Words Wound: Delete Cyberbullying and Make Kindness Go Viral Paperback – December 3, 2013

Words Wound gives its readers a direct insight to a complex modern day issue faced by most teenagers--cyberbullying. The chapters thoroughly address why, how, when, and what cyberbullying is, as well as how to prevent, mitigate, and deal with all of its aspects. Since it is intended for a younger audience, there were times when I felt like the content didn’t speak to me directly; however, when I would turn the next page, I would be immediately reminded about the ways cyberbullying affects every single person. Not only reading the direct quotes from teenagers made me realize this, but also seeing the way the words were communicated to a younger audience really put things into perspective because they needed to be explained simply for children to understand. This shows that cyberbullying affects teenagers and children who will not necessarily understand complex ideas, high vocabulary usage, and analytic topics, yet they are dealing with extremely difficult situations that many don’t know how to handle. In beginning I would have questions or ideas regarding some of the statements, and they were quickly answered with hard facts, and real life examples. The authors found a way to give victims a voice, and turned a negative experience into something that could really make a difference. The concepts explained were very well; however, hearing the pain, fear, and journeys of the teenagers definitely set the book aside from others that aim to guide teenagers, parents, or teachers to understand cyberbullying.Overall, the book is instrumental in covering all aspects of cyberbullying, ranging from legal issues, to the positive ways to turn it around. My favorite chapter was the last one, “Make Kindness Go Viral”. It revealed ways teenagers can make a difference in their communities. At first, I thought it was a bit idealistic, but after seeing the real world examples, I noticed it was definitely possible to turn something so negative around. Words Wound embodies the full cycle of cyberbullying, depicting the dark aspects and then showing how victims were able to heal, move on, and help others.

Words Wound is a great book. The layout of the book is what impresses me the most. It makes this book very enjoyable to read. With my sister being involved in cyber bulling with kids in her school the book really appealed to me. The most appealing thing about this book was the way the information was presented. By being so informative on such an important topic in a way that’s fun and educational. This book would really appeal to a high school- college demographic because it gives you information in a way that’s easy to understand and very interesting. At the end of every chapter there are survey type activities that kind of wrap up previous ideas. Also the book instead of just pages and pages of information all crammed together the chapters have a mix of information, tips, personal stories and pop ups about things to think about that are brought up in the chapters. I can say this was actually an enjoyable book and very easy to understand all points presented. I would love to pass this book on to my sister because I really think she would learn a lot and enjoy this book as well.

This book is a must read for every parent and teen! Patchin and Hinduja have pulled together stories from teens across the US to help provide a step by step guide to face cyberbullying. At the end of each chapter there is a helpful status update quiz for teens to take to reflect on their own online behavior. Backed by years of research, the easy to read book offers practical advice on how to deal with a cyberbullying situation. It is also an ideal resource to help show our teens how to use social networks properly - and the impact they can have in a POSITIVE way to influence your community.I help schools with social media and have built a presentation around the content in this book to inspire kids to use technology to make a difference in this world. The authors put together a FREE leaders guide that accompanies the book. Preaching at our kids will not help, but illustrating the points based on stories from other teens really drives home our points. Don't leave this important educational area to chance, take a proactive step and grab your copy today.

The book, Words Wound: Delete Cyberbullying and Make Kindness Go Viral written by Justin Patchin and Sameer Hinduja, is designed perfectly with each chapter building on the preceding chapter. In addition, the book contains student passages and celebrity quotes that complement the content on the corresponding pages in each chapter. Dr. Patchin and Dr. Hinduja provide pertinent researched information and tips regarding all facets of addressing cyberbullying. Although this book is geared for teens, it would also be a valuable resource for adults such as educators, parents, law enforcement, and government officials. The book will force students to critically think and do some serious soul searching after reading about other teens’ cyberbullying experiences and perspectives on this devastating worldwide phenomenon, as well as responding to the Questions to Think About and Status Updates at the conclusion of each chapter. I am looking forward to integrating the concepts presented in this book into my high school Digital Citizenship/Cyber Safety classroom, and sharing the book with my colleagues.Theresa Hrubash