Consumer Critique: Bullied Kids Speak Out

Disclosure: I received complimentary products to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own. 

Jodee Blanco has written a book for both kids and parents—Bullied Kids Speak Out. When Jodee Blanco began a speaking tour of America’s schools twelve years ago, she never imagined the scope of what would happen, the lives she would touch, nor that she’d meet so many brave kids.

 

Blanco helped many of them, intervening on their behalf with school administrators, social services and even local police. Their courage and compassion so impressed Blanco, that she decided it was finally time to give them a voice.

 

In Bullied Kids Speak Out Blanco presents seventeen of the most unforgettable young people she’s encountered, providing them with a no-holds-barred platform to speak directly to other kids in turmoil, because as Blanco states, “sometimes it takes a kid, and not an adult, no matter how well-intentioned, to reach another kid in pain and get them to do something about it.”

This book is a good way for teens to help find their own voice, to help them realize they aren't alone, or to help parents and teachers open a dialogue about bullying, either experienced by teens or witnessed as happening to others. The stories aren't easy to read, and definitely aren't always appropriate for younger kids, but they are worthwhile, perhaps because they are such honest, raw expressions of events. It takes courage for kids to speak out, and hopefully this book will help other teens have courage to share their own stories.