About the Book
From Cynthia Gustavson’s Preface to Bully! “Bullying is a hot topic in America today, and with good reason. Every school, group of friends, and family has someone who has been a victim of bullying, and most have someone who has acted like a bully.”
Psychotherapist and author Cynthia Gustavson has come together with her husband, developmental pediatrician Dr. Edward E. Gustavson, MD, and her son, Dr. Kent Gustavson, PhD, to write the first book on bullying that can be used for both the bully and the bullied.
With whimsical drawings throughout and writing prompts on nearly every page, this is an easy-to-use book that is a must-have for every classroom from elementary school on through high school, and for discussion groups everywhere. Great for parents, teachers, mentors, and most importantly, great for children and teenagers.
President Barack Obama, in his speech “It Gets Better” on October 21, 2010, said about bullying, “We’ve got to dispel the myth that bullying is just a normal rite of passage – that it’s some inevitable part of growing up. It’s not.” Bully! is a book that will help victimized and bullied children and teens as well as their tormentors.
A few of the included topics are: Bullies Come in Different Shapes and Sizes; Building Self-Understanding; Expressing Feelings; Bully or Bullied?; How Do You React?; Passive Behavior; Aggressive Behavior; Assertive Behavior; Responding to Authority; Siblings as Bullies; Hard to Love; Self-Reflection; Acting with Compassion; Command and Control; Forgiving Others and Self; Developing Inner Strength; Now and the Future; So What If I’m Different?; Learning to Communicate; Conversation Bullies; Making Yourself Heard; Social Media Bullies; What Do You Do With a Bully?; I Am Now, But I Will Be; What Will You Be Like 20 Years From Now?
“Read this book and live with new courage.”
– Kim Stafford, author of The Muses Among Us, on Please Use This for Children
“This work affirms the poetic in humankind . . . Gustavson invites us to create, connect, and make a difference in our own lives and those we touch.”
– Nicholas Mazza, Editor of the Journal of Poetry Therapy, on In-Versing Your Life
“Intriguing, probing, and therapeutically RIGHT ON.”
– Kay Adams, Center for Journal Therapy, on In-Versing Your Life
“Reading [this] will help me live with greater heart.”
– John Fox, author of Poetic Medicine, on Please Use This for Children
“An authentic, engaging, and inquisitive voice.”
– John Elder, author of Imagining the Earth, on Please Use This for Children
