How to Beat Physical Bullying

Many people who are now famous and successful, including singers Lady Gaga and Victoria Beckham–and actors such as Harrison Ford and Tom Cruise–were physically bullied as young people. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2007, 32 percent of students from twelve to eighteen years old reported having been bullied at school during the school year. Of those, 11 percent said that they were pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on; and 4 percent each said that someone tried to make them do things they did not want to do or that their property was destroyed on purpose. In this stirring narrative, teen readers learn about some of the causes of physical bullying, people who have struggled to cope with the problem, strategies for victims and bystanders on how to stop physical bullying, and how individuals and schools can reduce this grave injustice. Anti-bullying programs and state laws are also examined.