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eghimire_'s review against another edition
3.0
Wow, I can't believe some of these bullying stories. It's shocking but bullying is almost everywhere in school, any school for the matter. I hate bullying. And I hate how much people lie and act as hypocrites when they say hate bullying but they still do it. Forget my ranting, and lets go onto the book.
Well, the title is self-explanatory and I think the introduction had me feeling a 'pang' on my heart and it really sucked me into the anthology. After the first couple of stories, I got the seldom feel to the book. Basic message you get from almost every story is 'in the end, everything will be fine, you can make it through'. Some stories I really didn't understand but this was a good but sad book.
Well, the title is self-explanatory and I think the introduction had me feeling a 'pang' on my heart and it really sucked me into the anthology. After the first couple of stories, I got the seldom feel to the book. Basic message you get from almost every story is 'in the end, everything will be fine, you can make it through'. Some stories I really didn't understand but this was a good but sad book.
thewallflower00's review
3.0
When I was at my child's book fair, I saw this on the shelf and thought, "holy cow, this exists?" I have an interest in bullies and bullying as it exists (beyond the overused cliche seen in movies like Biff Tannen or Scut Farkus). The clincher was the few authors I recognized: R.L. Stine, A.S. King, Mo Willems. Unfortunately, those were the only authors I recognized.
Some are bullies, some stand by and do nothing, but most relate anecdotes or essays about their bully experience. The best thing this book provides is the knowledge that everyone gets bullied, popular people, nerdy people, and adults. It's nice to know that eventually, all things come out in the wash. This means that the experience is universal. It also means that you get seventy stories of virtually the same thing.
Each essay is only a few pages, and there are seventy-five of them. After a while, the story starts being the same. I think this could have gone farther if the number was reduced and the length was upped. Find the experiences that are truly unique, or more authors that are universally well-known or use a variety of techniques, and this book could have gone a lot farther. Also, there is way too much bias on the female end. I don't have the facts to support this, but I believe this is a universal experience. As a result, a lot of the stories are "Mean Girls" style bullying. I feel male stories would A) provide the variety the book needs and B) raise the stakes from "shunning" or "shaming" behaviors to physical threats.
Some are bullies, some stand by and do nothing, but most relate anecdotes or essays about their bully experience. The best thing this book provides is the knowledge that everyone gets bullied, popular people, nerdy people, and adults. It's nice to know that eventually, all things come out in the wash. This means that the experience is universal. It also means that you get seventy stories of virtually the same thing.
Each essay is only a few pages, and there are seventy-five of them. After a while, the story starts being the same. I think this could have gone farther if the number was reduced and the length was upped. Find the experiences that are truly unique, or more authors that are universally well-known or use a variety of techniques, and this book could have gone a lot farther. Also, there is way too much bias on the female end. I don't have the facts to support this, but I believe this is a universal experience. As a result, a lot of the stories are "Mean Girls" style bullying. I feel male stories would A) provide the variety the book needs and B) raise the stakes from "shunning" or "shaming" behaviors to physical threats.
sfujii's review
4.0
This was really powerful and eye opening - both as a teacher and as a human being. Lessons: the bus sucks. The lunch room sucks. God - GIRLS suck. School sucks for too many kids because other kids are assholes.
There were countless entries about people's lame advice of "just ignore them" - doesn't work. "They're just jealous." - Maybe they're not. They're just assholes. "Suck it up." - Uh, no. The pervasive message of the text was this: It gets better. Don't give up. Don't give in. Stand up for yourself. Stand up for others.
I remember being bullied on the bus, grabbed in the chest, ditched, pranked, ignored, "SLAMmed"had my PE clothes stolen - and a few other things that were silly but still embarrassing for me. We are too mean to each other.
There were countless entries about people's lame advice of "just ignore them" - doesn't work. "They're just jealous." - Maybe they're not. They're just assholes. "Suck it up." - Uh, no. The pervasive message of the text was this: It gets better. Don't give up. Don't give in. Stand up for yourself. Stand up for others.
I remember being bullied on the bus, grabbed in the chest, ditched, pranked, ignored, "SLAMmed"had my PE clothes stolen - and a few other things that were silly but still embarrassing for me. We are too mean to each other.
beths0103's review
4.0
A wonderful collection for any middle school or high school teacher's library. I've already flagged several stories to use as read-alouds in my classroom. Hopefully they will resonate with students who are being bullied to realize that it really DOES get better, or better yet, will shake the conscience of those who are doing the bullying and cause them to stop.
sarahannkateri's review
5.0
How can we stop children from bullying each other?
I'm not sure there is an easy solution, and neither are most of the authors included in this book. If you're looking for an actionable plan to stop the bullying epidemic, Dear Bully isn't the book to use.
However, if you're looking for a painfully honest collection of mostly autobiographical essays about being the bully, the bullied, or the bystander, buy this book right now. The advice is vague and often contradictory, and the quality of the essays is somewhat uneven, but there is no denying the power of reading 70+ stories, all of which say "You're not alone. It will get better. This has to stop."
Give it to kids who are being bullied. Give it to bullies. Give it to everyone who works with teens and has ever turned a blind eye to taunting and to parents of elementary school students. There might not be an easy solution to the bullying problem, but we have to start somewhere.
I'm not sure there is an easy solution, and neither are most of the authors included in this book. If you're looking for an actionable plan to stop the bullying epidemic, Dear Bully isn't the book to use.
However, if you're looking for a painfully honest collection of mostly autobiographical essays about being the bully, the bullied, or the bystander, buy this book right now. The advice is vague and often contradictory, and the quality of the essays is somewhat uneven, but there is no denying the power of reading 70+ stories, all of which say "You're not alone. It will get better. This has to stop."
Give it to kids who are being bullied. Give it to bullies. Give it to everyone who works with teens and has ever turned a blind eye to taunting and to parents of elementary school students. There might not be an easy solution to the bullying problem, but we have to start somewhere.
amaceachern's review
4.0
an excellent resource to show everyone that bullying happens regardless of stature, age, race,gender etc. really enjoyed this!
amarylissw's review
I have never been bullied myself, but this here is some real powerful stuff, insightful, enlightening, and inspiring.