OTHER RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
PIECES BY KAYLA TAYLOR
Information on Bullying:
A free summary of the author’s research (adapted from the chapter “Rite of Passage or Wrong?”)
Article on Bullying and Institutional Betrayal:
Assaults Hurt; Community Betrayal Devastates
(A similar piece was published at the Center for Institutional Courage)
Article on Bullying Responses:
The Power of the Bystander Family
(A similar piece was published on Dr. Aliza Pressman’s “Raising Good Humans” Substack)
ANXIETY
Freeing Your Child from Anxiety by Tamar E. Chansky
Anxiety Relief for Kids by Bridget Flynn Walker
APOLOGIES
How Can I Forgive You? By Janis Abrahms Spring and Michael Spring (focus: marriage)
A Good Apology by Molly Howes
On Apology by Aaron Lazare
Why Won’t You Apologize? By Harriet Lerner
Author Note: Few books distinguish between apologizing for acts of victimization and other, lesser transgressions. The books above contain many useful concepts, but please know individuals are never at fault for their own victimization nor should they be held responsible for the repair.
BULLYING PREVENTION
StopBullying, especially “Misdirections in Bullying Prevention and Intervention”
Centers for Disease Control, especially “Fast Fact: Preventing Bullying”
End Peer Cruelty, Build Empathy by Michele Borba*
Youth Voice Project by Stan Davis and Charisse L. Nixon**
Bullied by Carrie Goldman***
Bullying Today by Justin W. Patchin and Sameer Hinduja (focus: cyberbullying)
Author note: It is difficult to find sources that center the needs of the victimized child and offer peer-reviewed, researched-based solutions. The books listed above are some of the best options I could find, with a few caveats:
* End Peer Cruelty, Build Empathy: While the tenets of restorative justice are important, the descriptions on pages 65-69 seem to commit some key “misdirections” (see StopBullying above) and neglect to center victims’ autonomy and safety. Also, several common targets are missing from page 185, like racial minorities, people with disabilities, students with learning differences, etc.
** Youth Voice Project: Pages 109 and 116-117 seem to contradict more recent research that finds students of color and students of lower socioeconomic status are targeted more than their peers.
*** Bullied: The third section, especially chapters 16-23, is very useful. The first section could be demoralizing for readers whose children were not supported by a warm community after they were bullied. The second section neglects some common targets of bullying, like racial minorities.
COMPASSION
The Compassionate Instinct by Dacher Keltner
The Empathy Effect by Helen Riess
The War for Kindness by Jamil Zaki
HIGH SENSITIVITY
The Highly Sensitive Child by Elaine Aron
INSTITUTIONAL BETRAYAL AND COURAGE
Center for Institutional Courage, especially “Resources for Changemakers”
INTELLIGENCE
Ungifted by Scott Barry Kaufman
LEARNING DIFFERENCES and EDUCATION
“Do Schools Kill Creativity?” TED Talk by Sir Ken Robinson
Forward Together: Helping Educators Unlock the Power of Students Who Learn Differently
by NCLD and Understood
The End of Average by Todd Rose
NEUROPLASTICITY
Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak (for children)
Limitless Mind by Jo Boaler (for adults)
TRAUMA
What Happened to You? by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
OTHER BOOKS THAT VALUE NEUROLOGICAL DIFFERENCES
Quiet by Susan Cain (focus: introversion)
Ten Steps to Nanette by Hannah Gadsby (focus: autism intersected with other identities)
Raising a Rare Girl by Heather Lanier (focus: a rare genetic condition)
Uniquely Human by Barry M. Prizant (focus: autism)
Kayla Taylor is not a licensed physician nor a therapist.
If you are having a mental health crisis, please dial 988 or call your doctor.
You also might find these resources helpful.