Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy by Emily Bazelon
Published by Random House
The big bad wolf in the raising of teenagers today is cyber bullying. If you believe Emily Bazelon, however, cyber bullying is not a new thing. It is, she claims, essentially nothing more than plain old bullying, moved to a new venue. What, then, is bullying? In Sticks and Stones, Bazelon unpacks the issue of bullying through three case studies, discussing interventions, suicide, and, of course, the role of the internet.
Honestly, I’m not sure I would have ever picked this one up had I not been interviewing Bazelon about it for the SheKnows Book Lounge. I expected Sticks and Stones to either be self-help-y or to be a dry recitation of the facts of bullying. Happily, it is neither. Instead, Sticks and Stones is a book that realistically delves into a difficult and complex issue. The case studies bring real people and real faces to the problem of bullying, and on both sides of the issue. It helps her unpack the school cultures that contribute to bullying, as well as what, if anything, can help in such situations.
Beyond being a well organized informative book, Sticks and Stones is also simply a compelling read. Bazelon has a great style, and knows exactly how much she can insert herself in the story without detracting from the facts she hopes to impart. Even without any current personal vested interested in precisely what goes on in high schools, I did not want to put Sticks and Stones down. Between Bazelon’s engaging prose and her ability to get to the heart of why exactly this issue is important, she had me hooked.
Very highly recommended.
For more, see my interview with Emily Bazelon in the SheKnows Book Lounge.
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Powells | Indiebound*
Source: Author’s publicist.
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Sounds interesting! My niece was cyber bullied and it did a lot of damage to her self-esteem, but she and her friends have used social networks to fight and pick on one another too. At least when I was a kid you had some break from bullying once you got home, I do think online bullying has made it easier to harass someone. People seem to think there’s some safe anonymity on the internet and they say things they wouldn’t say in person.
This book sounds like a really good one to read!!!
Bullying is not very prevalent in my part of the world - that is in schools but we have ragging in Universities. It is banned by the government now and harsh punishment for anyone caught. Incidents have dropped now and now its few and far between. Very few thankfully. Cyber bullying via social networks is unknown here. maybe the lack of peer pressure could be a reason. Here family expectations and pressure are the chief causes for students stress.
As the mom of two young teens I should really read this. Bullying scares me
This looks like a great book. Bullying (cyber or otherwise) has really not been an issue for us, but I know it’s a terrible problem.
Your review makes me think that this book may be like Queen Bees and Wannabees - such a usefully practical book. It also unpacked both sides of bullying (which is so useful as a parent and encourages empathy). Will definitely check this one out.
I heard Emily Bazelon interviewed on Fresh Air last night-very interesting interview that made me want to read this even more. http://www.npr.org/2013/02/19/172027445/todays-bullied-teens-subject-to-sticks-and-stones-online-too
Ooh, thanks for sharing!