This companion book to the documentary film Bully was edited by filmmaker Hirsch and writer/producer Lowen, with contributing chapters by a number of celebrities, authors, experts, government officials, and educators. Part homage to the film, part resource, the book interweaves the stories of children who have been bullied with practical information and advice for parents and other readers. Like the film, which presents an “uncensored, real-life portrayal of what it’s like to be a bullied child,” the text deals honestly and realistically with the bullying that is pervasive in American schools (13 million children will be bullied this year, the authors claim). While some chapters are more focused on the film itself, others zero in on such topics as bullying and children with autism spectrum disorders or learning disabilities. Particularly useful for parents are the chapters written by educational psychologist/author Michele Borba and clinical psychologist Peter Sheras, which provide a “crash course” on how to know if a child is being bullied and what to do about it. The text is also an excellent resource for educators; Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, pens a particularly insightful chapter. Readers who have seen the film will no doubt be interested to discover where its bullied children are now, but the text can also be read as an informative stand-alone resource. (Nov.)
Bully: An Action Plan for Teachers, Parents, and Communities to Combat the Bullying Crisis
Narrated by Mel Foster
Lee HirschUnabridged — 8 hours, 37 minutes
Bully: An Action Plan for Teachers, Parents, and Communities to Combat the Bullying Crisis
Narrated by Mel Foster
Lee HirschUnabridged — 8 hours, 37 minutes
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Overview
PRAISE FOR THE FILM:
“An insightful and moving documentary.” -USA Today
“Moving and touching...Bully forces you to confront...the extent to which cruelty is embedded in our schools and therefore in our society as a whole.” -New York Times, Critics' Pick
ABOUT THIS AUDIOBOOK:
A companion to the acclaimed film Bully, this audiobook brings the story of the documentary beyond the closing credits, continuing the national conversation inspired by the film. Personal anecdotes from prominent antibullying activists and celebrities alongside essays from renowned experts, authors, government officials, and educators offer powerful insights, resources, and concrete steps to combat the bullying epidemic. An essential part of any campaign to decrease bullying and increase empathy, the audiobook also follows the stories of the families featured in the film beyond the big screen, who contribute valuable advice on the timely topic of bullying in our nation. This guide is crucial for parents, educators, school administrators, and anyone who is committed to the 13 million schoolchildren who will face bullying this year.
CONTRIBUTORS INCLUDE:
Mike Honda, U.S. congressperson (D-Calif.), whose memories of World War II Japanese internment camps inspired a life of public service and a commitment to combat bullying
Amy McCready, founder of Positive Parenting Solutions, whose life's work has been dedicated to helping parents and families
Dr. Robyn Silverman, child and teen development specialist, frequent expert appearing on national television shows including The Today Show, Good Morning America, and Anderson
Marlo Thomas, actress and spokesperson for children, whose landmark Free to Be You and Me inspired a generation
James Wendorf, executive director of the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD)
Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers, who is making her union a major force for change in the effort to stamp out bullying
Editorial Reviews
Rolling Stone
“Potent and provocative.”
New York Times, Critics Pick
“Moving and touching… Bully forces you to confront…the extent to which that cruelty is embedded in our schools and therefore in our society as a whole.”
TIME
“A documentary as vivid as any horror film, as heartbreaking as any Oscar-worthy drama.”
Los Angeles Times
“The film’s cumulative force is considerable.”
USA Today
“An insightful and moving documentary…By presenting an intimate glimpse into the dark heart of cruelty, the film hopes to inspire substantive discussion among parents, children, and educators on how to deal with this dire and insidious problem.”
Publisher's Weekly
"The text deals honestly and realistically with the bullying that is so pervasive in American schools...An excellent resource for educators...Readers who have seen the film will no doubt be interested to discover where its bullied children are now, but the text can also be read as an informative stand-alone resource."
Kirkus Review
"A valuable resource that will help empower communities to deal with this deadly social plague."
—-
Mel Foster provides a soothing and sensitive voice for what is clearly a challenging topic for anyone involved with children. With a variety of information for the different stakeholders, Hirsch and Lowen transform their informative 2011 documentary into a solid guide for dealing with bullying from numerous vantage points. Delivered by Foster in a deep and warm voice, the audiobook is engaging. His tone does well to communicate the pain and frustration experienced by the subjects who are interviewed. However, the decision to have Foster read nearly 30 minutes of Web site resources ends the audiobook on a poor footing; a PDF file would have been easier to access. L.E. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
The companion to the graphic 2011 documentary Bully, which premiered on the big screen after winning a hard fight for a PG-13 rating. With the assistance of freelance writer Santorelli (Baby Grand, 2012, etc.), editors Hirsch and Lowen dedicate the book to "the thirteen million children who will be bullied in the United States this year, as well as the generations of children who came before them." Not only is the bullying epidemic blighting the lives of the children who are involved, driving some to suicide, but it also leads to school shootings and other violent hate crimes. With the advent of 24/7 social networking, it has become even more invasive in children's lives--especially because bullies can target their victims anonymously. Several of the young people featured in the film, and their parents, tell their stories, including their reasons for participating and the aftermath. One of the most shocking stories is that of Tyler Long. Taunted for being a "geek and a fag" and ostracized, he hung himself; following the tragedy, the bullies who had tormented him went to school wearing nooses. The school district refused to participate in a community meeting addressed by Long's parents. The latter half of the book offers tips to parents on how to recognize symptoms that their children may be suffering from bullying--e.g., lack of friends, unwillingness to go to school, returning with lunches uneaten or torn clothing. The authors report that one main challenge children face is the refusal of parents to take them seriously when they try to confide their problems. A valuable resource that will help empower communities to deal with this deadly social plague.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940172416248 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Brilliance Audio |
| Publication date: | 09/24/2012 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
Read an Excerpt
Bully
An Action Plan for Teachers, Parents, and Communities to Combat the Bullying CrisisBy Lee Hirsch Cynthia Lowen
Weinstein Books
Copyright © 2012 Weinstein BooksAll right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-60286-184-8
Chapter One
Everything Starts with One
The documentary Bully began in the spring of 2009, with the conviction that NOW is the time for this film. It started with the voices of kids and parents, of teachers and administrators, of those who had been bullied decades ago and those who were targeted that day, coming into the light to talk about their experiences. Although bullying is not a new phenomenon, it is one that has been long shrouded in silence, shame, embarrassment, and helplessness. However, as the voices began to multiply, as more and more kids and adults courageously came forward to tell their stories and to speak to their commitment to change, so did the sense that Bully could catalyze a movement among youth, families, educators, and communities to turn the tide on bullying.
After three long years from production to the big screen, meeting kids, parents, and educators across the United States and documenting the many challenges and the hard-won triumphs, Bully arrived in theaters nationwide on April 13, 2012, with a PG-13 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America. The film's premiere in fifty-five cities across the U.S. was the culmination of hard work not only by the filmmakers, but by dozens of organizations and individuals partnering with the documentary to help promote its message and to make it accessible to those who need to see it most—our nation's young people.
A passion project for director Lee Hirsch and producer Cynthia Lowen, Bully became the little film that could, unifying a growing movement and rallying cry by shining a spotlight on a very big problem that for too long has gone unresolved—and unnoticed. By focusing on the specific struggles of five families, Bully provided a glimpse into the life of the bullied and how bullying is a problem that has become embedded in our schools. With its disturbing images of physical and emotional abuse, the film exposed the disconnects and communication breakdowns often found between parents and children, and families and schools, and tapped into a shift in the collective consciousness that says, "No longer should bullying be an individual or a private matter, or a rite of passage; instead, it is a social issue that concerns all of us, not just those who suffer in silence."
Bully is dedicated to the thirteen million children who will be bullied in the United States this year, as well as the generations of children who came before them, and to their families, whose cries for help have fallen upon deaf ears. With research showing that only 4 to 13 percent of middle- and high-school students indicate that they would report an incident of bullying to a teacher, administrator, or another school staff member, it is hoped that the film will encourage more students to speak out and trust that their stories will be both heard and taken seriously. It is also hoped that this film will inspire school systems across the nation to confront the bullying of students head-on with a whole-school approach that involves administrators, teachers, and counselors rather than with the well-intentioned but ineffective assurances, sympathetic looks, or shrugged shoulders of the past and that our nation's legislators will stand firm in their resolve to ensure that all students enjoy educational opportunities without discrimination or harassment.
THE BATTLE OF THE BULLIED
Bullying is the most common form of violence experienced by young people in the nation. Every day, more than 160,000 students skip school because they are fearful of being bullied. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the third most common location nationwide for a hate crime to occur is on a school or college campus—the FBI's Hate Crime Statistics, 2009 report states that 11.4 percent of hate crimes occur at schools or colleges, and 18.5 percent of those bullied were targeted because of their perceived sexual orientation. Additionally, in a survey commissioned by the Kaiser Family Foundation, more eight- to fifteen-year-olds picked teasing and bullying as "big problems" than those who picked drugs or alcohol, racism, AIDS, or pressure to have sex, and more African Americans saw bullying as a big problem for people their age than those who identified racism as one. Bullying is now considered a serious threat to students' ability to fully enjoy the educational opportunities and benefits of their schools.
Bullying is defined as an act of repeated physical or emotional victimization of a person by another person or a group. Although it's difficult to assign a number to describe the incidence of bullying, according to the National Center for Learning Disabilities, the collected statistics prove rather frightening:
* 10 percent of children report having been the victims of severe bullying at least once during the school year;
* 75 percent report being bullied at least once during the past ten months;
* 25 to 50 percent report being bullied at some point during their school years;
* 40 to 75 percent of bullying incidents in school take place during class breaks, in the lunchroom, bathroom, or hallways;
* 30 percent of children who suffer from food allergies report being bullied at school (sometimes by verbal taunting but more often, by having the allergen thrown or waved at them);
* 30 percent of children who report having been bullied said they sometimes brought weapons to school;
* 57 percent of the time when a peer intervenes in a bullying situation, the bullying stops within ten seconds; and
* the average bullying episode lasts only thirty-seven seconds, and school personnel are reported to notice or intervene in only one in twenty-five incidents (in contrast to another report where teachers said they intervened 71 percent of the time and students reported teachers taking action only 25 percent of the time).
There are many reasons—or, perhaps, no real reason at all—why bullying occurs. According to antibullying speaker and expert Dr. Joel Haber, as much as 95 percent of all bullying is perpetrated by those looking to protect or increase their status within a group. Bullies maintain what Haber calls their "imbalance of power" by zeroing in on the things that make others different. It may be that bullied children are overweight or tall or that they wear different clothes or speak with an accent. While the list really can include almost anything, the following are some of the groups at risk for being bulled:
* children stereotyped by cultural biases, including ethnicity and religious factors;
* children labeled with a sexual identity (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth);
* children who contradict gender stereotypes;
* children with social-skills deficits or special-education labels;
* loners, those who do not have support of their peers; and
* gifted children.
According to a study published in Gifted Child Quarterly in 2006 that examined 432 eighth graders in eleven states who were identified by their schools as gifted, more than two-thirds said they had been bullied at school and nearly one-third harbored violent thoughts as a result.
Bullying comes in many forms. Typically, most people envision bullying as a physical abuse of power: kicking, pushing, shoving, hitting, spitting, taking or breaking someone's personal belongings, knocking one's books down, shoving a child into a locker, or stealing someone's lunch money or food. However, there are other forms that are just as damaging. These include verbal bullying, which is more psychological in its intent and includes hurtful teasing, taunting, verbal threats, prejudicial remarks, and making fun of one's cultural heritage, and relational bullying, which is meant to damage another person's relationships through social isolation—gossiping, rumors, talking behind someone's back, eye-rolling or silence when a target walks in the room, or behavior meant to exclude someone from a clique.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Bully by Lee Hirsch Cynthia Lowen Copyright © 2012 by Weinstein Books . Excerpted by permission of Weinstein Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
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