Book Recommendations: Anti-Bullying Books

In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. From the memories of getting his teeth kicked out by bullies at age five, to flea marketing with his loving grandmother, to his first sexual relationships, this young-adult memoir weaves together the trials and triumphs faced by Black queer boys.

Tells the true story of an agender teen who was set on fire by another teen while riding a bus in Oakland, a crime that focuses on the concepts of race, class, gender, crime, and punishment.

Lady Gaga and her mother collected stories from their Channel Kindness nonprofit to celebrate the quiet influence of kindness in today’s world and the examples of young people whose acts of bravery and resilience demonstrate the universal power of caring for others.

A collection of stories and poems by teenage writers that looks at the subtleties of harassment, the myriad reasons victims may be chosen, and how one day, as adults, they will be able to help.

Piddy Sanchez deals with bullying at her new school, and as the harassment escalates, she struggles to survive and to discover who she really is.

In 1928, Maxine, Rose, Alice, and London face vicious attendants and bullying older girls at the Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded, each determined to change her fate at all costs. Includes historical notes about eugenics.

While at Springville High's first integrated prom, Maddie, a constantly bullied biracial teenager, is tormented by her classmates until her secret is revealed--one that will cost them their lives.

Obsessed with the idea that he is not muscular enough and tired of being bullied, David, age seventeen, begins using steroids, endangering his relationships with family and friends.

Felix Love, a transgender seventeen-year-old, attempts to get revenge by catfishing his anonymous bully, but lands in a quasi-love triangle with his former enemy and his best friend.

When Tess's decision to get an abortion goes public, she is rejected and harassed by people in her community, but she soon finds solace in her music and uses her voice to end the cycle of abuse in her small town.

Fat Angie's sister was captured in Iraq, she is the resident laughingstock at school, and her therapist tells her to count instead of eat, but her life changes when she meets the daring new girl, KC Romance.

Frankie has her first sexual experience while on her period. It's only blood, they agree. But soon a gruesome meme goes viral, turning an intimate, affectionate afternoon into something sordid, mortifying, and damaging. In the time it takes to swipe, Frankie's universe implodes.

Simone, seventeen, HIV-positive and in love for the first time, decides that facing potential bullies head-on may be better than protecting her secret.

Nasreen and Mia, who are Muslim and African American respectively, are the targets of bullies at Arondale High and together come up with a plan to fight back against their tormenters.

Unable to control his binge eating, a morbidly obese teenager nicknamed Butter decides to make a live webcast of his last meal as he attempts to eat himself to death.

Amanda Hardy only wants to fit in at her new school, but she is keeping a big secret, so when she falls for Grant, guarded Amanda finds herself yearning to share with him everything about herself, including her previous life as Andrew.

An elite gamer who uses her rising-star status to secure sponsorships to help her struggling family and a fellow player who resists his mom’s ambitions for his future find their virtual worlds and blossoming romance challenged by gaming trolls and malicious doxing.

Seventeen-year-old Taiwanese American Olivia joins forces with a secret society of students intent on ending the school's culture around bullying--all while making friends and falling in love along the way.

When a cyberbully sends the entire high school a picture of basketball hero Bijan Majidi, photo-shopped to look like a terrorist, the school administration promises to find and punish the culprit, but Bijan just wants to pretend the incident never happened and move on.

The poems in this collection-- chosen with girls in mind but can be for anyone-- sing of diversity, self-discovery, and self-acceptance. Grouped by emotional experience, the poems offer wisdom and compassion for a vital, formative time in their lives. They also give the reader permission let go of shame and perfectionism. By accepting your own contradictions, you can embrace the fullness of who you are-- and of who you are becoming.

Luvvie Ajayi Jones uses her honesty and humor to inspire teens to be their bravest, boldest, truest selves, in order to create a world they would be proud to live i.

Two expert researchers on bullying prevention speak directly to teens about how they can end cyberbullying. It provides them with numerous peer anecdotes and strategies they can use to help create kinder schools and communities

Being a powerhouse is a choice, a lifestyle, a code of ethics. It takes work, a thick skin, and perseverance. Learn the basics of being a difficult bitch, from school to friends to body to life.

Transgender author Kate Bornstein provides guidance for suicidal teenagers, relating personal emotional struggles; discussing bullies, identity, and freedom; and describing 101 activities teens can use to cope and keep themselves alive.