A Brave Heart

Appeared in A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story

Other Media Coverage

Emily Bazelon, author of Sticks and Stones:

“One pice of research in particular helped me understand why kids bully—how that can be a rational, if unfortunate, choice. Robert Faris at U.C. Davis mapped social networks in a few different high schools, and he showed that kids behaving aggressively—not physically, but socially—use gossip, exclusion, and attacks on other kids’ reputations to help themselves move up the social ladder. It turned out that for most kids, it didn’t work, in terms of increasing status, to attack someone much weaker. But if you picked on someone near you in the social hierarchy who was a possible rival, that often had a social benefit. It is sort of depressing but important to understand, I think. People ask: Why do kids act this way? But kids are doing what anyone would do: maximizing their social influence.”

Salon, “The 8 Traits that can help you identify a psychopath, according to the experts.”

Salon, “Bullies aren’t all sociopaths, most are just trying to climb the social ladder”

Big Think, “New Research Shows that Bullies are Often Friends“

Forbes, “Tell-Tale Signs of a Toxic Friendship“

KSRO “New Study Shows Teens More Likely To Be Bullied By Their Social Circles“

Psychology Today, “Transforming Rejection“

Science Daily, “Most teen bullying occurs among peers climbing the social ladder“

The Washington Post, Monica Leftwich. “Are You Raising an Internet Bully?”

Slate, “The Harder They Fall.”

The Atlantic, “Why it Pays to Be a Jerk.”

Harpers Monthly, “Findings,”  

The New York Times, KJ Delatonia. “What Works to End Bullying?.”

The New York Times, “Web of Popularity, Achieved by Bullying.” reprinted in The Seattle Times and The Worcester Telegram.

The Atlantic, “The Most Popular Kids Are Like Benign Dictators“

The Wall Street Journal, “Bullying: Not Just for the Maladjusted!” Christopher Shea

The Washington Post, “ Most, least popular kids least likely to bully, study says.” Valerie Strauss

Los Angeles Times, Eryn Brown, “ Study Links Teenage Bullying to Social Status .” Reprinted in Chicago Tribune, The Boston Herald, The Baltimore Sun, and The Arizona Republic

ABC News, Katie Moisse, “Bullied Teen is Driven to Succeed.”

Time.  “Why Kids Bully:  Because They’re Popular.” Belinda Luscombe.

CNN. “Kids and Aggression:  Popularity Matters.” Elizabeth Landau.

The Atlantic, Elspeth Reeve. “ The Most Popular Kids are like Benign Dictators .”  

US News and World Report, “ Bullying May Accompany Drive to be Popular.” Jenifer Goodwin, reprinted in Newsday and Bloomberg Businessweek