Dear Bully: Seventy Authors Tell Their Stories

A must read for teachers, parents, teens, and anyone else who wants to end bullying

I heard about this book through a couple of Facebook connections, and I immediately knew I had to get my hands on this book as soon as it came out. I am VERY glad that I did. I am a middle school teacher, and I see behavior that is clearly bullying, but most of what I see is "friendly fire" between students. It is sometimes difficult to see the line between playful banter among friends and hurtful remarks that really sting. This book helps us see some of those blurred lines more clearly. This book shows bullying in its various stages and in its various disguises. I have shared many of the stories in this book with my students as a read aloud, and it has sparked some good conversation. I think it has been helpful for them to see themselves in these stories, because sometimes they're the victim, sometimes they're the bystander, and sometimes they're the perpetrator. Bullying has gotten so out of control, and sadly, is part of the culture of our schools. It's time we stand up and speak up to end bullying, and this book can help.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

a terrific tool for the counselor who can customize the entries to the needs of the victimized student

As the subtitle states, seventy authors provided their story of either being bullied or bullying someone. There is a common theme that it will get better once you are an adult so hang in there, but also admit that is not easy for a middle school student to wait a decade to be free. Other themes include finding an adult who will listen and act though once again that is not easy to achieve. The target audience of teenagers will struggle to read more than a few entries as most are too short and never quite drill down deep. The exceptions to prose are the comic strips; Cecil Castellucci and Mo Willems provide insightful looks at bullying that the younger teens especially will appreciate. Few of the contributions provide insight into the motives of why they were bullies though some of the victims offer their opinions. Bottom line is this anthology is a terrific tool for the counselor who can customize the entries to the needs of the victimized student.

Harriet Klausner

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly Recommend

I found this book to be very eye opening. It's spoken from all points of view. As a parent i learned to see signs.. As a person who works in the school system i realized that maybe if we step in when certain things happen, some children may be alittle bit happier. I enjoyed this book very much. It may seem heavy at first but go to the end...

A good family read.

A must read with the family.

Is it appropret

Just wondering what do u think let me know -flocky

Book impresses a target audience

I purchased multiple copies for the library in a facility for troubled teens. I am happy to report that I can't keep the books on the shelf. They are checked out all the time, and the kids who have been either bullies or victims of bullies respond enthusiastically ("Wow--glad I read this"). The readers' eyes say even more as they return the books. A benefit of this book over some others on the same subject is that the entries are brief, and even if a reader doesn't finish the book, they get a specific message from each chapter. Appropriate for middle and high school students, I think this book can do a great deal of good in quelling the alarming tide of school bullying.

titi

Hey ppl i only read the samplpf the book but i still loved it you MUST read this book. Isuggest you read

Powerful stories

Everyone who has a child or deals with children needs to read this and share it with your child. The common theme over and over is that adults (parents, teachers, administrators) did not do their job. You can't just expect kids to end bullying themselves. Adults have GOT to step in. Only then will some progress be made.

Sends the message - you are not alone

Bullying was once considered a normal part of growing up. Children who were bullied were told to ignore the bully, fight back, or walk away. Conflicting advice to be sure, but it was no big deal because eventually you grow up, move on, and the bullying stops. But bullying IS a big deal and today we, as a society, are much more aware of the problems that fester around it. With cyber bullying and the deaths of bullied teens reaching national newscasts, bullying has gained much more attention. Now, a wonderful new book for teens has just been published, a book "co-authored" by 70 different authors who share their stories. Dear Bully takes the experiences of various people, from around the country, and various walks of life, and brings their stories together in one excellent book. The authors openly discuss their torments, and tormentors, for all to see. The first story, "Dear Bully," written by Laurie Faria Stolarz, a bestselling author and victim of bullying, grabs the reader on the first page. Stolarz writes about her time in middle school, when a bully, one year her senior, made riding the school bus sheer hell. We see the stupidity of bullying, and how adults, who promised to "take care" of the problem, promised much but did little. This is just the first of 70 stories that will grab you, make you cringe along with the victims of bullying, and wonder at the anger behind the vacant faces of the bullies. The authors of these stories include not just the victims, but also parents and friends, the accomplices of bullies as well as bullies themselves. Hearing from the bullies is eye-opening as we get a look at what made them pick on other children, from those who admit "I don't know why I did it," to "she was different/fat/new to our school." As adults, we can look back on these reasons and realize how foolish they are but for pre-teens/teens, being different is all it takes. The essays, all fairly brief, were engaging and interesting. "The Eulogy of Ivy O'Connor" by Sophie Jordan, with negative words crossed out of the speech - creepy, strange, different, etc. - and replaced with positive words -guilt to fondness, crap to stuff - really resonated. So too did the many stories of adults admitting to the wrongs of their teen years. Dear Bully would be an excellent tool to aid in classroom discussions on bullying. Given the relatively brief essays, one or two could be discussed per day or each student could read one and present their findings to the class. Most importantly, teens reading this book, particularly those who are the victims of bullies, will see that they are not alone. Dear Bully does not attempt to offer solutions to bullying but rather, to let bullied children know they are not alone. There are resources listed at the back of the book for more information, and a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Dear Bully are being donated to the anti-bullying organizaiton "Stomp Out Bullying." Quill says: While Dear Bully will not solve the serious problem of bullying, it will definitely aid teens in dealing with the fallout from being bullied.

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