Dear Bully Edited by Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones
Published by Harper Teen September 1st 2011
ARC provided by the Publisher
Summary
You are not alone
Discover how Lauren Kate transformed the feeling of that one mean girl getting under her skin into her first novel, how Lauren Oliver learned to celebrate ambiguity in her classmates and in herself, and how R.L. Stine turned being the “funny guy” into the best defense against the bullies in his class.
Today’s top authors for teens come together to share their stories about bullying—as silent observers on the sidelines of high school, as victims, and as perpetrators—in a collection at turns moving and self-effacing, but always deeply personal.
I would never dream of reviewing a book like this because the stories contained within are the personal stories of the author. It wouldn't be possible to review their experiences. I will however say how important a book like this is, how scary the statistics are and how sad it made me to read and remember the cruelty of others. This book needs to be on the bookshelves of every home with a school-ager, tween or teen. In every school classroom, in every school library and in every public one too. It should be required reading for every teacher and school Principal. It needs to be accessible to everyone because the message that "you are not alone" is such an important one.
My story: (this is me being brave and personal-because the authors are inspiring)
I can tell you that when I was in high-school I felt like the "most" alone person in the world. In between grade 8 and grade 9 was the summer that really started it all. I hung out with my best friends everyday and every evening. We partied, had sleepovers, and watched endless amounts of horror movies. In August of that summer my family took a vacation- I was gone 4 days. That's it. 4 flipping days. And I came back to a complete life change. My friends no longer spoke to me. I had no idea why, I never did find out because they never said. I got the silent treatment, and when they weren't being silent they were calling my house and saying horrible things, and sometimes evening threatening me. When I told my mom she said "they are not your friends then" but they were, they had been and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what had happened.
Of course this made starting high-school in the fall terrifying. I switched schools. I went to a school where I thought no one would know me. I sat alone at lunch, and then I skipped school to avoid sitting alone at lunch and then somehow I became a target there as well. I was spit on, shoved, kicked, threatened, held down while a boy did something awful. So I switched schools again- that was my mom's answer- switching schools- I switched 6 times. I never went to Prom or graduated High school (I did much later by doing equivalency exams) I hated myself, and spent a lot of my time wishing I could just disappear. I still have trouble trusting people, and I always have this fear when I go away that when I get back people I love won't be there in the way they were before. I'm not sure that I will ever get over that. But now as an adult I have friends who are there for me, a husband that I'm madly in love with, a son who lights up my life everyday and a job where I can support and encourage kids, adults and teens. Maybe I wouldn't have that if my life as a teen would have been different?
I wish there had been a Dear Bully book 14 years ago.
Highly recommended.
