> I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Freaks and Geeks. It is not a book, but it’s a smart, nuanced television show that, I think, ‘reads” as a literary text. This show ran for one year (’99-00) on NBC and is now a cult classic and critical favorite; in regards to bullying, its strength lies in connecting greater socioeconomic forces to the lives of bullies and their targets. (Note: I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention Glee. And Mean Girls. And Everybody Loves Chris. And 30 Rock’s “Reunion” episode.)
"The Harry Potter series: Nobody would ever merely describe this series as “books about bullying,” but bullying relationships of every kind are woven throughout all seven texts. Hogwarts is cluttered with a wide variety of power dynamics—between older students and younger, between professors, between professors and students—the list goes on. Older readers will appreciate how J.K. Rowling deftly re-casts her aggressors into targets, then into bystanders, and back again, and vice versa."
— Top 10 Books (and Media) About Bullying | The ExpandED Exchange
Last, research shows that reading is a great way to teach kids empathy and other forms of social and emotional intelligence—if that’s true, then the act of learning to read is a path away from bullying. Try to expose children to literature about other cultures, traditions, and ways of living–that’ll ensure the biggest bang for your buck (or library card).
AHHH! This is one of my favorite finds!!!
This is the website for Reach and Teach, “the peace and social justice learning company,” which I just discovered and am currently enamored with. Here’s what’s up:
A page full of socially conscious Puzzles, Games, and Toys
A page full of socially conscious Activities and Coloring Books
A page full of socially conscious BOOKS! that include the following categories:
Normally I’m not a huge fan of books being marketed for the “lessons” they contain, but this is NPR, so the “lessons” are things like diversity, bullying, death, and cliques… sounds solid to me.
