Hall, M. K., & Jones, C. (2011). Dear bully:
Seventy authors tell their stories. (1 ed.). New York:
HarperTeen.
On any given school day in the United States, an
average of 160,000 children will stay home from school because they dread the
daily threat of bullying that accompanies going to class (Hall
& Jones, 2011). This staggering
figure, included in the introduction of Dear
Bully, may seem shocking to some.
According to the authors of this compilation of stories, bullying is not
only overlooked in our classrooms (because it is seen as a childhood “rite of
passage”), in many cases, Americans encourage and approve of bullying. The authors describe bullying as everything
from the glaring looks and silent disapproval given to the “weird kid” to
verbal assaults and physical violence against an individual whose values or
culture is “different.”
Bullying
has existed in some form in schools since their inceptions but in today’s
culture of digital and social media, bullying invades the lives of children
outside the classroom as well. Further distressing
statistics quoted in this book include the fact that “more than 100,000
children carry guns to school” each day as a defense against bullying and “a
child commits suicide . . . once every half hour” in despair over a bullying
situation (Hall & Jones, 2011). In response
to these and other factors, Hall and Jones asked multiple Young Adult
Literature authors (and one Caldecott winner) to write a personal reaction,
letter or episode from their own lives concerning bullying. The result is this very readable and
disturbing book. Divided into seven
sections that each reflects a type of bullying, the authors share their most
vulnerable selves, describing situations that most of us can relate to. Some of the stories tell of being bullied;
some tell of being the bully. Many are heartbreaking
in their familiarity. Some of the
letters pull no punches and name the bully who long ago inflicted the wounds
that continue to haunt the writer; others choose poetry or comic strips to communicate
their feelings. Although there is
despair in this epistolary volume, there is far more hope. The final sections, “Write It” and “It Gets
Better,” are meant to infuse the reader with a sense that teens can survive bullying and that someone
cares deeply about and understands them.
The concluding piece of writing is an actual letter from a teen reader written
to author Carolyn Mackler (The Earth, My
Butt, and Other Big Round Things). In
her reply to that letter, Mackler closes the book with words of encouragement. “I’m writing to say that there’s hope on the
other side. Hang in there” (Hall &
Jones, 2011).
Dear Bully packs a powerful punch. Whether parents and educators believe
bullying is a big problem in our schools or not, our children live the
reality. This book contains small episodes
that can be read in short snippets or entire thematic sections that can be
explored over a longer period of time.
Teen readers will recognize themselves and others they know as both
victims and perpetrators in these stories; teachers may see their own students
and wonder how they can help. The
writers continually stress the need for others, especially adults, to get
involved when bullying occurs but fear that not enough is changing in our
classrooms. Dear Bully is very readable—these are YA authors and they know how
to reach their audience—and because the stories are so personal and real,
readers from 7th grade on will be interested in the writing. Younger students may also be able to relate
to the stories but some letters describe sexual pressure and other themes that
are better explored as a teen. Educators
and counselors reading aloud could avail themselves of the book in the elementary
classroom however. Many of the anecdotes
are appropriate and could generate good discussion. In addition to the excellent writing, there
are many resources listed in the appendix for both teens and the adults who
care for them. Viewing the book on an
e-reader that has internet access allows the reader to click directly on any of
the links.
Links in the Dear Bully appendix include:
The Dear Bully Project (This website continually adds new stories from different YA authors and includes information about bullying, videos and other related resources)
Reach Out (This website is written for teens by teens and contains supportive information for getting through difficult times)
Raven Days ("For surviving middle school, junior high school and high school as a hunted outsider")
It Gets Better Project (dedicated to education about Gay and Lesbian teens, contributors include poets, musicians, artists and politicians)
Interview with Megan K Hall on Fox News:
