Sticks and Stones

Accessibility and balance make this an outstanding study of the complexities of adolescent bullying. Sharing the stories of three teenagers and looking at a variety of enabling factors and corrective responses, Bazelon says that simply punishing offenders seldom works, though legal action against schools has improved institutional responses to bullying. Rebecca Lowman's exceptional performance brings off the tricky combination of relaxed youthful appeal and intellectual maturity. She's also effective at delivering the narratives that dominate this multifaceted presentation, which includes advice for victims and parents. Lowman's approach partners seamlessly with the author's apparent mission: to encourage activism by exposing the fascinating interplay among destructive instincts, individual frailties, organizational resistance, social media, and the power of legal action to change culture. T.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine