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NATIONAL BESTSELLER
Being a teenager has never been easy, but in recent years, with the rise of the Internet and social media, it has become exponentially more challenging. Bullying, once thought of as the province of queen bees and goons, has taken on new, complex, and insidious forms, as parents and educators know all too well.
No writer is better poised to explore this territory than Emily Bazelon, who has established herself as a leading voice on the social and legal aspects of teenage drama. In Sticks and Stones, she brings readers on a deeply researched, clear-eyed journey into the ever-shifting landscape of teenage meanness and its sometimes devastating consequences. The result is an indispensable book that takes us from school cafeterias to courtrooms to the offices of Facebook, the website where so much teenage life, good and bad, now unfolds.
Along the way, Bazelon defines what bullying is and, just as important, what it is not. She explores when intervention is essential and when kids should be given the freedom to fend for themselves. She also dispels persistent myths: that girls bully more than boys, that online and in-person bullying are entirely distinct, that bullying is a common cause of suicide, and that harsh criminal penalties are an effective deterrent. Above all, she believes that to deal with the problem, we must first understand it.
Blending keen journalistic and narrative skills, Bazelon explores different facets of bullying through the stories of three young people who found themselves caught in the thick of it. Thirteen-year-old Monique endured months of harassment and exclusion before her mother finally pulled her out of school. Jacob was threatened and physically attacked over his sexuality in eighth grade—and then sued to protect himself and change the culture of his school. Flannery was one of six teens who faced criminal charges after a fellow student’s suicide was blamed on bullying and made international headlines. With grace and authority, Bazelon chronicles how these kids’ predicaments escalated, to no one’s benefit, into community-wide wars. Cutting through the noise, misinformation, and sensationalism, she takes us into schools that have succeeded in reducing bullying and examines their successful strategies. The result is a groundbreaking book that will help parents, educators, and teens themselves better understand what kids are going through today and what can be done to help them through it.
Praise for Sticks and Stones
“Intelligent, rigorous . . . [Bazelon] is a compassionate champion for justice in the domain of childhood’s essential unfairness.”—Andrew Solomon, The New York Times Book Review
“Immersive storytelling with a sturdy base of science underneath, [Sticks and Stones] draws its authority and power from both.”—New York
“Thoughtful and moving, incisive and provocative, Sticks and Stones is essential reading for any educator trying to negotiate the minefield of bullying. Packed with valuable advice, the book brings a welcome dose of sanity to an often overheated national discussion.”—Paul Tough, author of How Children Succeed
“Beautifully written and tenaciously reported, Sticks and Stones is a serious, important book that reads like a page-turner. Emily Bazelon is a gifted writer, and this powerful work is sure to place childhood bullying at the heart of the national conversation—right where it belongs.”—Susan Cain, author of Quiet
Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy Reviews
Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy Reviews
| 37 of 51 people found the following review helpful  Must-read analysis of the problem of bullying - and some solutions, By This review is from: Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy (Hardcover) Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program ( What's this?) This is a must-read book for anyone who cares about teenagers. Bazelon carefully explores issues relating to bullying, avoiding blame or hyperbole to present thoughtful and textured pictures of what the problem is (and, perhaps more significantly, what it is not) and sharing success stories from schools trying hard to protect kids.I should disclose some personal biases here. In late 2008, I bought my first home, a small place in South Hadley, Massachusetts, just a few blocks from the high school. I live on a quiet street in a quiet town where, for the most part, nothing significant had ever happened. Then, in January 2010, a young woman named Phoebe Prince killed herself after being bullied, and my quiet town turned into the bullying capital of the world. People here were shocked at the tragedy, and many community members came together to mourn. Before long, though, my neighbors and I got used to reporters all over the place, especially when six students were criminally... Read more  Not very helpful, By This review is from: Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy (Hardcover) It's nice that Emily Bazelon can see everything from the perspectives of the bullied and the bullies, and can tell us that most situations are not cut-and-dried. She can easily and breezily reassure us that it's not always possible to determine who deserves sympathy and who serves reproach. and she can remind us that most bullying is about maintaining status, not about picking on the loners.Mmmm-kay. That's all nice. I'm glad she has a heart full of empathy for bullies and bullied alike. But her action items? "We" need to "do something". Ohhhhhhhhhh. "We" need to "be smart in our choice of strategies." Tell me more. "We" must "resist the rush to judgment when a bullying story goes viral." And best of all, "It's wrong to fault parents." And, apparently, school administrators. Know what would clear this up? Provide your child some micro recording devices, and capture the incidents on film. Capture the responses... Read more 15 of 23 people found the following review helpful Intimate stories of sadness and hope, and so much to learn from them, By Jennifer Rachel (USA) - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase This review is from: Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy (Hardcover) As the mom of a young boy who is the smallest in his class, I was very eager to read this book. I was hoping for insights into what bullying is (compared to just kids being kids), and how to deal with it. I was especially curious about online bullying/cyberbullying. What I got was much more -- about the problem itself and the many forms it can take, about the typical reactions of parents and administrators, and about the range of solutions that can actually make a difference. I also didn't expect a book about bullying to be a page-turner, but it really was because the stories are so personal.I was surprised to learn that much of what parents and teachers do to try to address a bullying issue is often not very helpful (or worse). Bazelon makes it clear why this is true by describing very detailed accounts of real people dealing with real events. And her conclusions are solidly based on experience, science, and the law - a compelling combination. It's clear after reading... Read more |
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