the popular students all look alike, Laura inwardly asserts that she does not care about them. 

She joins the other students in the busy hall, where she sees Rachel Horton. Although she goes by the last name Horton, the other students know that Rachel is the daughter of Jacob Hortensky, a tailor with a “greasy” shop that smells like cabbage. Rachel stops Laura to ask if she watched World of Nature the night before, describing a hatching fly that had been on the show. Laura tries to walk away but stops as Rachel compliments a poem that she read aloud the day before. Rachel invites Laura to stay at her house, and Laura agrees, though inwardly she does not want to visit. 

Laura goes to her algebra classroom, taking out her book and reflecting on her unfinished homework. She notices the popular students laughing and drawing on small cards as she enters the room, and she realizes that they are planning a prank. After the bell rings, the national anthem plays. Laura finds it ironic that the United States boasts about its freedom while actively discriminating against certain members of society. 

While the math teacher drones on, Laura doodles and thinks about how someday she will be out of school and accepted in the Village. Laura reflects on her dislike of mathematics, which she finds repetitive and machine-like. Looking back, she sees the “in” crowd talking and passing things to one another. 

The bell rings, and the students start moving toward their next class. In the hallway, Ellen, a popular student, mocks Rachel’s outfit to Laura. Terri also comments on Rachel’s appearance as they enter their English classroom. As the students find their seats, Laura again notices the “in” group at the back of the classroom whispering, “Make one for Steve. He wants one too!” (2). 

Miss Merrill quiets the students and begins class by calling Laura to the front to give a speech. As she rises, she hopes that the popular students won’t notice that she isn’t prepared. Nervous, Laura stands in front of the class and tells them that her speech is on civil rights. In her presentation, she draws attention to discrimination in the United States. She believes that everyone is responsible for taking care of each other. She concludes by suggesting that the country cannot be considered truly free until all individuals are treated with equal dignity. As she gives her speech, Laura watches the students in the back of the class continuing to talk and pass items. She questions whether they care about truth at all, and she assumes that no one in the “in” group knows what it feels like to be socially rejected. Once Laura finishes speaking, the class remains silent, and Miss Merrill compliments her work.

When Rachel is called to give her speech, the “in” group begins to laugh and mock her. Steve audibly calls her “dumb,” and Miss Merrill taps her desk to let the class know that she wants them to be quiet. Rachel drops a load of boxes that she is carrying, drawing more negative attention from the bullies and from Miss Merrill. As Rachel picks up her items, the others watch, not approaching to help. She begins a speech on seashells but struggles to complete it, as the students at the back mock her throughout. Miss Merrill scolds Rachel for not being prepared. 

The bell rings, and the students in the back stand and start cheering. When Laura looks back at them, she sees that they have pinned cards to their shirts with caricatures of Rachel and the phrase “HORTENSKY FAN CLUB” (4). Laura realizes that she was not their intended target—“It was only Rachel” (4). Diana approaches Laura and hands her a card, inviting her to join them. Laura hesitates, looking back and forth from Rachel to the “in” group. Eventually, she takes the card from Diane, pinning it to her shirt and joining the applause.