Sticks and Stones

Emily Bazelon, a senior editor at Slate, a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine, and the Truman Capote Fellow at Yale Law School, has just published a new book on bullying that's receiving rave reviews. If you care about this critical issue and want to learn more, her book - Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power and Character of Empathy - would be a great place to start.

Some reviews ...

“She is nonjudgmental in a generous rather than simply neutral way, and she culls as much pathos from the circumstances of bullies as from those of their victims. She identifies not only the sadism of abusive children, but also their sadness. She is a compassionate champion for justice in the domain of childhood’s essential unfairness.” –Andrew Solomon, The New York Times

“In “Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy," journalist and editor Emily Bazelon brings a sure hand and investigative heft to her exploration of bullying, which, in the era of social media, includes both digital and old-fashioned physical cruelty.” –Los Angeles Times

Very Short and Very Sweet

Check out these amazing illustrated six-word memoirs ... http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/01/09/six-word-memoirs-students/

1 Reporter - 7 Years - 21,000 Miles - 60,000 Years of Human History - 30,000,000 Steps

"In 2013, journalist and National Geographic Fellow Paul Salopek begins an ambitious expedition to retrace the path our ancestors took as they migrated across the world. Equipped only with what he can carry in his backpack, Paul's goal is to cover the major global stories of our time by walking alongside the people who live them on a daily basis: cattle nomads, artists, traders, villagers, farmers, and scientists. The end result? A global mosaic of stories, faces, sounds, and landscapes that highlight the pathways that connect us to each other."

Check out the website. Trust me, it will blow your mind: http://www.outofedenwalk.com/

Teenage Wastelands

I recently finished Matched, the popular dystopian novel by Allie Condie, and here are some brief thoughts. I was hooked from the very beginning - I pretty much can't resist the star-crossed lovers thing - and finished the novel in a day, but it was unnecessarily long. I found myself skimming at times and growing frustrated as I thought Condie needed to keep her plot tighter. Overall, an easy and satisfying read. It's in the RAS library - check it out!

 

 I just started Ernest Cline's Ready Player One, another novel set in a grimly imagined future. I love it! The writing is faster, tighter, funnier, and just so, so much better than Condie's prose. If you dig the '80s, video games, and/or good writing, you MUST read it! Also in the RAS library.

Life and Death

When Susan Kuklin came to visit us at RAS, she discussed her interviews with young prisoners on death row which she transformed into her gripping book, No Choirboy; Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row. I like this book because it made me feel how the prisoners felt and I realized while they have done terrible things they are still human beings. The book also triggered a fascinating discussion in Writing Workshop. (Although it appears Ms. Cox wrote this it was actually composed by Sidi Mohammed and friends)

The BEST

A link to the 10 Best Books of 2012 (at least according to the New York Times. Personally, I think they missed one or two) ...

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/09/books/review/10-best-books-of-2012.html

Under non-fiction you'll find a brief review of Under the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity by Andrew Solomon. This book was discussed in the article Salma wrote about (thanks, Salma!) and I can't wait to read it. Solomon is an eloquent and moving writer; I tore through his book about depression, The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression. 

Little Strangers Achieve Big Things

                                                                        

                      

      I read a very gripping article called Little Strangers. When I read the title, the first thing that popped into my head was children. I learned about families which struggle with children who are different. These children are faced with challenges everyday of their lives. The fact that they do not share the same obstacles as other children, can sometimes make them more vulnerable in today's society.

What would you do if you encountered some of the same struggles with some of your family members? 

Here is a link to the article, if you ever want to check it out http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2012/11/19/121119crbo_books_heller