About the Author

James Garbarino, PhD, is an author and professor at Loyola University Chicago. He has specialized in studying what causes violence in children, how they cope with it and how to rehabilitate them. Dr. Garbarino has served as consultant or adviser to a wide range of organizations, including the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, the National Institute for Mental Health, the American Medical Association, the National Black Child Development Institute, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, and the FBI.

In addition to her recent research on childhood bullying, Dr. Ellen deLara was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where she conducted research with Dr. James Garbarino on child maltreatment at home and at school.

Reviews

Publishers Weekly Revealing student interviews give depth to [the authors'] extensive knowledge.

Barbara Coloroso author of The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander A must-read for parents and educators.

Daniel Kindlon coauthor of Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Lives of Boys One of the most important books written about children in the last twenty years.

Rosalind Wiseman author of Queen Bees and Wannabes An excellent, practical, and realistic blueprint for making every school a safe, nurturing environment.

Childhood angst tends to torment parents as well as children and can erupt into the tragedy of school shootings. These books address such problems from fairly dissimilar perspectives. Psychologists Thompson (coauthor, Raising Cain) and Cohen (Playful Parenting) collaborate with journalist/ author Grace on a sensitive and straightforward advice manual that focuses on 40 key questions regarding the social life of children. Conversational and upbeat in tone, the book is divided into three sections designed to help readers distinguish "normal" social pain from more lasting trauma. The text covers friendship skills, tattletales, racial bigotry, bullying, and personal hygiene and also suggests techniques for building positive leadership and conflict-resolution skills. The issues addressed are drawn from actual questions raised during their workshop/consulting experience. The answers reflect cumulated wisdom about what matters in the life of children from grade school through adolescence, and the book as a whole similar to but more practical than Charlotte Giannetti's and Margaret Sagarese's recent Cliques. In contrast, Garbarino (human development, Cornell Univ.; Lost Boys) and de Lara, a researcher and family therapist, focus on the pathology of mainstream high school life in America. Based on interviews and discussions with rural and suburban students from "All-American" communities and published research, the book debunks myths about school safety and discusses multiple aspects of emotional violence in a school setting, including stalking, bullying, dysfunctional adaptations to harassment, and teacher violations. The authors exhibit an insightful understanding of school cliques (e.g., "hicks," jocks, and "Goths") but tend to be alarmist when depicting daily high school life. However, the research is impressive and generates many valuable suggestions for improving the school environment. The book concludes with resources and readings on bullying and violence prevention. Though Garbarino and de Lara's book is more focused on school management issues, both books are recommended for public library parenting collections. [Thompson's book was previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 4/1/02.]-Antoinette Brinkman, M.L.S., Evansville, IN

Publishers Weekly Revealing student interviews give depth to [the authors'] extensive knowledge.
Barbara Coloroso author of The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander A must-read for parents and educators.
Daniel Kindlon coauthor of Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Lives of Boys One of the most important books written about children in the last twenty years.
Rosalind Wiseman author of Queen Bees and Wannabes An excellent, practical, and realistic blueprint for making every school a safe, nurturing environment.