The Bullying Breakthrough: Real Help for Parents and Teachers of the Bullied, Bystanders, and Bullies by Jonathan McKee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This new book from Jonathan McKee is a MUST-READ book for everyone! For parents, grandparents, teachers and anyone else who has young people in their lives. The Bullying Breakthrough is full of helpful suggestions to help deal with this serious problem that is plaguing our society. Have you ever had your child or grandchild come home from school and appear to be starving? Most of us would question or perhaps assume that they hadn't eaten lunch because they didn't like what was being served. What if "they skipped lunch in fear of walking through certain areas, or because their lunch money was stolen or their lunch tray dumped again". (p.124) The author himself was once bullied and he describes his bullying and how he felt. In a very telling paragraph he relates that "...I had an amazing home life. And I can tell you, if I had access to a gun in junior high, I would have considered blowing away not only the entire "Kill Jon Club" but every one of of the smug bystanders who laugh at their jokes and T-shirts! (Wow, did I just put that in print?) By God's grace, I never did. But take it from me, public ridicule does something to you mentally. It festers and boils, becoming something poisonous." (p. 159)

In his introduction McKee mentions the hundreds of surveys and interviews he conducted over several months so that he could write this book. He shares the stories of young people that we recognize from news accounts but there are so many more mentioned who have experienced this hurtful behavior and we knew nothing about them until now. He also offers many tips for recognizing, understanding and reaching out to these victims. Page after page, readers are offered "real help for parents and teachers of the bullied, bystanders and bullies". Because, as guilty as the bullies are, there is also guilt that should be placed on the bystanders. People who watch and laugh and people who watch and do nothing. At the end of each chapter there are discussion questions and the book ends with several pages of notes to help us find more resources discussing this problem.

I would hope that every school and every church would add this book to their libraries and I will suggest that my local public library purchase it also. I cannot recommend The Bullying Breakthrough enough!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.




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