“Letters to a Bullied Girl: Messages of Healing and Hope”

From the publisher’s website:

Olivia Gardner, a northern California teenager, was severely taunted and cyber-bullied by her classmates for more than two years. News of her bullying spread, eventually reaching two teenage girls from a neighboring town, sisters Emily and Sarah Buder. The girls were so moved by Olivia’s story that they initiated a letter-writing campaign to help lift her spirits. It was a tender gesture of solidarity that set off an overwhelming chain reaction of support, encouragement, and love.

In Letters to a Bullied Girl, Olivia and the Buder sisters share an inspiring selection of messages that arrived from across America:the personal, often painful remembrances of former targets, remorseful bullies, and sympathetic bystanders. Letters to a Bullied Girl examines our national bullying epidemic from a variety of angles and perspectives, and includes practical guidance from bullying expert Barbara Coloroso, author of The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander. Though addressed to Olivia, the letters speak to all young people who have been bullied, offer advice and hope to those who suffer, and provide a wake-up call to all who have ever been involved in bullying.

Via this HuffPo piece, where the authors write:

As the letters in this book prove, bullying has serious consequences. We can no longer turn away or sit idly by as our peers are bullied so severely and relentlessly that they are forced to withdraw, isolate themselves and even turn to suicide. Our book is dedicated to Corinne Sides, who committed suicide as a result of bullying, and there are pages of letters from others who attempted suicide to escape their bullies.

We decided to take matters into our own hands, and you too can be a part of this grass roots movement to erase bullying. We each must do our part to increase public awareness and understanding about the issue of bullying and bring comfort and healing to those enduring the lonely pains of being bullied.

Thanks to everyone who recommended this book!

ETA: To everyone who wrote to remind me that the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house, point taken.

–Ann Bartow