Review: Dear Bully edited by Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones

Dear Bully: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories

You are not alone

Discover how Lauren Kate transformed the feeling of that one mean girl getting under her skin into her first novel, how Lauren Oliver learned to celebrate ambiguity in her classmates and in herself, and how R.L. Stine turned being the “funny guy” into the best defense against the bullies in his class.

Today’s top authors for teens come together to share their stories about bullying—as silent observers on the sidelines of high school, as victims, and as perpetrators—in a collection at turns moving and self-effacing, but always deeply personal.

Review:

Dear Bully was a fantastic and heartbreaking anthology that needs to be read by teens everywhere. Bullying is a serious issue and these stories were so personal and intense. The authors who wrote these stories have all had some experience with bullying- either as the victim or the culprit. Each and every one of these short stories touched me in some way and I had a hard time setting this down. Dear Bully sucked me in and didn't let me go until the last page. I cannot begin to explain how important this anthology is and how necessary it is for everyone to pick this up now.

Kiersten White, Lauren Kate, Ellen Hopkins, Michelle Zink.... these are just a few of the authors included in this anthology. It takes a lot of guts to open up about such bad memories and I applaud all seventy of these brave authors. They wrote their stories to make a difference and I know it will, even if Dear Bully stops just one bully, that means it has accomplished something.

It's hard to review an anthology that contained so many fabulous stories, I wish I could discuss all of them. I have never read an anthology before, but now I see that I have been missing out. It's fascinating to see so many different takes on an issue and I know I will never look at bullying the same way again.

Bullying is such a serious issue right now and this book couldn't have come out at a more opportune time. Everyone, no matter your age, needs to give this anthology a chance. It will leave an impact on every reader, as it did on me.

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars

September 1, 2011/HarperTeen/352 Pages/Young Adult

Source: Publisher (ARC)